by Shawn Kirby L.Ac.

The first cup moistens my lips and throat;
The second cup banishes all loneliness;
The third cup clears my mind of words and books.
At the fourth cup, I begin to perspire –
life’s troubles evaporate through my pores.
The fifth cup cleanses my entire being.
Six cups and I am in the realm of the Divine.
Seven cups – ah, but I can drink no more:
I can only feel the gentle breeze blowing through my sleeves
wafting me to the Isle of Immortality!

Lu Tong, 8th Century Chinese Poet, from In Gratitude for a Gift of Fresh Tea

...

My love affair with tea began at a young age. My maternal Grandmother was from Ireland, and she loved her “cuppa.” Even at a young age I imbibed strong black tea with milk and honey. I don’t know that I have many things that would fall under the category of “comfort foods” for me, but sweetened black tea has always been my security blanket. It was when I went to Acupuncture school that I was first exposed to the cult of green tea. Several students had connections in Taiwan that allowed them to import and sell a quality of tea that is rarely seen on these shores. Blue Poppy’s own Eric Brand is my new Oolong source, and has brought some Oolong to the office that is among the finest I’ve ever tasted. Since school, I have also cultivated a taste for Japanese green tea, another cult all its own.

Green tea boasts tremendous health benefits from regular consumption. Most people have heard about green tea’s cancer fighting abilities. Numerous studies have shown that flavonoids found in tea block the action of enzymes that cancers need for growth and can deactivate substances that promote the growth of cancers. Tea has been shown to benefit heart health by reducing blood cholesterol as well as having an anti-inflammatory effect that can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Tea has also been shown to benefit bone health in the elderly, benefit teeth and gums and benefit gastrointestinal health by reducing bad bacteria in the gut.

One of the most interesting studies I’ve come across indicates that green tea has a marked effect in preventing kidney stones –

“A new study shows compounds in green tea extract make it more difficult for certain kidney stones to form. Kidney stones occur when abnormally high concentrations of minerals, such as calcium, accumulate in the urinary tract and clump together to form crystals and potentially painful stones. Most kidney stones contain calcium, and the most common stone type is calcium oxalate. Chinese researchers found that green tea extract bonds to calcium oxalate and makes the resulting crystals a different shape, which makes them less likely to clump together and form large kidney stones. The smaller crystals and stones are then passed harmlessly through the urine.”*

Brewing an extraordinary cup of tea involves a couple of different factors. The first, obviously, is the quality of the tea you’re brewing. Good tea can be had from the purveyors listed below. The other major factors are the temperature of the water used and the amount of time spent brewing. In order to understand why these are important, we need to look at three of the chemical components that influence both tea taste as well as what a makes tea such unique beverage.

The three main components of tea that affect taste are catechins (the flavonoids mentioned earlier), caffeine, which both exhibit a bitter taste, and theanine, an amino acid that has a distinct taste that has aspects of both sweet and “umami.” Umami 旨味 is a Japanese word that can be translated as “tastiness,” and is now a new proposed taste that can be experienced directly on the human tongue without the need for olfactory input. Theanine has powerful anti-anxiety and anti-stress properties that have a sedative effect on the central nervous system. The presence of theanine is why green tea doesn’t have the same “jittery” effect that coffee or other caffeinated beverages can have. Balancing the amounts of bitter, sweet and umami are what make the difference between a wretched cup of bitter tea that makes your eye twitch and a cup of jade liquor fit for an immortal.

The hotter the water, the more readily the catechins and caffeine (bitter) will be decocted into the water. Theanine, on the other hand, decocts at an even rate regardless of temperature. You can see then, that dumping boiling water over green tea leaves and letting it sit for five minutes will result in a very bitter cup of tea. I recently stopped at a local “fine tea shop” and was offered a sample of decent quality Oolong that was brewed in this manner by the mouth breathing high school student who was running the shop that afternoon – it tasted more like Huang Lian than Oolong. Ick.

Green teas (Chinese Dragon Wells, Japanese Sencha) are best brewed at 160 - 170° (70-75° C). You can easily measure this with an instant-read thermometer, or you can just boil water and then cool it off by transferring the water back and forth between two vessels, such as your tea mug and a Pyrex measuring cup. Pouring boiled water between vessels three to four times will produce good green tea. Oolongs, which are semi-fermented, are best at 180-195° (80-90°C).

My personal favorite tea is Japanese Gyokuro. Gyokuro 玉露 can be translated from Japanese as “Jade Dew.” Gyokuro can be a bit fussy, but once you learn to brew it properly, it is among the finest green tea in the world. What makes gyokuro special is how it is grown. Gyokuro is only made from the yabukita varietal, and only the earliest buds from the spring harvest are used. During the last 20 days before harvest, the tea plants are shaded by screens. The lack of sunlight reduces photosynthesis and, consequently, increases the chlorophyll in the leaves. It is this change that gives gyokuro it’s exquisite taste and aroma. Gyokuro should be brewed around 140-150° F for 30-45 seconds on the first brew and 60-90 seconds on the last brew. (I always use a thermometer and an egg timer when making this tea.) You can usually get 3 infusions out of a good gyokuro, each exhibiting a unique character.

In Part 2 Eric Brand, our in house Oolong expert, will be following up this blog with a blog on the fascinating world of Taiwanese and Chinese Oolong.

Purveyors of Fine Tea

Den’s Tea (Japanese Tea)

The Fragrant Leaf

NOTES
* WebMD - Green Tea may prevent Kidney Stones