A Day Start With Early Morning TEA

Tea Benefits

  Tea plays a significant role in our life. Starting from the early morning we take tea. Tea acts as a stimulant for Central Nervous System, (CNS) and skeletal muscles. That is why tea removes fatigue, tiredness and headache. It also increases the capacity of thinking; it is used in lowering of body temperature. Moreover tea drinking has recently proven to be associated with cell - mediated immune function of the human body.

   Tea plays an important role in providing immunity against intestinal disorders and in protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage. Tea also prevents dental caries due to the presence of fluoride. The role of tea is well established in normalizing blood pressure, lipid depressing activity, prevention of coronary heart diseases and diabetes by reducing the blood - glucose activity. 

  Both green and black tea infusions contain a number of antioxidants, mainly catechins that have anti - carcinogenic, anti - mutagenic and anti - turmeric properties. Today, tea forms an integral part of the modern healthy lifestyle, which comprises a balanced diet, combined with regular exercise routine.

    Extensive research and studies have revealed that tea is one of the richest sources of antioxidants. These antioxidants, as scientists agree, are found in tea in the form of poly phenols. Antioxidants are important to our health because they protect our bodies from free radicals. Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules that are created by a by - product of our digestive processes. Free radicals left unchecked damage our cells and DNA, leading to disease and aging.

Types Of Tea

There are at least six varieties of tea: white, yellow, green, oolong, black, and post fermented teas, of which the most commonly found on the market are white, yellow, green, oolong and black.

Tea Processing and Classification 

Tea processing is the method in which the leaves and flushes from camellia sinensis are transformed into the dried leaves for brewing tea.

 

The types of tea are distinguished by the type of processing they undergo. In its most general form, tea processing involves oxidation of the leaves and its molecules, stopping the oxidation, forming the tea and drying it. Of these steps, the degree of oxidation plays a significant role of determining the final flavor of the tea, with curing and leaf breakage contributing to flavor by a lesser amount. 

Tea is traditionally classified based on the techniques with which it is produced and processed. 

• White tea: wilted and unoxidised 
• Yellow tea: unwilted and unoxidized 
• Green tea: unwilted and unoxidized 
• Oolong tea: wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized 
• Black tea: wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized

Although each type of tea has different taste, smell, and visual appearance, tea processing for all tea types consist of a very similar set of methods with only minor variations. 

•  Picking: Tea leaves and flushes, which include a terminal bud and 2 young leaves, are plucked from camellia sinensis bushes typically twice a year during early spring and early summer or late spring-autumn; winter pickings of tea flushes are much less common, though they occur when climate permits. Picking is done by hand when a higher quality tea is needed, or where labor costs are not prohibitive.

• Withering/ wilting: The tea leaves will begin to wilt soon after picking, with a gradual onset of enzymatic oxidation. Wilting is used to remove excess water from the leaves and allows a very slight amount of oxidation. The leaves can be either put under the sun or left in a cool breezy room to pull moisture out from the leaves. The leaves sometimes lose more than a quarter of their weight in water during wilting. The process is also important in promoting the breakdown of leaf proteins into free amino acid and increases the availability of freed caffeine both of which changes the taste of tea.

•   Bruising: In order to promote and quicken oxidation, the leaves may be bruised by shaking and tossing in a bamboo tray, tumbling in baskets or being kneaded or rolled -over by heavy wheels. The bruising breaks down the structures within and outside of the leaf cells and allows from the commingling of oxidative enzymes with various substances, which allows for the beginning of oxidation.

•   Oxidation/ fermentation: For teas that require oxidation, the leaves are left on their own in a climate - controlled room where they turn progressively darker. This is accompanied by agitation in some cases. In this process the chlorophyll in the leaves is enzymatically broken down, and its tannins are released or transformed. 

• Fixation/ kill green: Kill green or shacking is done to stop the tea leaf oxidation at a desired level. This process is accomplished by moderately heating tea leaves, thus deactivating their oxidative enzymes and removing unwanted scents in the leaves, without damaging the flavor of the tea. Traditionally, the tea leaves are panned in a wok or steamed, but with advancements in technology, kill green is sometimes done by baking or “pannin” in a rolling drum. In some white teas and some black teas such as CTC blacks, kill green is done simultaneously with drying. 

• Rolling/ shaping: The damp tea leaves are then rolled to be formed into wrinkled strips, by hand or using a rolling machine which causes the tea to wrap around itself. This rolling action also causes some of the sap, essential oils, and juices inside the leaves to ooze out, which further enhances the taste of the tea. The strips of tea can then be formed into other shapes, such as being rolled into spirals, kneaded and rolled into pellets, or tied into balls, cones and other elaborate shapes. 

•  Drying: Drying is done to “finish” the tea for sale. This can be done in a myriad of ways including planning, sunning, air drying, or baking. However, baking is usually the most common. Great care must be taken to not over - cook the leaves. The drying of the produced tea is responsible for many new flavor compounds particularly important in green teas.

 TEA has always been a most popular beverage in the household. Over a 100 scientific research papers produced over the last decade shows that tea provides immense health benefits. Besides, all of us know that tea has always been a rejuvenating, relaxing, natural and healthy beverage. It is also known to have therapeutic benefits which were utilized even in the ancient ages, to treat common ailments. Today, tea forms an integral part of the modern healthy lifestyle, which comprises a balanced diet, combined with regular exercise routine.