Before exploring tea's potential health benefits, let's look at the health concept. In the West, health is often seen as a static state, while in the East, it's more often viewed as a dynamic process influenced by various factors like lifestyle, diet, thoughts, emotions and more. So the main difference between eastern and western perspective on health is mainly that in the East health is seen as something we very much can influence ourself and that a holistic and preventative view on health more often is applied.
Tea - one of the most consumed beverages on the planet, after water
Tea (here I refer only to the tea plant Camellia sinensis) is especially enjoyed in the East, where the cultivation of tea originates. The health benefits you can read about related to tea, created in the East, can sometimes seem quite exaggerated if we evaluate them according to a western, more "scientific" perspective. However, if we look at tea as a nice, uplifting, versatile drink that can enhance our overall healthy quality of life, then the benefits of tea fall more into place.
So, what does tea contain that is potentially good for us? Or, to phrase it differently, since humans have been enjoying tea for at least 5000 years, there is probably something to it that is felt by a vast majority of people on this planet. So, what is it in tea that makes us feel good, more awake, and uplifted?
Due to scientific research and knowledgeable tea people - the below substances are the most important in tea:
•Polyphenols - or antioxidants (AOX) make up 27-44% of dry tea matter (the AOX can be divided into subgroups like flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins) and they give tea its astringency, potency, and mouthfeel. But they also protect the plant itself against insects. The polyphenols in tea are considered stronger antioxidants than vitamin E and C. Furthermore, they are increased by sunlight, and therefore shaded teas (which are common in Japan) have less astringency.
• Carbohydrates make up 32-44% of the leaves' dry matter, and these give tea its sweetness (only monosaccharides can pass into water, so natural tea has almost no calories at all). The carbs are also important in the processing of tea because they facilitate the enzymatic browning (also called oxidation, that makes a black tea dark brown) and help create polyphenols in the young leaf.
•Amino acids 18-22% of dry leaf matter, among them L-theanine. This amino acid has been identified in some mushrooms but tea is the primary natural source of L-theanine. This substance can also be increased in shaded teas and it can enhance the alpha waves in the brain, so that we feel alerted yet in a calm way, more below.
• Enzymes – a catalyst that facilitates the oxidation process (enzymatic browning), these are destroyed at high heat, which we utilize when we produce green tea (we heat up the tea leaves very soon after harvesting to prevent oxidation from happening).
•Pigment / Chlorophyll 0.5-0.6% of dry leaf matter, gives tea color and taste, can also be enhanced by shade growing.
•Alkaloids make up 3-5% of dry leaf matter, alkaloids are stimulating substances more known as caffeine or theine – its the same substance. Unprocessed tea leaves contain more theine than fresh coffee beans but the production process changes the ratio so
roasted coffee can contain up to three times more caffeine than tea. Coffee gives you a strong, fast energizing effect that fades in 1-2 hours. Tea provides a calm energy that can last up to 6 hours. The longer duration is due to the L-theanine that interact with theine, and wakes you up and give you high capacity for concentration!
•Minerals & Vitamins, 0.5-0.6% of dry matter, 28 different have been identified in tea. The most common are fluorine, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The amount varies between different tea types, terroirs, and from season to season. Vitamins: most common are beta carotene (A), different Bs, C, and E. But a side note many vitamins are destroyed by high heat so probably they do not survive the production nor the steeping process.
• Volatile substances, 0.01-0.02%, give tea its nice aroma and taste. More than 600 substances have been identified, examples are hexanal (aroma of fresh fruit, fresh grass), hexenol (herbal & woody flavors), linalool (floral, sweet, lavender), geraniol (rosy, geranium), pentanal (malt, pungent, almond) and many more.
In order to reap all the benefits of tea above: aim for high quality, sustainable produced teas from as early harvest as possible in each season. Higher quality will cost more but will ensure tea that you can steep several times on the same leaves and a sustainable end product where the small tea farmer also gets his or her fair share.
I'll be happy to help you select the right teas for your office, your hotel, café or restaurant. Welcome to contact me at catrin@brandable.se
I am the only supplier of Pure Tea and Limited Leaves in Sweden and I also import many teas directly from small plantations that I have visited. Read more at www.teamasters.se
Main sources to the above information:
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