Genmaicha

Genmaicha ("brown rice tea") is the Japanese name for green tea combined with roasted brown rice. Koreans call it Hyeonmi nokcha. During roasting process few grains of rice pop...plus it resembles popocorn. That's whysome people also call it "Popcorn tea".

Genmaicha used to be a drink of poor Japanese cause rice added to this tea made it cheaper. Today all parts of Japanese society drink this tea.Genmaicha has mild flavour, combining fresh flavour of green tea and aroma of roasted rice...

You should brew Genmaicha with water at temperature of 80-85°C (175-185°F). Tea is ready for drinking after 3-5 minutes, depending on how strong tea do you like....

Sung Dynasty tea technique

Rohat tea house

Rohat tea house or Rohat Choykhona is located in the Rudaki avenue, near President's Palace of Dushanbe city, Tajikistan. Here is short video for you to see the inside of it...

Kombucha

A Tea Story

I have just found rather unusual love story...An animation film with tea bags as main characters....Well, here it is...Enjoy!!

Tea eggs from Taiwan

Tea brewing...little extra

Here is a video about tea brewing....general stuff...but maybe you'll find some extra details...Enjoy!!

More on tea in Vietnam

Typical Vietnamese green tea is known as "hook-shaped curly tea", because the leaves curl up after roasting.
Some people think that the proper term is mac cau or "areca mold" tea, because the curly dried leaves have a thin white coat, like the mold on an areca palm leaf.
Thai Nguyen Tea from Vietnamese province Thai Nguyen province is the best tea in Vietnam.

Tea custom from Vietnam

Here is an interesting tea custom from Vietnam...
According to the customs of Vietnamese people, on moonlit nights, devotees set their boats on the lake and ponds when the lotus flowers are in bloom. They open the about-to-bloom lotus flowers and place a lot of tea inside each blossom, then close them with ribbon or string. Then they get the moonlit dew from the lotus leaves . By dawn, the living scent of lotus impregnates the tea , and the gatherers have enough dew to add to their teapots. After a few hours of sleep, they enjoy a blissful afternoon of tea.
Source: Future Generation Co., Ltd (FGC)

Mugicha or Bori cha

Mugicha (in Japanese) or Bori cha (in Korean) is a type of herbal tea (tisane) made from roasted barley. In Japan it is popular summer bevarage. In Korea people drink it hot in winter and cold in summer. Mugicha contains no caffeine.
As to the study by Japanese food company Kagome, drinking Mugicha increases blood fluidity. This happens because of the chemical alkypyrazine which exists in Mugicha. The Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Natural Products in China claims that Mugicha can reduce stress in those who drink it.
Koreans combine Bori cha with Okusu cha (roasted corn herbal tea)...Okusu cha is sweeter...and influences bitter taste of Bori cha...

Tieguanyin tea

Tieguanyin tea is a variety of Chinese oolong tea grown in Anxi, Fujian Province, China. It was named after the Buddhist deity Guan Yin. Some translate it as "Iron Goddess of Mercy".
It is very expensive. For 1 kg of this tea you have to pay $1,700... That is really to much for me...
One of reasons why Tieguanyin tea is so expensive is the "gung fu" style, which means "great skill". The tea can be brewed with multiple infusion...three or four times...each time becoming more tastier.
The tea should be brewed with fresh water at 85°c using smaller intervals of time when steeping rather than smaller amounts of tea. Tieguanyin tea has a fragrant orchid-like aroma when steeped, the tea may be very floral or very fruity too.

Nilgiri tea

Nilgiri tea (The Nilgiris means the "Blue Mountains") is very aromatic, flavorful tea grown in the southern part of the Western Ghats mountains of Southern India. Most production exists in the Nigil distric of Tamil Nadu state.
The tea has high "cuppage". It means that it provides a higher number of cups per measure. It is manufactured in so called CTC process. Leaves arepassed through a series of cylindrical rollers with hundreds of small sharp "teeth" that Crush, Tear, and Curl.
Nilgiri has a bright amber colour and a refreshing, delicate taste. Nunsch is good example of Nilgiri tea. It has large leaves.
When brewing Nilgiri tea you should use one tea spoon of loose tea per 180 ml (6 oz) of water. The water should be boiled thoroughly before being poured. Wait for 4 to 5 minutes...

Linden tea (infusion)

Linden (Lime tree) has been used in European folk medicine for centuries to treat many health problems.
Linden flowers, leaves, wood, and charcoal (from the wood) parts used for medicinal purposes.
Linden flowers include flavonoids (which act as antioxidants), volatile oil, and mucilage components (which are soothing and reduce inflammation). The plant also contains tannins that can act as an astringent.
Linden is among other forms available as a tea (infusion). How to brew it? Add 1 - 2 tsp flowers in 240 ml (8 oz) of water. Steep covered for 20 minutes. Drink three cups of hot tea daily.

Green tea and oral cancer

Green tea stops growth of oral cancer cells and breaks down and kills existing oral cancer. The polyphenols in tea areantioxidants, which work to remove free radicals (oxidants) which cause the mutation of genes which lead to cancerous growth. By drinking 4 to 6 cups of green tea a day the polyphenols can inhibit the growth and spread of cancerous cells.
The results of research at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, USA indicated compounds in green tea selectively induced cell death only in oral cancer cells while ignoring normal cells.
In China where green tea is extremely popular, oral cancer rates are 1/2 that of North America, even though smoking rates- a known risk factor for oral cancer - are 3 times higher in China.

Green tea - antirust substance

Today post is rather short...still I hope some of you are going to find it useful...
Wiping a steel pot or knife with used tea leaves can prevent the item from rusting.
Catechin, an ingredient of green tea, makes an anti-rust coating on the surface of steel.

Tea Sherpa - recipe

Tea Sherpa

Take :
Half a glass of red wine.
Half a glass of tea liquid.
A slice of lemon Sugar to taste.

The hot liquid tea should be poured into the wine and mixed gently. Then the mixture should be topped with lemon and sugar.
source: Indian Tea Association

Earl Grey tea

Earl Grey tea can be found anywhere where tea is sold. Who was Earl Grey? Earl is a title...And his name was actually Charles Grey (13 March 1764 - 17 July 1845). He was England's second Earl Grey. He was a political reformer and England's prime minister between 1830 and 1834. But his true fame is in the world of teas. A blend of black tea scented with the bergamot oil was named after him. It is claimed that while serving as diplomat in China Grey was given a special tea recipe by a Chinese mandarin.

Green tea - great deodorizer

Green tea with its many antioxidants makes it one of the healthiest drinks available. Benefits of green tea certainly do not stop here. The catechins, or commonly known antioxidants, in green tea have antibacterial features, which make tea leaves very good for fighting odor.
Here is what to do...When finished brewing tea put leaves into a strainer or colander and press out as much liquid as you can...Spread the leaves on a piece of paper to dry well...If needed you can repeat the whole process...
Food odors in a refrigerator can be removed if you place a small uncovered bowl of tea leaves or used tea bags in the refrigerator.
You certainly noticed that smell on your hands after preparing fish, chopping garlic etc. To get rid of it just rub your hands with wet green tea leaves. Rub those tea leaves on areas where you prepared the food too. It should help...
Sprinkle dry tea leaves on your carpet, leave them for 10-15 minutes, then vacuum. This will refresh your carpet and deodorize your vacuum cleaner...
For those of you who own pets...You can put dry green tea leaves in cat litter to difuse odors, deter fleas..Sprinkle the leaves on your pet's favourite bed or pillow...

Bosung green tea farm in South Korea

Green tea soda - recipe

Making Green Tea-ramisu

Here is a recipe for Tiramisu...well, with a little change...using green tea instead of espresso and cocoa powder.
Enjoy!!!

Uji Green Tea processing

Uji is a city located just south of Kyoto, Japan. Uji is the source of "Uji Tea", a high quality Japanese green tea.
Here is the video describing the processing of Uji Tea...Enjoy!

Gyokuro

Gyokuro, or like some people call it Jewel Dew, is a fine expensive Japanese green tea. Its name actually refers to the pale green colour of the infusion.What makes Gyokuro special...what it differs from Sencha...meaning ordinary Japanese green tea...is the way Gyokuro is prepared. Proportion of tea to water is 2 tablespoons to
120 ml (4-5 ounces) of water.You should brew Gyokuro 2-3 minutes at temperature of 50-60 degrees Celsius (122-140 F). It is recommend to preheat both teapot and cup so as to maintain the warmth of the tea as one drinks it.

Moustache cup

It is a drinking cup with a semi-circular ledge inside. The ledge has an opening to allow the passage of liquids..for example tea, and to keep moustaches dry. It is tought that it was invented around 1830 by British potter Harvey Adams.

Honeybush

Honeybush (botanical name - Cyclopia spp.; family: Fabaceae) or 'Heuningbos' in Afrikaans is a plant used to make an infusion, the same way as tea. It has many similarities as Rooibos. Honeybush grows only in the Lankloof (southwest of South Africa). 4 of 23 honeybush species are commercially used. These are:
1) Cyclopia intermedia - Berg tee or Mountain tea
2) Cyclopia subternata - Vlei tee or Marshland tea
3) Cyclopia genisoides - Kus tee or Coastal tea
4) Cyclopia sessiliflora - Heidelberg tee (named after a town in South Africa).
Honeybush is being processed in two different ways:
1) tradional way - leaves of the bush are harvested, cut and bruised (with special mechanical rollers), and then oxidised by leaving them in the sun
2) modern way - oxidisation is preformed in rotating heated (70 to 90 degrees Celsius) tanks for 2 to 3 days. Leaves are then air dried. Honeybush is a good aid for costipation. It is also a mild relaxant. Honeybush has almost no caffeine (less then 0.01%). It has low levelof tannin (0.45%). Honeybusy contains active compounds like isoflavones, flavones, cinnamic acids, coumestans, non-phenolic metabolites and xanthones.
Honeybush is sometimes consumed with milk and sugar. But true Honeybush lovers say that it is better to consume it without them. It is good toadd small amount of honey to the tea. Honeybush can also be use as icedtea. It blends well with fruit juices. Honeybush can be consumed daily. For treatment of cough, or as an aid in regulation of blood sugar, or helping symptoms of menopause, the tea can be consumed several times during the day.

Tea for shinier hair

You can make your hair darker, shinier natural way with an ordinary tea...For example Chinese black teas (Keemun or Yunnan) or Indian Assam tea will give your hair darker colour. Ceylon black tea and Indian Darjeeling will give it a more golden hue. How to apply it? Shampoo your hair as you alway do. Then rinse it with water. After that, rinse you hair with a brewed black tea...Do not forget it to cool it to a pleasant temperature. After all you do not want to burn yourself. Leave it for five to ten minute, squeeze out the tea from your hair as much as you can...Let your hair dry naturally...