What is tea? What is it not?

Tea is a bit like politics or football in our country. Everyone has an opinion on it. I'm going to do something different today and share some information instead of my opinions. Because tea, with its thousands of years of history, is one of the most important blessings of our world (its Latin name...). Positive sciences know a great deal about Camellia sinensis today.

The History of Tea

Tea is known to have first been used as medicine in China in the 3rd century. It emerged as a beverage particularly consumed by wealthy members of the royal family for its healing properties. Legend has it that tea leaves, once they fell into water, cured a member of the royal family who drank it. Following this, its consumption spread rapidly in China. Traders quickly spread it throughout the continent. Later, via trade routes like the Silk Road and sea routes, tea spread throughout Europe. By the 19th century, tea had become firmly established in Western culture. In England, afternoon tea became very popular. The enjoyable time spent with tea and accompanying pastries, cakes, and pies initially became popular among the elite. Later, with the increased availability of tea, it became an important part of the general routine for the people of England.

Types of Tea

The taste and benefits of tea vary depending on how the tea leaves are grown, harvested, and processed. Black tea is the most popular tea in our country, as well as worldwide. This is followed by green tea, oolong, and white tea. There's a Lazika blog post about how these teas differ. I recommend reading it, as it details the characteristics of each tea, their caffeine content, and nutritional values.

What are polyphenols?

Most traditional teas don't contain significant amounts of nutrients, but they are rich in polyphenols. These are plant chemicals that give teas their distinct flavors and aromas and may have antioxidant properties.

Catechins: It is found in unoxidized teas, such as green tea. The best known is EGCG (EGCG: epigallocatechin-3 gallate).

Theaflavin: It is found in oxidized teas, such as black tea.

Is Tea Harmful to Health?

Drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day is beneficial, but don't drink it too hot. It shouldn't exceed 60°C. The most important components in tea are polyphenols and flavonoids. One is antioxidants, and the other gives it its wonderful aroma. While it's generally thought that teas other than green tea don't contain antioxidants, this isn't true. Black tea also contains antioxidants. Polyphenols, or antioxidants, are found as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in green tea, while they are found as theaflavin in black tea.

What is decaffeinated tea?

To decaffeinate tea, certain processes are necessary. Lazika tea doesn't like processed tea. But for you Lazika lovers, we've researched it and will try to explain it as best we can. To remove caffeine from tea, it is subjected to certain chemicals. Analysis after processing shows minimal or zero chemical content in the tea. No negative health consequences have been found. However, during these processes, a decrease in the amount of beneficial polyphenols is observed. It seems that in trying to make decaffeinated tea, there is a loss of antioxidants.

How to store tea for a long time?

There are a few things we can do to keep tea fresh for a long time. It should be protected from light, humidity, heat, odors, and air. Tea has a very strong ability to absorb odors. Keep it separate from foods and drinks with strong odors. Heat, light, and humidity damage the structure of the tea we carefully harvested and dried, so store it in a sealed container in a dark place at a constant temperature. Under these conditions, black tea can be stored for up to a year after opening, and more delicate teas for up to 6 months.

Is this tea, which is said to cure everything, also a cure for cancer?

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), found in green tea, has been shown in cell studies to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and cause them to die. Green tea and black tea also have positive effects in reducing the risk of prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers. Tea flavonoids possess antioxidant properties that can prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (commonly known as bad cholesterol), which leads to hardening of the arteries.

Delicious Tea Recipe

While we're on the subject, instead of drinking expensive bottles of tea with added artificial sweeteners from the market, let's give you a recipe. Take two Lazika pyramid green tea bags and steep them for 5-6 minutes in 1 liter of water that has been boiled but slightly cooled. Then let the tea cool. Squeeze two lemons, combine them with 4-5 fresh mint leaves, and crush them. Let the prepared green tea cool a little more. Combine the crushed mint leaves, lemon juice, and green tea in a large pitcher. You can add ice here if you like, or simply let it cool in the refrigerator for as long as you like. Before drinking, you can add a bottle of plain soda. For decoration, you can add sliced ​​lemon and mint leaves to the pitcher. Our delicious green tea, rich in minerals, antioxidants, and vitamin C, is ready. Enjoy, Lazika lovers!

👉 Click here to discover all our teas.