In ancient Japan, green tea was considered a medicine due to its known health benefits at the time. It was also something Buddhism monks used during their meditation for its calming effects. Modern science has confirmed these Japanese beliefs in green tea. Many scholars around the world have studied the health benefits of green tea and found the following:
Green tea has many amazing nutrients and substances and the following will be some of the major substances/compounds:
1. Catechin. This substance is type of polyphenol that is said to have powerful antioxidant effect. It has four type of Catechin: EC, EGC, ECG, and EGCG. The EGCGs are considered the most powerful antioxidant within the four types.
2. Vitamins. Green tea is especially abundant in Vitamin C. If you take the green tea in powder type, three servings will be equivalent to one apple. Also the organic compound beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor) is also abundant close to one serving of orange juice.
3. Theanine. It is an unique amino acid that is said to have potential ability to reduce mental and physical stress and provides a calm alertness.
There are many scholars around the world who are experimenting the health benefits of green tea. Some of these benefits are still being debated, so if you plan to use for medical purpose please consult your physician.
1. Prevents Cancer. The powerful antioxidant substance, the EGCGs, are said to prevent the development of cancer cells. There are many experiment that shows that the people who takes green tea has a low possibility of getting cancer.
2. Lowers Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, and Cholesterol. There is an enzyme that triggers the high blood pressure called the enzyme renin. Catechin has the effect to prevent this enzyme renin to raise the blood pressure. It will also lower bad cholesterol, which makes the ratio of good and bad cholesterol more favorable for the health.
3. Boosts Metabolism. Catechin also is said to have the effect to boost metabolism and reduce the absorption of fat.
4. Relaxation. The combination of theanine and caffeine has the effect to give alert calmness.
5. Natural Deodorizer. The Catechin is said to provide antibacterial effect and eliminates odor. In Japan, used tea leaves are recommended to use as a natural air refresher.
6. Aids Fight for Dementia. Catechin protects from nerves system which leads to aids for dementia.
7. Tooth Decay. The antibacterial effect will protects from cavities and other dental issues.
8. Skin Care. The antioxidant effect from Catechin and vitamin C will protect you from aging skin. In Japan, some beauty magazines recommend to drink green tea for its skin care benefits and health benefits.
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*DISCLAIMER. We are not recommending green tea as a cure or remedy for any health ailments. Please consult your physician for any medical problems you may be experiencing. We seek to source current and accurate information for your general knowledge. If you know of any additional informative resources, please contact us.
There are many ways of brewing green tea. Today I would like to explain one of the unique ways of brewing Japanese green tea. This is NOT an authentic way. For that you can look in here –> Brewing Guide ShiZen Tea.
I call this the espresso style and it is one of the way I use to find out the characteristics (taste, color, and aroma etc.) of the tea. It is very very simple.
You do not use any tea pot kyusu. You will need a small shallow bowl. If it has a spout to aid the pouring it will be the best.
The amount for loose leaf and warm water will vary depending on the bowl size.
This time I used the small beaker like glass ware I got from the Hyakuen Shop (Japanese version of Dollar Shop).
And used the Matsuba for the tea cup.
For the Loose leaf, we have used the Organic Sencha Superior Green Tea.
Add the Sencha Superior loose leaf to your bowl and prepare warm water
After you put in the water brew for 2-3 minutes .
Pour the water so it will be slightly above the tea leaves. You will notice that the tea leaves will be floating on top.
While you are brewing, try smelling the tea. You will notice it will have a pretty strong aroma than usual brewing. Also you can see the tea leaves opening up and moving. You will not experience this in Tea Pot Kyusu brewing (unless its a clear glass kyusu) so it is pretty interesting.
Please pour out the teas slowly or you will have many tea leaves ending up in your tea cup. You can even use a strainer if you have one.
Then you will have a very thick tea like espresso and you will notice the strong umami (savory) will spread through out your mouth. If you feel the bitterness too much it might be better to test in lower water temperature. You will clearly be able to notice the characteristics of the tea since everything is concentrated and strong.
You can also try second shots with the same tea leaves, but of course it will not be as strong as the first shot.
I recommend to use hi-end teas like Superior Sencha, but of course using genmaicha and hojicha will also be interesting.
Thank you for reading!
Yosuke
ShiZen Tea
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Yosuke Aso
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