Two recent large population studies have shown that cancer patients who drink ample amounts of green tea have significantly longer survival rates. No other beverage contains this level of antioxidants.
You can replace some of your water drinking with chilled green tea, add lemon, ginger or mint for variety, or add a Chai or Earl Gray tea bag.
Did you know you can cook with green tea? What a great way to get the recommended amount in your diet. Replace water or half the liquid called for in a recipe with green tea... for example in baking, soups and stews.
Green tea is unfermented, unlike black teas. White tea is harvested before the leaves are fully open.
DRAGON WELL is the ultimate green tea. It is distinguished by its bright green color. It has a brisk, full-bodied flavor. The leaves can be added to soups and stir-frys. This tea will cost a little more than other green teas.
GUNPOWDER leaves are rolled in tiny balls that look like the old gunpowder used to. This reduces its exposure to oxygen so it stays fresh longer than other teas. It has a somewhat strong grassy flavor. I like to add almond milk and a bit of Stevia to my tea.
MATCHA powdered tea is made from hand-picked, high-grade Japanese green tea leaves. Whisk it into warm (not boiling) water) to make it frothy. Matcha works as a dessert ingredient. Scientists at the University of Colorado have found that Matcha has 200 times the concentration of EGCG* compared to commercially available green tea!
Scientists have identified at least one of the mechanisms by which EGCG seems to work to fight cancer: it inhibits a key “signaling pathway,” called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is responsible for transmitting instructions at the molecular level to cancer cells, prompting them to grow and multiply.
SENCHA is the most popular of the Japanese green teas. It has a lightly astringent yet sweet taste. Lesser quality Sencha is called Bancha.
How to Brew:
- Never brew your tea in aluminum pots...actually I don't use aluminum against ANY foods or beverages...acids will break aluminum down. )If you wrap pizza in foil and wait a few hours, you'll see holes in the foil it contacted the tomato sauce!)
- Use filtered water
- Remove water from heat when it starts to stir, but before it boils
- Allow it to cool for 1-2 minutes before pouring over tea
- Use 1 teabag or 1 tsp. leaves per 8 oz. cup
- Cover to exclude oxygen
- Allow to steep for 2-3 minutes if bags or cut leaf, and 15-20 minutes if loose, whole leaf
- Strain and remove bags
- You can use a tea bag twice
- Brew a pitcher at a time (3-6 cups), so you can drink it all day, or brew a pitcher at night and refrigerate for the next day
*Note: EGCG is a naturally occurring compound that is found mainly in Green Tea. It is a powerful antioxidant and makes up about 30% to 42% of the content of green tea. Catechins like EGCG are much more powerful than vitamins like A, C and E in defending your body against "free radicals", which do all kinds of damage to the body; speeding up the aging process, causing cancer, triggering Alzhiemers disease and other chronic diseases.