posted by Robin

Green tea is used as a traditional medicine in most of Asia, to help everything from healing wounds to regulating blood sugar and promoting digestion.

About – Green tea originates in China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. Green tea is processed and grown in a variety of ways, depending on the type of green tea desired. As a result of these methods, maximum amounts of polyphenols and antioxidants are usually retained, giving maximum green tea benefits. These varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions and methods, processing and harvesting times. A book written in the Tang Dynasty of China is considered one of the most important in the history of green tea. The book was written by LU Yu and is called the “Tea Classic” or “Cha Jing”. It was written between 600 and 900 AD. Green tea is ubiquitous in Japan and is more commonly known simply as “tea”, or even referred to as “Japanese tea”, though it was first used in China and brought to Japan by Myōan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest.

Steeping – Green tea steeping time and temperature varies with different tea. The hottest steeping temperatures are 81°C to 87°C (180°F to 190°F) water and the longest steeping times two to three minutes. The coolest brewing temperatures are 61°C to 69°C (140°F to 160°F) and the shortest times about 30 seconds. In general, lower-quality green teas are steeped hotter and longer, while higher-quality teas are steeped cooler and shorter. Steeping green tea too hot or too long will result in a bitter, astringent brew, regardless of the initial quality. High-quality green teas can be and usually are steeped multiple times; two or three steepings is typical.

Nutrition and Benefits – Green tea has been heavily studied over the last few decades to determine the extent of its extensive list of health benefits. Some evidence suggests that regular green tea drinkers may have a lower risk of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer. Drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful in reducing high cholesterol levels, for infection, rheumatoid arthritis and to boost immune function. Green tea will boost the metabolism but not enough to produce immediate weight loss but green tea extracts and Matcha teas have been shown to stimulate fat oxidation and boost the metabolic rate 4% without increasing the heart rate.

The main benefits of green tea are due to its catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, which is a powerful anti-oxidant that kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. This substance also lowers LDL cholesterol levels and inhibits abnormal blood clots, especially important as these abnormal blood clots are the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Matcha tea  contains exponentially higher amounts of EGCG than regular brewed green tea and therefore its benefits are also amplified, by up to or over 10 times. Matcha claims to have over 33 times the antioxidant levels of blueberries. Its L-Theanine has calming and yet strong concentration and focusing effects.