Buddhists call green tea “green gem foam”
Buddhists call green tea “green gem foam” and an old Chinese proverb says “It is better to go three days without food than one day without tea”. Namely, green tea has been drunk in China for more than 4,000 years, while it was only discovered in Europe in the 16th century.
Tea was accidentally discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nund around 2750 BC – according to legend, a tea leaf fell into boiled water and the water was colored. The curious emperor tried the “colored water” and the drink was excellent. Tea then spread to the rest of the world. Today, green tea is mostly grown in China, Japan, India, on the islands of Ceylon, Sumatra, Formosa and Africa, Brazil, Australia and America.
The green evergreen plant (Camellia sinensis) is a tropical plant from which black tea and green tea are obtained. The plant is odorless with firm, shiny, leathery and elliptical leaves with jagged edges and white (or pinkish-red) flowers that smell like jasmine. It blooms from May to July. The bushes are planted in large tea gardens at altitudes from 100 m to 2000 m above sea level. The bush reaches 5 meters in height. It is cut to a height of one meter for a larger number of shoots and easier picking of leaves. It can be an ornamental plant in parks and gardens.
Camellia sinensis and Camellia japonica are used for medicinal purposes
Young leaves and leaf buds are harvested for tea. They are fried or dried at a certain temperature. Green tea has numerous medicinal properties (analgesic, antibacterial, anticarcinogenic, antiseptic, antioxidant, antitumor, antiviral, diuretic, detoxifying, narcotic, sedative. That is why green tea is often drunk as a preventive measure against certain diseases and as a stimulant for uninterrupted concentration. The most important ingredients of green tea are caffeine (1 to 5%), polyphenols (5 to 27%), most of which are catechins, essential oil, proteins (about 15%), lignin (6.5%), organic acids (1.5%), chlorophyll (0 .5%) and amino acids (among which theanine 4%) is particularly interesting.
One cup of green tea contains about 50 to 100 mg of caffeine and 300 to 400 mg of polyphenols.
It is best to use a terracotta or porcelain teapot for green tea
Pouring green tea leaves (or filter tea) with boiling water means that part of the taste properties of green tea is lost (that’s why the water should be left to cool a little). Take one filter tea (or one tablespoon of green tea leaves) in 2 to 3 cups of water. Pour hot water over the tea and leave for 3 minutes (no longer than 5 minutes).
Green tea is tastiest without added sugar or milk
It is best to add a little honey if you want sweet green tea. Both green and black tea are obtained from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) and contain the same amount of flavonoids. The leaves were completely oxidized in black tea while the fresh green tea leaves were initially slightly above steam before drying. This procedure gives green tea a mild taste and probably a larger amount of simple flavonoids called catechins (about 27% in green tea and 4% in black tea). It is the catechins, especially EGCG and ECH (epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate), that give green tea all its healing properties.
Traditional Chinese green tea over green tea – add one spoonful of green tea (or filter tea) to 2 dl of hot water. Cover and keep for half an hour. Reheat the tea to boiling point. Add another tablespoon of green tea. Cover and keep for half an hour. Strain.
Drink green tea in small sips in the evening before going to bed (and you can add honey)