When I first began to dabble in green tea, I absolutely hated it. It was bitter, drying to the mouth, wretched taste, and I was left for a long time feeling that green tea just wasn't for me. Many people I knew who drank black tea felt the same way, so I concluded that green tea was for the few who had the palette for it.
Of course, this was during a time when the only other tea drinkers I knew were buying Bigelow or Lipton bags and, like myself, just throwing them in some boiling hot water and coming back whenever we remembered to take the bag out, squeezing the bag thoroughly to get the last drops into the cup.
I shudder these days when I think about how badly I was scalding my first attempts at green tea, and I marvel that I enjoyed any tea at all, considering the way in which I was preparing it. This is a predicament many novice tea drinkers find themselves when it comes to anything other than black tea: you're scalding (and probably over-steeping it).
Are you an avid tea drinker looking for a different way to enjoy your tea this summer? A lot of tea drinkers go iced in the warm summer months, some even adding lemonade to their iced tea, but there is an even colder way to enjoy your tea in the summer months if you enjoy green tea: smoothies!
Below you will find the recipe for my personal summer tea concoction, which will require matcha (powdered green tea). Matcha is high in caffeine content compared to regular steeped tea, so you may not want to indulge in one of these smoothies too late in the day.
INGREDIENTS 1 tsp matcha (powdered green tea) 4 oz. cup of fruit-flavored yogurt (Light 'n Fit works well, low in sugar) frozen strawberries (or other desired fruit) frozen peach slices (or other desired fruit) apple juice
There is a new product out in Japan that I would love to get a hold of. It's an instant, fresh matcha tea, two words that usually aren't paired together when talking about tea, especially the bottled kind. The unique bottle design allows the tea to be both.
The design makes it so that when you twist the air tight cap a portion of matcha tea is released into mineral water. All you have to do is shake it up. Matcha is a traditional Kyoto (Japan) green tea that is very green and is usually the go-to flavoring for anything "green tea". It's made from leaves that have been covered so that it grows more slowly, which makes it a little sweeter.
As a big fan of tea, I would really like to be able to try an instant, fresh matcha tea. Does anyone know if this is available in the US?
We've heard a lot in the last few years about the health benefits of green tea. It can help with everything from weight loss to cancer prevention. But could the polyphenols in green tea be the next miracle substance?
This discovery has major ramifications for undeveloped countries where refrigeration is still scarce. This means that they will have that much more time to sell their goods before things start to spoil, and consumers have that much more time to use the meat. I think that natural preservatives could (and should) be the way of the future. The whole world drinks green tea: what could be more natural than that?
The idea of slurping ramen in zero gravity makes me chuckle. I imagine strands of noodles floating around a space capsule while Strauss plays. Clearly that's not the image that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had in mind when it approved 29 foods for use in space earlier this week.
JAXA's spaceworthy menu includes instant ramen noodles, curry, onigiri rice balls, powdered green tea and mackerel in miso sauce. All of the products had to meet the stringent standards of the International Space Station, which include packaging capable of withstanding drastic changes in air pressure and temperature. JAXA hopes that astronaut Koichi Wakata, who will be stationed at the ISS starting in fall of 2008 will get to enjoy the new Japanese space cuisine. Too bad sake and natto did not make the menu.
The other day I tried a bottle of a great new soda. At least it was new to me. Turns out it's been around for a couple of years. I came across Zota Green Tea Soda, in of all places, a kosher deli. Usually, when I eat deli I drink Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray, but I'm always game for something new. They had only one flavor, root beer.
While it didn't have the world's most pronounced root beer flavor, it was quite good and incredibly refreshing. Like most better sodas, Zota has no high-fructose corn syrup. Rather it uses evaporated cane juice as a sweetener. It packed a nice little caffeine kick and I'm sure also carried all the health benefits of green tea. I can't wait to try some of the other flavors, which include ginger, cola, lime and orange.
After looking at the company's web site I understand why Zota was in the deli's beverage case. Not only is it organic, it's also certified kosher.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to raise awareness and help to raise funds for charities that support cancer research, many companies offer special promotions and products. The Republic of Tea is one such company, with a number of products where a portion of the proceeds goes directly to charity. In fact, as of yesterday, the Republic of Tea has contributed over a half million dollars to the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which is pretty impressive since it comes just from tea.
Their Sip for the Cure line includes Pink Grapefruit Green Tea, which was their original offering in the collection, Pink Rose Green Tea, Lady Apple Green Tea and Pink Lemonade Green Tea, as well as marmalade, a mug and a teapot.
Lipton drink mixers for the busy body on the go have recently expanded to iced tea, and not a moment too soon. With the heat of summer breathing down our necks, those of us who are short on time and containers will truly appreciate these small packets of pre-measured iced tea mix. The simplicity of opening the non caloric mix and dumping it into 16 ounce bottle of water is so simple that even my toddler could mix himself a cool one for some thirst quenching tea. The flavors range form the traditional to a variety of green tea mixtures. These are ideal to keep in your glove compartment, diaper bag or office drawer to help give any plain bottle of water a little zip.
Well, chalk another one up for our old friend green tea. A Japanese survey of over 1,000 men and women ages 70 and
older has identified a possible link between green tea consumption and mental health. The study participants that
incorporated two or more cups of green tea into their daily routine showed 50 percent less aging-related cognitive
impairment than those who drank green tea only a few times a week. While the findings are interesting, it's still
important to remember that there are plenty of other factors at play. The study only examined patterns in its
participants lifestyles, it didn't create a direct link. An abstract of the study, which appeared in the February
edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is available here.
Are you an avid tea drinker looking for a different way to enjoy your tea this summer? A lot of tea drinkers go iced in the warm summer months, some even adding lemonade to their iced tea, but there is an even colder way to enjoy your tea in the summer months if you enjoy green tea: smoothies!
We've heard a lot in the last few years about the health benefits of 
The idea of slurping ramen in zero gravity makes me chuckle. I imagine strands of noodles floating around a space capsule while Strauss plays. Clearly that's not the image that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had in mind when it approved 29 foods for use in space earlier this week.
The other day I tried a bottle of a great new soda. At least it was new to me. Turns out it's been around for a couple of years. I came across 
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to raise awareness and help to raise funds for charities that support cancer research, many companies offer special promotions and products. The 
Lipton drink mixers for the busy body on the go have recently expanded to iced tea, and not a moment too soon. With the heat of summer breathing down our necks, those of us who are short on time and containers will truly appreciate these small packets of pre-measured iced tea mix. The simplicity of opening the non caloric mix and dumping it into 16 ounce bottle of water is so simple that even my toddler could mix himself a cool one for some thirst quenching tea. The flavors range form the traditional to a variety of green tea mixtures. These are ideal to keep in your glove compartment, diaper bag or office drawer to help give any plain bottle of water a little zip.
Well, chalk another one up for our old friend green tea. A Japanese survey of over 1,000 men and women ages 70 and
older has identified a possible link between green tea consumption and mental health. The study participants that
incorporated two or more cups of green tea into their daily routine showed 50 percent less aging-related cognitive
impairment than those who drank green tea only a few times a week. While the findings are interesting, it's still
important to remember that there are plenty of other factors at play. The study only examined patterns in its
participants lifestyles, it didn't create a direct link. An abstract of the study, which appeared in the February
edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is available 
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