Sencha Green Tea

Sencha is the most widely enjoyed green tea in Japan. You'll find it everywhere you turn, in varying grades. It can be recognized by its shiny, needle-like shaped tea leaves with strong fragrance.This is unique while known there is many various type of green tea in the world.

Along with the springtime blossoming of cherry trees, the first harvest of sencha is highly anticipated and celebrated. It's thought to be the first taste of the coming year in tea, and very lucky to give as a gift. This first harvest is referred to as "shincha".

Processing: The tea plants used to make sencha are grown in full sun. Processing is a series of six steps that begins with steaming (halts oxidization, preserves the color, aroma and taste). The leaves are then partially dried and machine twisted, making them soft and pliant. This step is repeated, with a second round of drying and twisting, resulting in increased fragrance and needle-shaped leaves. A third round of drying finishes the process. The tea then is hand-sorted to remove any stray stems. Sencha can be enjoyed right after being made (needs no maturing), and generally has a 6 months shelf life.

Brewing: The key with sencha is to use soft water at a low temperature with a short steeping time. It's a delicate tea, and does well made in a small vessel like a gaiwan or kyusu.

Cooking: It's common in Japan to re-use the leaves of high-grade sencha in cooking. Try adding them to salads and dishes that do well with fresh greens and herbs.

About Japanese teas

History & Geography

Japan is an island country located in the Pacific Ocean. Made up of over 3,000 islands, it forms an archipelago that stretches along the Pacific Coast of Asia. 70 to 80 percent of its land is mountainous and not suitable for permanent living or agriculture. Most the population lives in densely populated areas, in coastal cities.

Tea first was introduced to Japan in the 900's through Zen Buddhism, when returning Japanese monks brought tea seeds back with them from China. Emulating what they had seen in China, they first cultivated powdered tea, or matcha, a style popular in Song Dynasty China. The tea was whisked in a bowl and shared, eventually evolving into the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Japan credits the rise of tea drinking to a Monk named Eisai. Returning from China, he planted tea seeds in the capitol of Kyoto and writes a book "A Record of Tea Drinking for Good Health." In 1214, he was summoned to administer the last rights to a young shogun, who was suffering terribly. Eisai diagnosed him with being hung over, revived him with a bowl of tea and presented him with his book. The shogun adopts tea drinking and a tea industry begins.

Tea Production Today

Today, Japan produces both powdered and loose leaf styles of green (un-oxidized) tea. They are divided into 4 catagories: matcha, sencha, gyokuro and bancha teas. The most important growing regions are: Uji, Shizouka, Kagoshima and Kyoto Prefectures. Uji, Japan, just south of Kyoto, is the most famous tea-growing region in Japan. Most of the finest teas come from this region even though it produces on 4 percent of Japan's tea.

While there are different cultivation/processing methods unique to each style of tea, they all have the same first step in common: steaming. Immediately after the tea leaves are picked, they are steamed to halt the oxidization process. In contrast, Chinese green teas are pan or oven fired.

Japan currently harvests most of its tea mechanically. Traditional hand picking is now reserved for small lots of premium tea.

The specialized harvesting equipment ranges from large tractor-like machines to smaller gas powered trimmers, which are carried by two people who walk between the rows of tea. The farmers using these precision machines are able to target the new shoots on the plant, while a vacuum pulls the clipped leaves into a basket.

How to Make Green Tea Easy

Before boiling a haul of green tea leaves, there are some things you should know first. The brewing process centers on precision. If you miss a few details, your tea won’t taste or smell pleasant. Of course, preparing tea is easy. You just have to get accustomed to its properties.


* GreenTea Use a Water Purifier - Tap water sometimes has a strange taste and smell, both of which can influence green tea’s flavor and aroma. Preserve the tea’s properties by running your water through a water purifier, ensuring that the liquid is tasteless and odorless.
* Boiling Water Mars the Flavor of Green Tea - Green tea, when soaked in boiling water, will burn, affecting its taste and aroma. The suggested brewing temperature is about 80C to 85C.
* Soak the Leaves in Your Cup for only 2.5 Minutes - The leaves, placed in the tea strainer, influences the flavor of water poured into your cup. You should only keep the strainer soaked for two to two and a half minutes, or else your tea will taste burnt.
* 5 Teaspoons of Green Tea Leaves per 1 Cup of Water

Take note of these reminders, especially if it’s your first time to brew tea. You can write them down, so you won’t make mistakes.

Materials Used:

• 5 ml tea leaves
• water
• tea strainer
• pot
• oven
• coffee cup

Procedure:

1. Place the leaves in the tea strainer.
2. Fill a pot with water then heat it to 80 to 85C. See to it that the water does not boil, since it will ruin the beverage’s flavor.
3. Set the strainer on the coffee cup.
4. Pour the hot water in the strainer, which in turn, drops flavored water into the cup.
5. Keep the tea leaves soaked for two to two and a half minutes to extract more flavor from the leaves.
6. Remove the strainer. Serve or enjoy your drink.

The strained tea leaves can be used for another serving. Preserve its flavor by soaking the strainer immediately in cold water right after. You’ll get nearly as much flavor as the first serving for your next cup.

Five Cups and More of Green Tea Billed as Best Defense from Cancer, Says Japanese Research

(NaturalNews) Moderation in all things may typically be the best route to all-around health, but when it comes to green tea consumption, moderation does not equal disease prevention. In fact, as many as five cups of green tea or more - clearly not a moderate amount - is believed to be the best defense from cancer.

If you`re looking to cut back on your five cups of coffee a day but are at a loss for what to replace your coffee-fill with, green tea is the perfect substitution solution.

The latest study to tout the benefits of green tea hails from the Tohoku School of Medicine based in Japan, a country whose population is awash in green tea consumption (the most commonly consumed beverage in a country of 127 million).

Charting how green tea affected cancer diagnoses of the nearly 42,000 men and women involved required a food frequency questionnaire, which was administered to the participants at the start of the nine-year study. The study`s researchers followed up with the participants throughout, charting both their health and their diets to see if what, if anything, changed.

In that nine-year period, things did change for about 320 of the participants. One hundred and ninety three of the men and women involved were stricken with blood cancer, and another 119 were stricken with a cancer of the lymph nodes.

When researchers looked at what the participants ate and drank over the near decade-long study, they found some commonalities in the drinking decisions of cancer-stricken participants and those unaffected.

Not so much what they drank, though, but rather how much.

Virtually all of the participants drank at least one cup of green tea per day, but the people who drank five cups or more were 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with blood cancer and about 50 percent less likely to be diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes.

The Japanese study - published in the American Journal of Epidemiology - does not go so far as to say there`s a causal relationship between green tea consumption and cancer diagnosis (i.e. that drinking more directly impacts the risk of being diagnosed with cancer), but it might as well have, for this study is the latest one to be added to the scores of studies that link cancer prevention with green tea consumption. Past studies have linked green tea consumption to ovarian cancer prevention, prostate cancer prevention, bladder cancer prevention, breast cancer prevention, even lung cancer prevention (the deadliest form of cancer).

The study did not make any conclusions as to what component of green tea has anti-cancer properties, but past studies indicate its likely green tea`s high polyphenol content. Besides green tea leaves, polyphenols are found in the skins of various fruits and vegetables and are extolled for their disease-fighting prowess, Alzheimer`s and heart disease among them.

There are many green teas from which to choose, some every bit as good as others. Always opt for organically brewed tea, paying special attention to its "Sell By" date. For the sake of taste - not to mention nutrition - you don`t want anything that`s been sitting on the shelf unopened for more than six months. The further the "Sell By" date is from the date in which you`re purchasing, the better. Once opened, the shelf-life reduces even further.

Arizona Green Tea

Arizona Green Tea is the highest selling Green Tea in a can. They have become what other companies want to be….the best. The have the highest standards of any ready to drink tea.

Many people see that Arizona green tea give best benefit to human body to live.

Drinking Arizona Green Tea, will jump start your energy by 4% and increase your metabolism and this makes you lose weight because of it. Soda drinkers have the high calories and high sugar, which is not very healthy and switching to Arizona Green Tea, will help you stay away from it. It has a great taste that people love.

They have started adding Ginseng and SueBee orange honey, which gives it the sweet taste you crave without the calories or sugar rush.

There are many flavors offered such as:
• Arizona Pomegranate Green Tea
• Arizona Black and White Tea’
• Arizona Green Tea Energy Drink
• Arizona Blueberry White Tea

Besides the readymade cans of Arizona Green Tea and its many flavors, it also comes in the Arizona’s Iced Tea Stix. It has the same- no artificial flavors or colors, One hundred percent natural tea. Just shake it up in water and enjoy. Now you can make a pitcher for the refrigerator for home and have the can to take on the run.

If you are looking for a quick pick me up you can drink the newest from Arizona green Tea, It is called Arizona’s Green Tea Energy Drink. The pretty cool looking cans are another one of the sellers of this fine drink. Many people have bought it for years because of the cool designs and the pretty bottles it used to come in. Many collectors have them and are not giving them up.

There are many other drinks from Arizona green Tea that seem to be for the adult class of drinkers. It is their Arizona Green Tea Aphrodisiac drink. Supposedly, it helps with sexual stimulation. Now some say it helps while others say not much at all. You will have to decide this one on your own, since everyone is different.

No matter which of the Arizona green Tea drinks you buy and choose to be your favorite there are many to choose from. You can go to the store, purchase one or several, drink them, and make your choices.

If you are buying it for health reasons or just because you love tea, you will be pleasantly surprised on how much you enjoy the new flavors and the change will do you good no matter what. Anything is better than a thousand cans of sugar-laden pop every day.

Some say they have lost weight, while others say it has given them energy just from the regular Arizona Green Tea drink without the other stuff or the specially made drinks.

Arizona Green Tea will give you the great taste without the side effects like coffee does. You drink too much coffee you get jittery, never happens with Arizona green Tea. Whether you choose readymade cans or mix your own, you will love it.

Green Tea Vitamin - Vitamin C - Fruits and Vegetables High in Vitamin C

Green tea has a high content of vitamins and minerals. It contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in amounts comparable to a lemon. Green tea also contains several B vitamins which are water soluble and quickly released into a cup of tea. Five cups of green tea a day will provide 5-10% of the daily requirement of riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. The same five cups of green tea also provide approximately 5% of the daily requirement of magnesium, 25% of potassium, and 45% of the requirement for manganese. Green tea is also high in fluoride. A cup of green tea provides approximately 0.1 mg of fluoride, which is higher than in fluorinated water.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C plays an essential role in the immune system. It is found in every cell of our body and performs various functions:

* It aids in fighting off foreign invaders.
* It is vital to the production of collagen, which is involved in the building and health of cartilage, joints, skin, and blood vessels.
* It helps protect the fat-soluble vitamins A and E as well as fatty acids from oxidation.
* It aids in neutralizing pollutants.
* It is needed for antibody production.
* It has natural antihistamine properties.

Other Sources of Vitamin C

The Vitamin C content in most fruit is higher when it is slightly immature, and declines as the fruit hits peak ripeness. Some of the fruit sources include:

* Berries
* Cantaloupe
* Grapefruit
* Guava
* Lemons
* Limes
* Mangoes
* Oranges
* Papayas
* Peaches
* Persimmons
* Pineapples
* Strawberries (fresh)
* Tangerines

Some of the vegetable sources include:

* Alfalfa
* Asparagus
* Avocados
* Beet greens
* Broccoli
* Brussel sprouts
* Cabbage
* Collards
* Dandelion greens
* Green and red bell peppers
* Green peas
* Kale
* Lettuce
* Mustard greens
* Onions
* Potatoes
* Radishes
* Spinach
* Sweet potatoes
* Swiss chard
* Tomatoes
* Turnip greens
* Watercress

Green tea up to 5 times as healthy when citrus juice added

You've likely seen the studies that argue green tea is a powerful brew of cancer-fighting antioxidants.

But new research shows that although green tea is high in catechins — antioxidants that have been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disorders — the amount of these substances that are available for absorption by the body are lower when they're consumed solely in tea.

The researchers believe that citrus juices and vitamin C protect catechins from oxidative damage in the intestine. The researchers believe that citrus juices and vitamin C protect catechins from oxidative damage in the intestine.

Under 20 per cent of catechins, which include EGC, EGCG, EC and ECG, remain after digestion, say the authors.

Scientists have discovered that mixing green tea with other substances, such as citrus juices, vitamin C and even soy milk and rice milk, increases the amount of the antioxidants that can be absorbed by the body.

The study is published in the November issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

According to Mario Ferruzzi, assistant professor of food science at Purdue University in Indiana, and the study's lead author, catechins break down in non-acidic environments, such as the intestines, leaving less than 20 per cent of the antioxidants to be absorbed after digestion takes place.

"We have to address this fact if we want to improve bodily absorption," he said in a release issued Tuesday.

Ferruzzi and his colleagues experimented by adding a variety of substances to green tea and then simulated digestion.

Citrus juices, including from limes, grapefruits, lemons and oranges, increased the levels of catechins by more than five times, with an 81 to 98 per cent recovery for EGC, 56 to 75 per cent for EGCG, 86 to 95 per cent for EC and 30 to 55 per cent for ECG.

Lemon juice was the most effective at preserving catechins in green tea, the study found.

Adding 30 milligrams of vitamin C to the green tea, increased recovery of the antioxidant ECG, EGCG, EC and ECG to 74 per cent, 54 per cent, 82 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

The researchers believe that the juices and vitamin C protect the catechins from oxidative damage in the intestine. Juices also have fibre and polysaccharides that can protect the antioxidants, they theorize.

Green tea with 50 per cent cow's milk increased the amount of catechins to 52 per cent, soy milk raised it to 55 per cent and rice milk raised it to 69 per cent.

Green Tea Drug Interactions

If you take certain medications with green tea, drug interactions could potentially occur. Many of these medicines may increase the level of caffeine (a component of green tea) in your blood, increasing your risk of side effects. Some of the medications that can cause negative drug interactions with green tea products include theophylline, fluvoxamine, warfarin, and other stimulants.

Even though it is a "natural" product, green tea can potentially interact with several medicines. Some of the medicines that may lead to green tea drug interactions include:

Any Other Stimulants
Use caution when combining green tea with any other stimulant. Green tea contains caffeine, which can be dangerous when taken with other stimulants.

Clozapine (Clozaril)
For some people, caffeine (a component of green tea) can make psychotic symptoms worse. Additionally, there is some evidence that caffeine may increase the level of clozapine in your blood, which may lead to dangerous side effects. Check with your healthcare provider before combining green tea with clozapine.

Fluvoxamine (Luvox)

Fluvoxamine is a prescription medicine licensed for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.Fluvoxamine may increase the level of caffeine in your blood, increasing your risk of green-tea-side-effects.Potentially serious side effects of green tea include rapid heart rate, anxiety, and arrhythmia.Ask your healthcare provider before taking fluvoxamine and green-tea.Available in the form of beverages and supplements, green tea appears to provide many health benefits together.

Mexiletine (Mexitil)

Mexiletine may increase the level of caffeine in the blood, which may increase the risk of side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider before combining mexiletine with green tea.

Theophylline (Uniphyl, Theocron, TheoCap, Theo-24, Elixophyllin)

Green tea contains caffeine. Combining caffeine with Theophylline is a prescription medication licensed to treat airway spasms in people with asthma or COPD.It may lead to problems, so be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking green tea and theophylline together.

Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven)

There has been a report of green tea interacting with Warfarin is a prescription medicine licensed to prevent and treat blood clots due to various causes., decreasing the effectiveness of warfarin. This may be due to the vitamin K content of green tea (since vitamin K makes warfarin less effective). If you take warfarin, check with your healthcare provider before taking green tea.

How Green Celebrities Helped Save Our Planet This Summer

Don't get us wrong -- we're fully aware that a plethora of celebs took pauses for causes this summer. There were Myanmar fundraisers, stars entertaining the troops, Miley Cyrus helping children and the Jonas Brothers working for diabetes. Even Leonard Nimoy championed thin-challenged women with a book of his photographic collection called "Full Body Project."

While Spock was lending his support to the fleshiest, who was helping save the environment?

Harrison Ford whipped in to Oceana's SeaChange Summer Party where, he and actor Sam Waterson were honored for their conservation efforts. The evening's event raised a cool million, and played host to Ford's longtime gal pal Calista Flockhart, eternal Annie Hall-turned L'Oreal model Diane Keaton, Jurassic Jeff Goldblum (whose new flick "Adam Resurrected" just wowed at the Telluride Film Festival), Diane "Unfaithful" Lane and "My Name is Earl" Daddy Beau Bridges.

Ford, fresh off his "Indiana Jones" blockbuster, was joined by sustainability entrepreneur John Picard and Oceana board member Ted Danson, who divulged to Variety that 70% of the world's fisheries are on the brink of collapse.

Danson, who's heading to HBO in the new show "Bored to Death," also cites seafood contamination as an Oceana concern: "One out of every six women of childbearing years has too much mercury in her system to safely give birth to a child without the possibility of neurological damage." Scarier than a Sci-Fi horror tale.

Sci-Fi queen Sigourney "Leave her alone, bitch!" Weaver emceed a New York City Audubon Society lunch honoring Bette Midler. Each year, Midler throws a Hulaween bash in support of the New York Restoration Project.

Weaver, who voiced the space resort's omnipotent computer in the summer smash "WALL-E," told the UK Mirror: "[The movie] is very entertaining but it does have this important message to us Earthlings, that not only MUST we do something but we CAN do something about the fate of the planet. Everyone should see it -- it's not just for kids."

Weaver calls President George W. Bush's environmental record a disgrace and says, "Thank God we are getting a new administration... but it will be a challenging job for whoever takes over. I hope it will be President [Barack] Obama. We must work together and be part of a global approach."

Thinking on a more local scale (and outside his Jersey boy box) is rocker Jon Bon Jovi, who is helping build five Detroit homes for his Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation and Habitat for Humanity. The 46-year-old intends to raise awareness about the need for affordable housing in America.

Brad Pitt remains doggedly dedicated to doing just that, in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans, where his Make It Right organization is busy building 150 environmentally friendly homes. Hurricane Katrina leveled the region in 2005 and more recently Hurricane Gustav ripped more damage into the Gulf Coast.

George Clooney not only supports his "Burn After Reading" costar's cause, he sponsored building two New Orleans homes for Make it Right, to the tune of $300,000.

Meanwhile, the G-8 Summit, held July 7-9 in Tokyo, is not making it right. In fact, it was declared a failure by most environmentalists. Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs said: "Never was more urgent action needed by the G8 than this week in Japan. Accelerated climate change, runaway food prices and growing poverty are depriving millions of people of their livelihoods and, in many cases, their very lives.

"In the end this summit did not deliver the breakthroughs that are so urgently needed. The consensus reached was shallow at best, especially on climate."

So what was the shallow consensus? From the official summit report: "With respect to the goal of achieving at least 50% reduction of global emissions by 2050, the G8 leaders agreed to seek to share and adopt it with all Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change."

Cut global emissions in half by 2050? Can we seriously afford to wait that long?

Leonardo DiCaprio won't wait -- not only is he behind "Greensburg," the Planet Green series about the green rebuilding of the Tornado-demolished Kansas town, this summer he announced "Time to Care," a partnership with Swiss watch company Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The "11th Hour" producer will put his signature on two special-edition watches and all proceeds will fund the California Community Foundation, supporting Leo's own org, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Global Green.

Other celebs doing their green star turns this summer:
--"Dark Knight"'s Maggie Gyllenhaal will be judging you, if you want. It's for Brighter Planet's "The Climate Matters" video contest. Final entries due September 22, 2008; go to climatematters.brighterplanet.com for more info.
--Rachel Bilson and Olivia Newton John are hoping to convert Americans from using some of our 88 million clothes dryers to going au natural, by hanging clothes on the line. Even "Brothers and Sisters" star Matthew Rhys insists, "Hang out your clothes to dry...not the planet."
--Actor David Spade donated $10 grand to a Lakeside, Arizona animal shelter where his mom volunteers. Aw.
--Musicians Dave Mathews, Elton John, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Neil Young will join Willie Nelson at Farm Aid on September 20. For 23 years, the benefit has helped raise funds and awareness for farmers in crisis; after this past recession year, the need is even greater.

A dash of lemon in your green tea may boost its antioxidant levels

Washington, Nov 14 (ANI): Squeezing a lime into your cup of green tea really is a good idea, for a new study has revealed that citrus juices or vitamin C enable more of the tea’s unique antioxidants to remain after simulated digestion, making the combination healthier.
Led by Mario Ferruzzi, assistant professor of food science at Purdue University, the study compared the effect of various beverage additives on catechins, naturally occurring antioxidants found in tea.
The findings suggested that complementing green tea with either citrus juices or vitamin C likely increases the amount of catechins available for the body to absorb.
Catechins (pronounced KA’-teh-kins), display health-promoting qualities and may be responsible for some of green tea’s reported health benefits, like reduced risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke.
Ferruzzi said, the problem is that catechins are relatively unstable in non-acidic environments, such as the intestines, and less than 20 percent of the total remains after digestion.
“Off the bat you are eliminating a large majority of the catechins from plain green tea. We have to address this fact if we want to improve bodily absorption,” Ferruzzi said.
For the study, Ferruzzi tested juices, creamers and other additives that are either commonly added to fresh-brewed tea or used to make ready-to-drink tea products by putting them through a model simulating gastric and small-intestinal digestion.
It was found that citrus juice increased recovered catechin levels by more than five times. Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, used to increase shelf life in ready-to-drink products, increased recovered levels of the two most abundant catechins by sixfold and 13-fold, respectively.
The study found that lemons and tea go even better together than their popularity might suggest. Lemon juice caused 80 percent of tea’s catechins to remain. Following lemon, in terms of stabilizing power, were orange, lime and grapefruit juices.
Ferruzzi said both vitamin C and citrus juices must interact with catechins to prevent their degradation in the intestines, although data made it clear that citrus juices have stabilizing effects beyond what would be predicted solely based on their vitamin C content.
“If you want more out of your green tea, add some citrus juice to your cup after brewing or pick a ready-to-drink product formulated with ascorbic acid,” Ferruzzi said.
Although this study only examined green tea, Ferruzzi said he suspects that some of the results also could apply to black tea, which is produced by fermenting green tea.
Presently, Ferruzzi is conducting an in vivo study, or study on a live organism, to quantify the ability of juices and vitamin C to increase levels of catechins in the intestines and bloodstream of animals and, by extension, in humans.
“This study tells us a lot of interesting things, but it raises many questions that have yet to be answered,” he said.
The study is published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. (ANI)