The average Joe in the tea biz

I just started working for a company(Teabox) in the tea biz specializing in exotic teas, like I said being the average joe in the biz I never knew there were that many teas out there! who would think you can get a tea that tastes like strawberries and cream, Mint and most amazingly one that tastes just like chocolate!

I am a person who also looks for the nutritional benefits in products and tea seems to be the pioneer of anti-oxidants and vitamins.

In my first week at the job I had been ravaged by spiderbites, the doctor said I should try detox my system to rid the mild toxins from my body and to get rid of the somewhat disgusting bite marks on my arm and as true as g-d after drinking a variety of different teas I feel stronger and the bite marks are disappearing! As a result I am looking forward to working in the tea game as it is very interesting due to the fact they are from around the world, a healthy drink on the job and new to my knowledge reduces the risk of cancer by an impressive percentage! I am going to continue in the tea biz as I may just be looking for a healthy drink at lunch time and BANG turn into Superman;-)

By JuGeRnAuT

T'Tea

here is an interesting piece of research. Turns out that not only does coffee shrink breasts, but tea protects them!

Three cups of tea a day could help keep breast cancer at bay among younger women, researchers have found.
A US study discovered an increased intake of tea reduced the risk among ladies under the age of 50 by up to 37%.
The threat of another type of tumour, affecting the lobes deep inside the breast tissue, was cut by two thirds, the researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Centre in Florida found.
Britain's favourite drink may not help older generations fight the disease though.
The study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention found senior drinkers to be unaffected.
The results have prompted theories that tea can help fight tumours common among young women.
Thousands are battling breast cancer
Researchers compared the lifestyles of 5,000 women with breast cancer to a similar number without the disease.
The results will be welcomed by the 41,000 women, and around 300 men, who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year.
Tea, particularly green tea, contains plant-based disease fighting polyphenols, which are believed to account for the cancer protection.
And that is not the only health benefits daily tea consumption brings.
Previous studies have found these to include a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, a lower cholesterol level, improved blood pressure management and alleviation of symptoms for common illnesses.
:: For more information and support see Breakthrough Breast Cancer or Breast Cancer Care.

yerba mate truffles

here's a cool recipe i picked up from wholefoods


Recipe:
Coconut Maté Chocolate Truffles


Makes about 30 truffles

Coconut milk, extra virgin coconut oil and cinnamon combine with yerba maté, a traditional drink in Uruguay and other South American countries touted for its health benefits, in this sinfully delicious treat. Serve with orange slices for an especially sharp contrast on the palate.
Ingredients

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons loose yerba maté tea
Unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling the truffles
Method

Place a saucepan, filled halfway with water over medium-low heat. Place a small metal bowl on top of the saucepan to create a double boiler. Add the chocolate to the bowl, and melt over moderate heat.

Pour the coconut milk into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the tea, cover, and remove from heat for 5 minutes. Strain the coconut milk mixture directly into the chocolate, using a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the tea leaves. Whisk the chocolate mixture well with a wire whip until the chocolate is uniformly melted and the coconut milk has been incorporated. Refrigerate the chocolate until firm, about 2 hours.

Sift cocoa into a bowl. Using a measuring spoon, scoop up 1 teaspoon of chocolate, and quickly roll into a ball about 3/4-inch across. Drop into cocoa; roll each truffle in cocoa to coat. Chill until firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition

Per 2 truffle serving (27g-wt.): 110 calories (90 from fat), 10g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 2g protein, 9g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium

what the faq!!

this is a great resource. it covers many of the basic questions about tea

http://pages.ripco.net/~c4ha2na9/tea/faq.html

cup half empty or half fool?

Ah! the wondrous institution of marriage. Sacredly ordained and blessed with elaborate rituals since time immemorial. None quite so fitting as the "bachelors party". How better to embark on a life long (read the fine print on this one if you are marrying a celeb') journey and partnership, than to guzzle down liters of booze, clumsily grope at a semi clad lady covered in icing, and display a puke covered set of Y fronts to your prospective father-in-law. Good times.

Tonight i, like many others of my ilk, took part in the ritual, but with a few slight adjustments. One- the soberest participant turned out to be the groom. Two - there was no oversized cake forthcoming, never mind the awaited professional within and thirdly, there was a decided lack of degradation. In fact the groom maintained his somber yet cheerful disposition throughout the night. There where a few threats of tarring and feathering and some of the revelers enjoyed cider via a funnel and tube. Nevertheless all was calm on the front. As an admirer of the morbid, this would have been a let down had i not been expecting the night to be tame.

With this in mind therefore i would like to pose the following equation
satisfaction = perception(Actuality/Expectation) where the greater the variance between expectation and the actuality, the greater the cause for upset.

Long Jin green tea = crap. you will not be disappointed by this tea, because it is not in our stable, at www.teabox.co.za, nor will you shell out hard earned dineros at www.cafesakura.com for this tea as it will not be offered their in the foreseeable future

not cool

Three cups a day keeps the breasts shrinking away

A new study shows that drinking three cups of coffee a day may shrink a woman’s breasts.

Scientists studied around 300 women, asking them about their breast measurements and how many cups of coffee they drink per day.

They found that drinking just three cups of coffee per day was enough to make the breasts shrink, even increasing the risk as more cups of coffee were consumed.

“Drinking coffee can have a major effect on breast size,” said Helena Jernstroem, a lecturer in experimental oncology at Lund University in Sweden. “Coffee-drinking women do not have to worry their breasts will shrink to nothing overnight. They will get smaller, but the breasts aren't just going to disappear. However, anyone who thinks they can tell which women are coffee drinkers just from their bra measurements will be disappointed. The problem is that there are two measures for a bra, the cup size and the girth, so you wouldn't be able to tell.”

While that news may be saddening to some, on a more positive note the researchers also found that drinking caffeine can help to cut the risk of developing breast cancer.

Scientists say that estrogen is affected by coffee because a woman’s metabolism can be changed by some substances in coffee, thereby lowering the risk.

Shrinking breasts? I wonder what my problem is because I don’t drink coffee at all. Maybe drinking coffee would have an opposite reaction on me, what do you think?



Source: dailymail




Rane
Health Innovations
InventorSpot.com

Hola! Yerba Latte

at long last! mate del sol Yerba Latte is finally ready to hit the shelves (and cups). so much for espresso being so "expresso". this sucker has taken an incredible long time (considering its relative simplicity) to get ready to join the party. so here is a little preview of things to come. you will be able to purchase a half kg of yerba latte mix (suitable for use in espesso machines - not automated) at www.cafesakura.com

some arb' facts and stats on Yerba Lattes thus far
1. the Argentinians think im stupid.
2. our 1st customer is a 5 star hotel (overlooking all gourmet tea for later- go figure)
3. 9 out of 10 trial subjects (there have been many) think they would prefer it as a regular drink to coffee.
4. 7 out of 10 gagged on a yerba espresso unsweetened and looked at me like i was trying to feed them a farm yard.
5. the 8 out of 10 of the 7 (excuse my math, i never did geography at school) immediately changed their tune with the "magic" addition of a touch of honey
6. yerba latte is probably less addictive than crack, but definately healthier.
7. Amy said that she definately felt more cocky after sinking her second latte in a row, and that honey was nicer than vanilla. Amy then proceeded to behave substantialy more cocky once she had worked her way through an "Americano yerba"
8. my new Argentinian assistant looked at me like i was some sort of twisted psycho when i handed her a yerba latte, (part of her initiation/interview). made some muttered remarks as to what her zeida would have thought of this, and promptly sunk the rest.
9. cold yerba latte is cool too



p.s. there is a sale on kg of tradicional loose leaf mate del sol currently available at www.cafesakura.com

tea processing flow map

with thanks to William for the flow diagram

the many faces of tea

this is a little tea suprise. there is another white tea, one that is far rarer than the more popularly known white tea. An Ji Bai Cha is derived from a recently discovered legendary tea bush cited in a 900 year old Chinese classic. thought to be purely legend until the discovery of a single teabush in the 80's (i thought everything from the 80's only came in luminous colours till now)this rare find has almost white leaves when infused and is technicaly a green tea - hence it is a white tea due to the colour of its leaves. most white tea is defined as such by the colour of its infusion as well as the nature of processing (i.e. no curative process). An Ji Bai is extremely rich in amino acids but falls down when it comes to polyphenols and cholorophyll. check out http://www.teaspring.com for a stockist of this tea