This method of adding lemon to tea has been very popular in England for many years. As well as adding milk and sugar. Althought I am not English, I do like to add lemon to tea. It’s usually because I want to add some perk to my tea, but mostly it’s due to the health benefits of adding vitamin C.
Beautiful painting of cheerful blue teapot and lemons by Nita Leger Casey of Ginger Bread Art Gallery.
Green tea, black tea, and oolong tea contain naturally occurring compounds called tannins. Tannins give that color and astringent taste to tea. Tannins can also inhibit the absorption of iron. While this effect is helpful in persons with too much iron, but in women who are anemic, it’s best to add lemon or lime juice to your tea. Lemon or lime juice is rich in vitamin C and may partially help counteract this effect.
Researchers at Purdue University published their study on the benefits of adding Vitamin C to tea in the November 2007 issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. They found that catechins (pronounced cat-tee-kins), which is a type of antioxidant, are unstable in non-acidic environments such as the intestines. Less than 20 percent of the total remains after digestion. But by adding Vitamin C, it recovered levels of the two most abundant catechins by sixfold and 13-fold. The researchers also believe that other types of tea, such as black or oolong, would benefit from adding lemon juice, since these types also contain catechins, but in smaller amounts than in green tea. Read the rest of this entry »
My latest tea obsession is oolong tea. I am now drinking Prince of Peace organic Oolong tea. The tea is from China’s northern Fujian province. I have always been drinking mostly green tea in recent years, mixing it with white tea and fruit tea. But I am not a fan of black tea. Oolong for me is more like a mix of green and black tea. It’s a very mild tea with a bright golden color. It never gets bitter and has a pleasant reminscent of coffee too. A cup of oolong tea contains 30 mg of caffiene. I usually drink tea instead of coffee.
Oolong is mostly grown and processed in China, but much loved in Japan. Oolong tea is harvest very differently then other teas. The first stage is picking units of one bud and three leaves. Followed by exposure to the sun. The second stage is to dry them indoors to promote fermentation. The most important part in the production of oolong tea is when to stop fermentation. This happens when the leaves are 30% red and 70% green. It is now semi-fermented. Then during the final stages, they are rubbed repeatedly to generate good flavor, aroma, and texture. Some say this makes it more gentle on your stomach as well. And finally allowed to dry using charcoal.
Tea has been in the news lately for it’s health benefits. Tea contains a large amount of polyphenols, namely tannin. According to the Department of Dentistry, Osaka University, consuming polyphenol found in oolong tea helps fight tooth decay significantly. There are even claims that drinking tea also helps beat obesity.
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