I used to get my chaga from a health food supplier out of Florida, but they have been out of stock for some time now. So I did a search for “wildcrafted chaga mushroom” and found many on Ebay. I chose the chaga from Maine.

Chaga (scientific name: Inonotus obliquus) also known as cinder cork. It’s a unique fungus that grows especially on the wounds of birch trees. But it can also be found growing on ironwood, elm, alder, beech and other hardwood species.

To prepare chaga, it has to be dried. Some advise simmering the dried chaga for a few hours. Just to be on the safe side, I let mine simmer on high in the crock pot for 10 hours. I used 2 small pieces along with 3 quart of water. The color was very intense, looked very much like coffee. The smell was pleasant, very fresh and woodsy.

This is 1/2 chaga extract with 1/2 water. It taste very pleasant and no bitterness at all.

Chaga has the highest antioxidant concentration of any known natural food. When made into tea (and no sweetener added), the taste is suppose to be slightly bitter. Like many herbal medicines, the bitterness seems to be a common factor.

Due to chaga’s health benefits, it’s been referred to as “King of Herbs” and “Nature’s Silver Bullet”. Chaga has been researched as an antiviral, anti-tumor for breast and uterine and other cancers, and diabetes.

Cheers to Chaga!

Note: Survival Topics has a neat post on how to harvest and prepare wild chaga.

Some advise to boil while others say to simmer for hours. For best result, take 30 minutes on empty stomach before a meal.

Over the years I’ve been drinking more tea. Even in the summer I enjoy cold herbal tea such as mint or hibiscus tea. Sometimes when I’m on the road and forget to bring my bottled water or tea with me, I would chose bottled tea over soda. And that’s how I came upon these new and very neat tea.

It’s such a pretty glass bottle and the ingredients were all good and natural. Especially with only 10 grams of cane sugar compare to other bottled tea. This bottle was on sale for $2. I plan to recycle this bottle by reusing it for water or my own tea blend.

There was only 2 choices for me at the store shelf, either the Mojitea or Hibiscus Tea Sangria. I chose the fruity one and was surprise at how good it taste. Good enough for me to find out more about Argo Tea.

Argo Tea is actually a very popular chain of tea cafes from Chicago. They first started out in 2003 and is now expanding to many larger cities in the East Coast.

Even when Starbucks is closing shops, this tea shop is expanding. And it’s nice to see people can enjoy a cup of tea as much as coffee.

According to The Independent from UK, Starbucks is still any tea shop’s competitor.

“Starbucks, of course, remains the biggest threat to the relative tiddlers of tea such as Argo. When the first Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971, the siren mermaid logo had “coffee” and “tea” beneath it. Starbucks is not just about coffee any more. Indeed, its Tazo teas became a billion-dollar brand for the company, it revealed in a recent call with Wall Street analysts.”

Argo has many selections and blend to chose from, all with clever names too. I just wish Argo Tea would open a shop on the West Coast, maybe in San Francisco or Palo Alto. I’m sure they will be a hit out here.

Photos from Argo Tea.

Sea buckthorn is also known as Seaberry and Siberian pineapple. I really wanted to start growing my old sea buckthorn plant this year. But it’s a bit too late now, so I’ll have to wait until spring of next year.

Here is a small sea buckthorn plant at the International Fruit Orchard. I think it’s about 2-3 years old. Maybe in a few more years there will be bright berries on them.

I picked a handful of leaves from the bush to make tea. I used the dried leaves and steeped them in hot water for about 5 minutes. It tasted very pleasant, reminded me of raspberry leaves tea. I wouldn’t mind making tea from my own sea buckthorn plant soon enough.

The Republic of Tea has green tea mixed with sea buckthorn berries. Starting at $10 for 3.5 oz tin.

“Sea Buckthorn is native to the shores of the Northern Baltic Sea in Germany where locals consume the berries to ward off cold and flu. Sea Buckthorn berries are mildly tart, like an apricot, and rich in vitamin C and E.”

Not to mention, sea buckthorn is also grown naturally in Siberia and Mongolia.

Sea buckthorn is more popular in Europe, where they make them into fruit drinks and jam. Here in the U.S., they are showing up more in the natural health and beauty department.

Since it’s a very labor intensive harvest, the cost for both oils (berries, leaves, and bark) of this plant is still very expensive.

I’ve never heard of chaga until I came upon a bottled drink of chaga made by Sayan Health.

The bottle stated that it’s not a tea or juice, but more of an exotic medley of healthy herbs and berries. It was not bitter at all. it was actually very good.

This is the bottled Chaga I tried in wild raspberry. Can be found at your local Whole Foods Market or ask about it at your favorite health food market. Photo from Amazon.

The label on Chaga tea also stated that this mushroom has antioxidants that are 6 times stronger then acai. The fact that it’s not as pretty looking (as many of the superfruits) probably make this fungus less popular.

Sanya Health got it’s company name from the Altai-Sayan Mountains in the Siberia taiga (where temperatures are below -40 degrees most of the year). As this is where they harvest their chaga, since the extremely cold temperatures produce more potent chaga.

Chaga (scientific name: Inonotus obliquus) also known as cinder cork. It’s a unique fungus that grows especially on the wounds of birch trees. But it can also be found growing on ironwood, elm, alder, beech and other hardwood species.

It has the highest antioxidant concentration of any known natural food. When made into tea (and no sweetener added), the taste is suppose to be slightly bitter. Like many herbal medicines, the bitterness seems to be a common factor.

Due to chaga’s health benefits, it’s been referred to as “King of Herbs” and “Nature’s Silver Bullet”. Chaga has been researched as an antiviral, anti-tumor for breast and uterine and other cancers, and diabetes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last weekend, I decided to pick up Costco’s Kirkland brand of green tea.   It was surprisingly very good green tea.  The tasted reminded me of the green tea served at authentic Japanese sushi restaurants.

It turns out the teas are Japanese grown green tea and packed by Ito En.  According to Ito En, out of Japan’s 47 prefectures (provinces), there are only three major tea producing regions.  For a small island nation where space is a premium, growing tea must be something they cherish.

It is definitely good green tea.  Even when steeped for a long time, the green tea never gets bitter. It reminded of the green tea I got from Two Leaves and a Bud, but so much cheaper. Being that it was 100 bags for around $12. They are also available at for slightly more.

The tea is packed in flat nylon mesh bags. At first thought, maybe this contributed to the taste of better tasting tea.  As the material is suppose to encourage a better infusion. Many “gourmet” packaged tea have been using these nylon tea bags for the past decade.

The downside to the nylon bags is that it’s not biodegradable. And at the rate of 100 bags per customer, that’s a lot of nylon bags being thrown in the landfills.

I also don’t feel so safe (health wise) about exposing the nylon bags to the high temperature of my water.

Due to these reason, I can’t get myself to purchase the teas again.  I would suggest they change to tea bags made from natural fiber.  Even the cornstarch based mesh tea bags are biodegradable, but they are still made with GMO- based material.

Read the rest of this entry »

My love of tea started years ago. And I am always happy to try different types and brand of teas.

Luckily this was a sampler pack which included green tea, white peony, rooibus (red tea), Assam tea, and Earl Gray.

Two leaves and a bud is a tea company based out of Colorado. The teas are made of super-premium whole leaf. Teas are harvested from different regions of the world.

I am a minor fan of Jasmine green tea, but when I took my first sip of this jasmine green tea it was different. Much more lighter, accompanying a soft floral fragrance and it never gets too bitter. This is one cup I can drink anytime!

So far I’ve had the green tea, the red tea, and Earl Grey. All very good! Earl Grey makes a good alternative breakfast tea to the traditional coffee. Nice dark amber color and taste is smooth. Not like any other black tea I’ve drank in the past.

I have to say this will become my new favorite line of tea. I can’t wait to try more of their tea selection, especially the herbal teas. No more supermarket teas for me!

Although this tea is more costly, it’s really worth every cup. And I find one tea bag fetches four cups of tea. Maybe it’s the loose leaves, since regular tea I can make two cups max.

Another neat thing is that the tea bags are made of biodegradable cornstarch based nylon (not petroleum based nylon). They are not the traditional bag shape, but pyramid shaped. This allows the whole leaves to circulate and infuse properly, without the mess of brewing loose leaf tea.

The company is also on a mission to support all Fair Trade teas. Another great thing is that the teas come from small farmers. I believe we need more small family farms and should do our best to support them. Both at home and around the world. As noted from the company’s info:

We are a proud member of the Trust Organic Small Farmers Initiative, The new alliance for eco-Ethical trade and goods is a non profit initiative, founded by producers, traders, and NGOs from around the world. two leaves and a bud tea co. is one of the founding members and trading partners under the trusteeship of Commundialis Foundation.

Trust Organic Small Farmers supports disadvantaged organic small farmers to increase sales under Fair Trade and sustainable conditions, while assisting producer organizations in creating innovative grass-root eco-social development projects. More and more these days, sustainable small-scale farming is desirable from developmental, political, health and eco-social perspectives.

Whilst more and more consumers are enjoying high quality products, which often also benefit sustainable development, small family farms are still at a competitive disadvantage in the global market. Even if their products are certified organic or within the existing Fair Trade labeling schemes, market access or success is uncertain. The entry cost is still too high. For the weakest, these markets replicate the global market creating impossible dreams.

Trust Organic Small Farmers is working on creating new paths to open innovative grass-roots projects for sustainable development and improving the eco-social situation of marginalized organic farmers through activity.

Support Fair Trade, support small family farms! Say NO to GMO’s*!

*genetically modified organism. Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms.

Fruit leaves of all kind are traditionally used as herbal remedies.  One I like to include on this list is peach (Prunus persica) leaf.

It’s is mainly used as a sedative (calming effect), laxative (digestive aid), and mild diuretic (increase the flow of urine).

Other benefits of peach leaf include treating gastric and stomach irritations and abdominal tenderness, irritation, or congestion.

The peach leaves infusion is also used in treating chronic diarrhea and dysentery.  Peach leaf are also used to treat throat and bronchial irritation.  Also used to treat chronic hepatitis and bronchitis.

Recommended usage is 2 tsp. of dried leaf to 1 cup of boiling water. Infuse for 20 minutes. Use as a gargle for sore throat every 1/2 cup per hour.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve never heard of Puripan Tea Garden until my cousin was visiting a while back.  Knowing how much I enjoy drinking tea, she gave me a bag of Puripan’s organic jasmine green tea.  The tea shop is located at Santana Row in San Jose.  They specializes in loose leaf green, white, oolong, and other herbal teas.

These green teas are shaped into little round balls called “pearls”.  The leaves open up once it’s brewed.  As much as I like green tea, I didn’t really like this particular green tea.  I don’t know if it’s the “loose leaf” factor or how I brewed it.  I even brew with filtered water too.  I found this jasmine green tea to be too bitter.  And the jasmine scent was meant to be nice, but it ended up giving me a headache instead. Just so I wouldn’t waste this good bag of tea, I let my mom give it a try.  And she actually ended up loving it!  Now she is drinking it all the time.

Photo of Puripan Tea Garden from Santana Row Shopping Center.

Puripan Tea Garden retails many varieties of loose leaf tea, which is suppose to be the best grade of tea available.  I’ve been wanting to stop by soon and see what other great teas are at the shop.  There are plenty of good online reviews about their service and selection too.  The best part being they let you sample the teas before making a purchase.

Even if you can’t visit the shop, you can still visit their nice website and browse the selection of green, white, oolong, and other herbal varieties.  Since I am into oolong at the moment, I think I want to try  WUYI oolong tea.  A description from Puripan:

Known as “Profound Orchid,” this unique tea is harvested on the cliffs of China’s northern Fujian province Wuyi Mountains, where the soil, climate and unique tea bushes create exquisite oolong.

Smooth, rich body and classical roasted aroma with sweet notes of raisin/sugar, honeysuckle, and roasted barley. Lingering sweet finish.  $5.99 for 2 oz.

Did it say an aroma of honeysuckle in the end?  I love the smell of honeysuckle.  The scent is a little less intense then jasmine, but still very nice.

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tea Review: Guava Leaves Tea by ABC Tea House

Of the two brands of guava leaves tea I’ve tried, this is my favorite brand. It is from ABC Teahouse of China. The box said it contains 100% guava leaf.

The other brand I’ve had is Hung Phat from Vietnam. The box said it contain guava leaf and fruit. I actually thought this would be better as it contains fruit pieces. But I could not even finish my first cup. Of the whole box, I’ve only used no more then 3 tea bags. It is very bitter tasting. So after seeping the tea for several minutes, I opened up the tea bag from Hung Phat and found there were more then guava leaf and fruit pieces. It also look like small pieces of twigs or bark too. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but they should at least label it on the package. And I would think that more pieces of the guava plant, the better. But in this case, it just taste worse.

The guava tea leaf from ABC Tea House is much smoother tasting and not as bitter. I opened this tea bag and did find all guava leaves. This brand was bought at a Chinese grocery store for $2.99 per box. As I wrote in a previous post, guava leaf has many benefits. In Asian countries, it is mostly used to soothe stomach aches and dieting. But recenlty I found out that it is also suppose to help with menstrual cramps too.

In the past couple of years, my menstrual cramps have been really painful. Studies show that adding more calcium to your diet would help with the cramps. So I drank more milk, ate more cheese and yogurt. Even tried taking calcium supplements, but they all seem to help in the beginning and the pain came back. Now that I started to drink guava tea leaf with the first sign of PMS, I have found that it has also help my mood swings. I have only been drinking this for 1 month and did notice a big improvement on my PMS already. But I can’t say how conclusive it is for me, so I’ll have to wait and see after 3 months of drinking.