Prettywood Tea Journal

Well known are black, oolong, and green tea, even white tea is becoming more and more popular in the West today, but there is another true tea that deserves some sumptuous recognition - pu erh tea.  Stumbled upon in China in the days of tea caravans that winded throughout  Asia, pu erh is processed in the same way as green tea - picked, withered, heated, and rolled, but it is then exposed to humidity and time, yielding a fermented tea.  It is known as a vitality tea in China, and has been treated as an elixir for well over one thousand years. 

Pu erh is made from the leaves of the same camellia sinensis plant, although it generally comes from broad-leafed varieties from older, and sometimes wild tea plants.  It is said that these leaves have a higher and more-developed nutritional content, adding to the healing and restorative qualities of pu erh tea.  Being fermented, pu erh carries similar beneficial bacteria to fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir.  Therefore, pu erh has the same powerful antioxidants as other true teas, the polyphenols, catechins, and flavonoids, but it also has the beneficial probiotics from fermentation. 

Pu erh tea is reputed to promote longevity, help with digestion, weight loss, eye health, and heart health.  It has been proven in studies to lower cholesterol levels.  It also has been shown to help the body break down waste and fatty build-ups, helping the body to eliminate fat and other toxins.  Pu erh is often served after greasy or rich meals to help settle the stomach. 

Excerpt from the Examiner.com

Puer, pu’er , or pu-erh tea is special tea that originates from south part of China in the province of Yunnan. It’s picked from the old wild Camellia sinensis assamica, the broad leafed variety of the tea plant. The new growth of this variety is covered in fine white hair, much like the buds of white tea. The end bud, or pekoe, is slightly larger than that of other varieties.

These trees grow fewer each year because farmers are cutting their old trees into bushes to make the leaves easier to pick. A shorter plant obviously produces fewer leaves available for harvesting. Consequently, leaves from other mountains are often mixed with the wild tree leaves. Much of the puer tea sold in the United States is type.

Puer tea is typically, but not always, aged and compressed. It’s prized for its flavor and its healing qualities.

Excerpt from the Examiner.com

Hi all - We are now offering our tea gift baskets with free shipping!  Each tea gift basket is created by award winning tea basket creators and we have received many compliments.  Please think of us for your next tea gift need, you’ll be glad you did!

(London, UK) — There’s something brewing in Britain that researchers say is guaranteed to calm you down.
A new London study says tea is the cure in a crisis.

Scientists put volunteers in a stressful scenario and found that anxiety levels spiked 25-percent in those who didn’t drink tea afterwards.

“It’s always a nice thing that whenever we’ve got a problem over here, I think everyone turns around and says, let’s have a cup of tea. And it’s just that 5 minutes of everyone sitting down together and having a moment of calm,” says tea drinker Claire Benson.

Even if you don’t like to drink it - researchers say just the simple act of preparing tea can calm you down.

from OzarksFirst

A tall glass of fresh-brewed iced tea does more than cool you off on a sultry summer day.

For more than 4,000 years, people have been turning to tea - a beverage with a list of benefits longer than a bride’s thank-you-note list. Tea is the world’s second-most popular libation (right after good old water).

In fact, the U.S. guzzles more than 55 billion cups a year. (Canada consumes about 9 billion cups, but Canadians drink more per person than their counterparts in the United States.)

No wonder: In addition to its ability to cool you down, calm you down and perk you up, a tall glass of iced or a comforting cup of the hot stuff can fight disease and help you slim down.

The latest on tea may be one of its best attributes yet: Its ability to improve mental focus and clarity.

Tea is nature’s major source of the amino acid L-theanine. If you haven’t heard of L-theanine before, you will soon - it’s already being added to Gatorade Tiger and some varieties of Vitaminwater and SoBe Life Water.

When paired with caffeine, this wonder compound decreases alpha wave activity in your brain.

That’s good, because when you’re trying to focus on a challenging task - say, figuring out how to turn on Wii bowling when your kids aren’t around to help you - fewer alpha waves equal greater concentration. In fact, downing two to three cups of tea within an hour or two of each other (the amino acid goes to work within 30 minutes) have been shown to make people more alert and focused. L-theanine has another upside: It makes you feel more relaxed and less stressed, which is why tea doesn’t give you that jittery feeling you get from other caffeinated drinks.

But that’s not the only compound that does your health good.

Made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, tea is loaded with flavonoids, compounds that help you stomp out disease-causing free radicals. Those health-promoting flavonoids (there are between 140 and 300 mg per cup of tea) are also what give tea its characteristic bitter taste.

So when you pour yourself any kind of tea - white, black, green or oolong (just not the herbal stuff), it’s also helping your health in these ways:

IT REDUCES YOUR RISK OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE

Flavonoids in tea decrease lousy LDL cholesterol and improve the elasticity of your blood vessels. Downing three cups a day(8 ounces each) may cut your risk of heart attack and stroke by 11 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR PEARLY WHITES

Tea is rich in fluoride, needed for strong bones and teeth. Drinking tea has been shown to decrease plaque. That’s not just good news for drill-phobes. The same plaque that causes tooth decay can contribute to the plaque in your arteries.

IT HELPS YOU STAY SLIM

Not only is tea calorie-free, the green tea compound epicatechin gallate (aka EGCG) helps keep you from packing on fat and helps fire up your metabolism. Prefer Chinese oolong? It can increase your calorie burn by 3 to 4 percent for up to two hours.

PREVENTING CANCER

In the lab, green tea has shaped up to be a nemesis to colon, liver, breast and prostate cancers. Among humans, Asians who regularly guzzle green tea have fewer instances of bladder, colon, stomach, pancreatic and esophageal cancers.

from the Idaho Statesman

It is if you’re British according to one study.  With over three thousand participants, a survey in July found that turning to a cup of tea may be a natural remedy for stress, taking into account the positive effect of drinking tea on the body due to the health benefits of tea, as well as the comfort of the ritual of making tea.  No doubt the body appreciates the rich dose of antioxidants, as well as the warmth of hot tea.  The study examined the effects of a cup of tea versus a glass of water after taking a math exam, something most of us associate with stress and anxiety.

The people questioned credited some of the relaxing tea benefits on the drink’s cultural significance - evidently being aware of being British soothes the soul.  What about the rest of the world?  Despite the caffeine content in tea, does brewing a cup of Earl Grey really have a calming effect?

There are many places in the world that tea is more or less a national beverage, from Ireland to China, but irregardless of nationality, there are many tea drinkers out there.  Tea is the second most popular beverage worldwide second only to water.  For all of us who wake up to a cup of robust Irish Breakfast, or relax in the afternoon with a steaming cup of jasmine green tea, as they say on a box of Numi, ‘ tea is liquid meditation.’  Whether it is the health benefits of tea or the ritual, a cup of tea is undeniably a cozy way to deal with life’s little problems. 

from Examiner.com

We are excited to announce the addition of handmade tea cozies to our extensive product line.  Made entirely in the USA without a stich of glue, we feel you will not find a better made tea cozy anywhere. 

We are also offering matching tea wallets, teapot mats or trivets, and teacup pads with wonderful scents when you set your teacup on the mat. 

We can also customize a tea cozy for you using a fabric swatch of your choice.

The holidays are right around the corner — with the teapot, portable tea wallet and the teapot and teacup fabric mat, it is the perfect gift for that tea lover!

Scientists claim to have proved what generations have long known - a cup of tea is good in times of crisis.

Researchers have discovered that the traditional cuppa can have a “significantly” calming effect.

Volunteers were placed in a stressful scenario, and those who did not drink a cup of tea immediately afterwards showed a 25 per cent rise in anxiety. Others who were given the hot beverage showed a four per cent reduction in stress levels.

Dr Malcolm Cross, of City University London, who carried out the research, said: “Drinking tea - particularly during times of stress - is at the very core of British culture. This study shows the effects it has on our bodies and brains and may explain why we instinctively turn to tea in times of need.”

E#xcerpt From the Mirror News in the UK