How To Prepare / Make Chinese Green Tea

Chinese Tea has become popular in the past few years but the Chinese have been consuming it as long as anyone can remember! Did you know that there is an ancient Chinese proverb that says
“Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one”?

When I first landed in China, I was amazed to see people
all around me drink green tea. Yes, no matter what time of the day it
was, you could see them with a tall glass of Chinese tea. I soon learnt
that tea, called “cha” in Chinese has been one of the daily necessities in China since time immemorial.

I too have heard the benefits to this green tea/Chinese tea but never really believed people would consume it so often.

Anywhere we go, we were sure to be served with this tea.In restaurants even before we place the food order, the tea would be served in small cups and refilled through out the meal.Any time we visit a Chinese family, they would greet us with a cup of green tea and it would follow us to the table and throughout the stay in their home.

I went looking for information about this ‘Wonder tea’ and here what I found.

Green
tea is the variety which keeps the original color of the tea leaves
without fermentation during processing. The enzymes in the leaves [which
cause discoloring and fermentation] are deactivated by several minutes
of steam heating. Because green tea looks and tastes nearer the original
condition of the plant, only good and tender leaves are generally used
for making green tea.

I read that there are no major
bad effects on consuming large quantities of green tea.It is generally
recommended that you can consume 4-5 cups a day along with a healthy
diet.
 

So, how do we prepare a cup of Chinese Tea ???

Its so simple! Take a large pinch of green tea leaves [for a 200ml cup] / a teaspoon of green tea leaves fora jug of water.Pour boiling water over the leaves, let it steep for 3 to 5
minutes, and your tea is ready.  The quantity of
tea leaves will depend on the strength of the tea you prefer.

Once the cup/ jug of tea is over, top it up with more hot water. Wait for a few minutes and then dink it up.Repeat this till you do not get the taste of green tea from the water. This can be repeated through out the day.Discard the contents of the cup / jug the next day and start all over again.

Though I have never seen people add lemon / lime to their Chinese tea in China, I read that adding a few drops will increase the health benefit of the green tea..

The dried tea leave will ‘bloom’ after they are topped with hot water.It will look like you are growing a garden inside a jug!

Now that our cup of tea is ready lets get to know its health benefits..

1. It is said to have antioxidant properties

2. Green tea is said to aid in preventing cancers of the gastrointestinal tract such as cancer of the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, and colon.

3. Researchers have found that drinking green tea can reduce the ‘bad’ Cholesterol.

4. Green tea has been extensively tested and been found to be highly beneficial in lowering blood pressure and aiding the recovery of heart attack victims.

5. Preventing bad breath

6. Maintains fluid balance in the body

7. Relives fatigue and stress

8. Boosts immune function

9. Delays aging

10. Calorie burning!!It helps by promoting energy expenditure and promoting fat burning! Wow!!!! Isn’t that good news!

These are just a few of the benefits I found interesting but the list goes on.

Now that we know the benefits of green tea and how to make it, let us drink a cup or two and get healthier…