Tea & Stress

While eustress (the "good stress" that motivates us) can be invigorating, distress can be very draining. WebMD recently posted methods for reducing stress through diet, and for keeping your energy levels steady in times of stress. One of their top suggestions: drinking tea! From their article:

"A recent report found that pairing caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine, both present in tea, decreased mental fatigue and improved alertness, reaction time, and memory. What's more, black varieties can help you recover from stress, according to researchers at University College London. In their study, adults who drank tea four times a day for 6 weeks had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after a tense moment, compared with those who drank a tealike placebo."

I'm not sure how a "tealike" placebo could ever compare (I'm reminded of The Hitchhiker's Guide), but I do feel that tea is excellent at moderating and reducing stress. If I am remembering my biochemistry properly, high cortisol levels can encourage weight gain/retention and cortisol levels are raised when sleep levels are too low. According to Wikipedia (I know, I know), they are highest in the morning. No wonder a cup of tea makes us feel prepared to go out and face the day!

You can read more on stress reduction through diet on WebMD.

Caffeine Myths

Yesterday, the New York Times published a very interesting article on caffeine myths. Although the primary focus is on coffee, it also addresses general issues with caffeine such as hydration, alertness/sleep, hypertension and weight loss. I wish it focused a bit more on tea in some sections, such as Heart Health. (It debunks the myth that caffeine is bad for your heart, but fails to mention the strong link between tea and good heart health.) Still, it was an informative read and it's worth checking out! More on caffeine, coffee and tea.

Eat Out Awards: Sanctuary T

Sanctuary T is part restaurant, part bar, and part tearoom.

A sandwich board outside claims "Our tea is good enough to eat," and they back it up by integrating tea into their foods in a variety of ways, some innovative (black cod slow-cooked in lychee black tea) and some classic (chai ice cream).

Their cocktails (which I mentioned in a recent post on tea lectures at the Coffee and Tea Festival) are not quite up to par with those by my personal bar idol Jeff Hollinger nor as, ahem, "original" as those at PDT (as much as I adore a few drinks on PDT's menu, I'll pass on the bacon-infused bourbon old fashioned and the buttered popcorn rum, thanks). However, they ARE damn good drinks that take on the challenge of artfully blending sweet, savory, and sour, and put a fresh twist on classics like the gin gimlet (this time with Earl Grey) and the margarita (tangerine green tea, passion fruit, Contreau, and tequila in a martini glass rimmed with crushed pink peppercorns).

The tea menu includes a variety of flavored and unflavored teas, as well as tisanes and specialty tea drinks like matcha lattes. I think it could use more unflavored teas, but, then again, I think that about most tea menus. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the staff knows their products (which is, alarmingly, becoming a rarity in the rapidly-evolving and growing tea world!).

The atmosphere completes the Sanctuary T experience--it is a successful blend of modern and eco-chic, with rich wood tones, chocolate brown, touches of silver and sparkle, and deep red highlights.

Aside from nit-picky grievances (e.g.,the tea menu said "Non-caffeinated" when it should say "Caffeine-Free".... If you'd like clarification on that point, read my article on caffeine and tea.), my only complaints are the music (oh, the sigh of relief when it changed from light jazz to Motown halfway though my visit) and the price (it seemed that a number of items were just enough over the appropriate price for you to notice that you are overpaying). Overall, I'd say that it is a fantastic new addition to the NYC tea world... and it would seem that the weeknight crowd I saw there would agree with me. I'm sure that I, for one, will be back again soon.

Sanctuary T
337B West Broadway, between Grand and Broome
Monday-Saturday 10AM-11:30PM, Sunday 10AM-6PM
212.941.7832

Caffeine During Pregnancy

There's a lot of attention being paid right now to a new study on caffeine during pregnancy. It's bad news for tea-drinking women who want to have children: as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day can double your chance of miscarriage. However, this doesn't mean that pregnany women have to forego all tea. "Herbal teas" (not technically teas, but tisanes) like chamomile and peppermint are still safe. (Do a little research on each one before drinking it, but most of the mainstream herbals are safe.) And there are ways to significantly decrease your caffeine consumption without dropping tea like, well, a BAD habit. Here's an article I wrote a while back that may be of some use: Caffeine and Tea. I feel that it is worth noting that MANY pregnancies have been carried successfully to term with regular consumption of large amounts of caffeine (or much worse). Yes, some of the media attention is valid and, yes, some of it is probably hype. However, I am not a doctor, so please consult with your doctor for more information.

Caffeine and Diabetes

A new study from Duke University has linked caffeine with a rise in blood sugar levels for those with type 2 diabetes. Dr. James Lane, who lead the study, says that there are two possible reasons for this:

1. Caffeine interferes with the mpovement of glucose from blood to other tissue

2. Caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, which boosts sugar levels

From personal experience and from discussions with many people who have diabetes, I am inclined to agree with the latter possibility. It explains why so many people with diabetes can drink loose-leaf tea without feeling shaky, but have trouble with coffee and bag tea. As I explained in my article on Caffeine and Tea:


Caffeine is a stimulant that is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and assimilated into the system. It causes an increase in alertness and energy levels for a short period of time. Its chemical structure is similar to adenosine, which triggers a decrease in cell activity, or a feeing of tiredness. It blocks the brain�s adenosine receptors, tricking them into speeding up activity rather than slowing it down. (They don't recognize the caffeine itself, but react to the LACK of adenosine.) Also, where adenosine would dilate blood vessels, caffeine causes them to constrict. When cell activity speeds up rapidly, the pituitary gland interprets the neural firings as an emergency and releases epinephrine (a.k.a. adrenaline). Adrenaline, in turn, increases your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels while dilating your pupils and breathing tubes and tensing your muscles. The result? You feel excited, alert, and ready to go . . . but not for long. Your body responds to the increase in blood sugar by releasing insulin. If your blood sugar levels were rising rapidly (as they tend to do with the rapid absorption of caffeine), then the body tends to overreact. It sends out too much insulin, resulting in LOWER blood sugar levels than BEFORE you consumed the caffeine, as well as the craving for MORE caffeine.

(Added note for blog: Obviously, the wreaks havoc on the blood sugar levels of those with diabetes.)

. . .

In freshly brewed tea, the caffeine binds to the tannins (a.k.a. catechins, a type of polyphenol) and L-theanine when it is brewed. The bond requires more time to metabolize than unbound caffeine, so the absorption of caffeine into the bloodstream is slower and more gradual than it is with coffee and caffeinated sodas. (L-theanine also has some other really cool benefits, like stimulating alpha wave production and GABA formation to induce an alert yet euphoric state.) Meanwhile, the body is absorbing L-theophylline, a naturally occurring substance in tea that produces similar effects to those of caffeine, but with a slower absorption rate. After absorption, caffeine's effects last about 4 hours, L-theophylline, about 8 hours, and the L-theanine, 8-10 hours. This means that you are left with a calm, gentle return to your original energy level. Coffee is different from tea in that its caffeine is quickly absorbed, causing an increase in adrenaline (and stress) levels and resulting in a icky feeling when it wears off (often referred to as a "crash").


Read more on caffeine absorption and tea on Vee Tea.

Anyway, back to the study . . . Dr. Lane also said, "If patients are having trouble controlling their blood glucose and they are coffee drinkers, particularly heavy coffee drinkers, they might want to give it a try to see if it makes a difference to them (to quit drinking coffee)." Read more on the new caffeine and diabetes study on BBC. Have a great weekend!

Tea Lip Balm

New York winters can be tough on your skin. I always like to carry lip gloss to protect my lips from the inevitable winter chapping. I recently found a line of tea lip balms that are all-natural and vegan. Cool! Anyone tried them yet? Thoughts?

On a side note, I noticed that they contain natural tea FLAVORS, but not actual tea. This means they don't have any caffeine. However, if they DID, then lip balm would be one way to get it. Caffeine is easily absorbed through the skin, giving rise to a niche market of caffeinated body products like this Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap. Interesting...

PS--For your die hard coffee fans, there's also a line of coffee lip balms.

Caffeinated Cities

A recent study investigated caffeine consumption in major US cities (or, as I like to call it, "Caffeination Across the Nation"). Read the full article, or just skip to the tea results, which I've copied below.

Most Tea Consumption (Green tea, iced tea, black tea):
1. Miami
2. Tampa
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Philadelphia
5. Atlanta

Least Tea Consumption (Green tea, iced tea, black tea):
1. Minneapolis/St. Paul
2. Detroit
3. San Francisco/Oakland
4. Seattle/Tacoma
5. Boston

Seattle and Boston were non-shockers for the "Least Tea Consumption" list, for obvious reasons. San Francisco, on the other hand, was completely unexpected. Perhaps it's because of the "(Green tea, iced tea, black tea)" specification. What about other types? Had oolong, white, and pu-erh been included, would SF be off the list for "least tea consumption?" Another arguement for SF's low level of caffeination: "...considering how much it costs to live in San Fran (and New York City, which was also on the list), I'm surprised anybody there can afford caffeine once they get done paying the rent." Two points for Widge at NeedCoffee.

Caffeine and... Not Tea

A while back, I was doing some research on caffeine and tea. I happened upon a blog about caffeine obsession called Energy Fiend. It had a particularly funny entry on the lack of information on the caffeine contents of various energy drinks. It made me wonder (once again) when more tea companies will start providing (accurate) information on their teas caffeine contents. (Few do at present.) I've heard horror stories of tearoom and tea shop employees telling customers that white tea and yerba mate have no caffeine and that black tea has "a whole lot" of caffeine. On a less extreme level, I've also heard people say that black tea always has more caffeine than green (not true), that tea always has less caffeine than coffee (also untrue), and that no tisanes have caffeine (yerba mate and tisanes with cocoa content both do). It's things like this that make me glad I'm a tea educator. Perhaps someday people can go to tearooms without fear of getting the wrong story altogether! Ah, what a nice dream...

Caffeine and Tea

Here we have a Whole Foods on decaffeinating green tea. On the flip side, "Death by Caffeine" (a caffeine fanatic site) recently covered a new product called PureCaf, which has an absurd amount of caffeine in a tiny 2-oz bottle. Yes, you can add it to tea if you want.

To learn more about how caffeine in tea works, what kind of caffeine range to expect in tea, what causes some teas to have more caffeine thatn others, and more, read my article Caffeine and Tea.

New Article: Tea 101

It's that time again . . . The weekly Vee Tea article. This one is on the basics of tea. Here's an excerpt:

White tea is the most prized and least processed of all the tealeaves. It comes from the delicate, immature buds and/or leaves of the first flush. After harvesting, it is simply dried. Traditionally, it is left to dry in the sun. Today, some use ovens or fire, but many still follow the custom of sunning. This minimal processing retains the most antioxidants and results in the lowest caffeine level of the leaf (unpowdered) true teas. White tea has a very mild taste that can be somewhat floral. The leaves/buds are very pale/”silvery” in color and produce a pale infusion. A good white tea will have fine white “hairs” covering its surface.

Green tea can be produced from any flush; however, it is typically produced from the third flush in India and, in areas of China that produce a lot of white tea, from the second flush on. Unlike white tea, the leaves may be twisted, rolled, or otherwise shaped during processing. They are also either roasted (most common in China) or steamed (most common in Japan) to dry them and stop them from oxidizing. There is a wide range of flavors and appearances with green tea. Many people think that green tea is “the best for them” because they read about a study that said (insert claim here). This is, in part, because green tea had the most health claims made about it before Western medicine started investigating tea. Scientists set out to test the folk medicine that thousands of years of Chinese and Japanese tea drinking had accumulated, but rarely did they attempt to compare the different types of tea. Don’t worry, though—green tea is still good for you. Plus, it tastes great.


Read more about Oolong, black, pu-erh, tea flushes, and the classifications of tea in Vee Tea: Tea 101.

"Healthy Living" in NYC

One of the things NYC is best known for is its hustle and bustle. A major part of that is the contant barrage of information (and misinformation) presented in the form of advertisements. Lately, I've been noticing an increase in a rather disturbing trend in the advertisements I see near my apartment, on the train, and around the tearooms I visit.

For some time, drinks like Gatorade and VitaminWater have been marketed as "healthy," despite the fact that they are, essentially, colored sugar water with vitamins/minerals/herbs mixed in. (Yes, corn syrup and pretty much any ingredient ending in "ose" really means sugar.)

If you want water with the benefits of vitamins, minerals, and herbs, why not drink some tea or a tisane (herbal tea) and skip the sugar and coloring? Or you could (gasp!) eat a healthy meal and drink some water. Or do anything else besides believe CocaCola when they claim that the new Enviga, Gold Peak, and Diet Coke Plus are good for you.

Sure, vitamins are (generally speaking) good for you. So are a lot of minerals (in moderation) and herbs (when used properly). However, sugar/sugar substitutes, artificial colors/flavors, and caffeine are NOT good for you in the quantities that usually come along with these "good for you" supplements. And while vitamins, minerals, and herbs CAN be good for you, it doesn't mean they ARE good for you. It depends on your body's specific chemistry, any conditions you have, any medications you take, and all kinds of other factors that most people don't take into account when buying something to drink at the local bodega.

The most disturbing aspect of this trend is that many of the products tout supplements that most people didn't know about before the ad campaign started. EGCG and theanine, which occur naturally in tea, are in a new Snapple product and a new VitaminWater product. The average person sees the ad/packaging and says, "Hey, what's that?" The ad, packaging, or unwitting person's somewhat health-conscious friend informs them that it's something found in tea and it's good for you. That's about the extent of the information transfer. Your average person thinks, "Tea is healthy. This product must be healthy. I want to be healthy. I'll buy it."

I see how this happens, but I wish I could get people to stop and think for a moment before mindlessly accepting whatever soundbyte or catchy slogan they're fed. Do they consider drinking tea for EGCG, eating berries for antioxidants, drinking pure orange juice for vitamin C, or goig to any of the other sources for the "health" in the bottle instead of selecting a processed, synthisized, and sweetened version? No. Do they seriously think about their own health concerns when they select their beverage of choice? Not really. Do they become healthier by drinking it? I doubt it. Do they consider drinking actual tea? Probably not. (The product is readily available, convenient, and heavily marketed. Tea is mysterious and strange and consumed by oddballs like me.) Do they know what the supplement does? Maybe. Do they buy the drink? In most cases, yes.

I'll admit that I occasionally buy a VitaminWater when I'm out of the filtered water I carry with me and I don't have time to visit a tearoom or other place with good drinks. They are the most successful at marketing themselves as healthy (which is not to say they are healthy!) and providing flavors that aren't completely unnatural-tasting. When I saw that they have a new theanine (tea extract) drink, I had to try it. So, today I am trying it. Tomorrow, I'll post my findings. Wish me luck!

Powdered Tea

I've been a fan of matcha (powdered green tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies) for some time. It is incredibly nutritious and I love the taste. Recently, I tried powdered rooibos and powdered white tea for the first time.

Powdered teas are even more nutritious than infused teas. This is because when you drink a powdered tea, you consume the actual tealeaves (in powdered form), rather than an infusion that extracts only some of their nutrients. Powdered teas are incredibly high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Some say that matcha is the healthiest beverage in the world! They are very high in caffeine and theophylline, but, unlike coffee and cola, they don't produce anxiety and jitters. (For more info, see Caffeine and Tea.) The high concentration of L-theanine (a chemical that increases the alpha waves in the brain, inducing a feeling of euphoria and encouraging left-right brain connectivity/non-lateral thought) doesn't hurt, either. In fact, Buddhist monks used to use matcha for increased concentration and stamina in their meditation. Today, many athletes (and regular people!) enjoy its effects as well.

It's a bit of an acquired taste, but its astringency can be easily mellowed and adjusted to in a few simple ways. The traditional Japanese method is to alternate bites of wagashi (sweets) with sips of tea. It is thought that a perfect balance is achieved when the sweet snack and bitter drink mingle over the tongue. If you don't want a snack with your matcha, there are other ways to get a balanced taste from it. When I first started drinking matcha, I would add a small amount of tupelo honey or a splash of orange juice to counteract the astringency. When I was managing the Teabar at Urbana Cityspa & Teabar, I found that cold matcha lattes were very popular with the customers.

Relatively recently (powdered green teas have been around since the 11th century, when they were first made in China), Muzi Tea started making powdered teas and tisanes that venture outside of the realm of green tea. I tried two kinds, the Granite Ground Rooibos and the Granite Ground White Tea. I was not terribly impressed. I think they'd be much better as part of a tea-based drink rather than as a tea. To be fair, matcha is an acquired taste (so other powdered teas may be, too), the cultivation and processing of powdered green teas has had centuries to develop, and Muzi also makes blended herbal teas (which may have the complexity that I found to be absent in the two kinds I tried). I'd have to try more of their teas before writing their new concept off. If anyone reading this has tried their other products, please let me know what you think of them!

Caffeine and Tea

I’ve spent the last two days writing about (and drinking) caffeine and tea. I need to get some sleep!