Tea is a beverage that has withstood the test of time. It is accepted as the most popular beverage in the world second only to water.  A cup of tea cheers millions of people across the world each day. The tea plant Camellia sinensis is currently cultivated in more than thirty countries around the world.

Of the total amount of tea produced 78% is black, 20% is green and less than 2% is oolong or red tea. The health benefits of tea, quality and type of tea are dependent on how the tea leaves are plucked and processed. In case of green tea, leaf remains unfermented. It provides a light, clear, slightly bitter tasting beverage full of medicinal properties. In China and Japan it is aromatized by flowers of orange, rose or jasmine. When the tea leaves are slightly withered and lightly fermented it is called oolong tea. Black tea is made by fully withering and fermenting tea leaves.

There is saying that goes “Anywhere a person cultivates tea, long life will follow”. This is especially true, as people in Japan who smoke nearly twice as much cigarette as Americans, have only half amount of lung cancer and outlive an average American by 7.2 years. Health benefits of tea are attributed to the powerful antioxidants in it called polyphenols. In green tea these antioxidants are present as catechins e.g. epigallocatechin gallate and similar compounds. In black tea these catechins are polymerized to form theaflavins and thearubigins.

Traditional health claim that tea antioxidants improve blood flow, eliminate alcohol and other toxins from the body, improve urine flow, relieve joint pain, improve resistance to cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes, cataract and obesity, improve health, and fight harmful bacteria in our digestive system.

Other components in tea include aromatic alcohols, caffeine and sulphur compounds all of which contribute to the typical aroma, flavor as well as stimulating and refreshing properties of tea. Tea is also a storehouse of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, vitamin E, fluorine, manganese and potassium.

Enjoy your daily cup of tea by simply boiling the tea leaves and water or with optional ingredients like milk and sugar. You can enhance the flavor of a hot cup of tea by adding ginger, cardamom or cinnamon. You may also have chilled iced tea by adding a dash of lemon and a few fresh sprigs of mint.