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Article Title:
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Tea: Drinking Green Tea
Article Description:
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The art of brewing and drinking green tea has been around for
centuries. In fact, green tea has been used for many different
tea ceremonies in China and Japan. In these countries, there are
rituals that must be followed and tools that must be used in
brewing tea to be served to guests.
Additional Article Information:
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876 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2007-05-31 10:12:00
Written By: Jon M. Stout
Copyright: 2007
Contact Email: mailto:jon.stout@GoldenMoonTea.com
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Tea: Drinking Green Tea
Copyright (c) 2007 Jon M. Stout
Golden Moon Tea
http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com
The art of brewing and drinking green tea has been around for
centuries. In fact, green tea has been used for many different
tea ceremonies in China and Japan. In these countries, there are
rituals that must be followed and tools that must be used in
brewing tea to be served to guests.
The Japanese tea ceremony, for example, is steeped in tradition,
and is still used to celebrate special occasions today. The tea
traditionally used for a Japanese tea ceremony is called Macha, a
powdered green tea. In Japan, emphasis is placed on the ceremony
itself, rather than the taste of the tea. Today’s Japanese tea
ceremonies typically last about 45 minutes, but in years past a
tea ceremony could last for as much as five hours. Tea masters
study for years to master the flower arranging, clothing and tea
making that is used in a ceremony.
During a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, guests enter, examine
the tea utensils, flowers and art in the room. Then they kneel
down and sit. They are served sweets, often soft cakes made of
bean paste, while they watch the tea being made. The tea is made
by a leaves practitioner, who has studied for years to ensure
that the ritual is performed calmly and appropriately.
The utensils used for a Japanese ceremony are also very
important. The utensils are passed down for generations. There
are special iron kettles, bamboo water scoops, tea bowls and
traditional Japanese tea cups.
In China, tea ceremonies are used to celebrate special occasions
as well. However, in China, more attention is paid to the event
being celebrated, along with the aroma and flavor of the tea than
the ritual itself.
The most famous Chinese tea ceremony is the performed when
couples are married. Early on the wedding day, the bride serves
tea to her parents at their home before her groom arrives. After
the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds serve tea together to the
groom’s family.
The bride and groom kneel before the groom’s family members and
serve them tea as a sign of respect. During the course of the
ceremony, the bride and groom receive red envelopes from the
relatives containing money or jewelry as wedding gifts.
Certain symbols are extremely important in a Chinese wedding
ceremony. These include the lotus seeds and dates, which
symbolize children to be born early in the marriage and a sweet
and happy life.
For the rest of us, however, green tea is consumed for enjoyment
and health reasons. In fact, drinking green tea may be one of the
simplest and best habits you can pick up to protect your health.
Green tea’s potent anti-oxidants have been shown to have many
health benefits. Long term green tea drinking has been shown to
prevent many forms of cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol.
In addition, green tea has been shown to be an effective weight
loss supplement and to regulate insulin naturally.
Green tea has even been shown to be an adjunct therapy for cancer
patients undergoing chemotherapy. Studies have shown chemotherapy
to be more effective when patients consumed a green tea regimen
along with their chemotherapy compared to patients who did not
consume green tea.
To make your own green tea, you must first choose a green tea
variety. This may be the most difficult task of all, because
there are so many varieties of green tea available. In fact,
there is a saying that in China alone there are as many varieties
of green tea as there are towns.
Some of the most popular varieties of green tea include the
following:
* Gunpowder Tea – known for its smokiness, Gunpowder tea is a
tightly rolled pearl that unfolds as it steeps to reveal a pale
green brew and beautiful tea leaves.
* Sencha – This is a traditional Japanese green tea that is a
favorite of the Japanese people for serving to guests. It is
grown in the shadow of Mt. Fuji.
If you’d like to try flavored green tea, it is often found
combined with the flavors of vanilla, jasmine and mint.
To brew the perfect cup of green tea, fill your kettle with fresh
cold water and place it on the stove to heat. While the water is
heating, add warm tap water to your teapot and your cups, if you
wish, to warm them.
When the water comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and
remove the tap water from your teapot. Let the water sit for
about 2 minutes to let the water cool down a little. Green tea
should be brewed with water that is about 160=83F, which is cooler
than other teas. Add about 1 teaspoon of tea leaves per cup to
your teapot and pour the hot water over the leaves.
Most green tea should steep about 1-2 minutes before serving. The
best green tea will give you 2-3 infusions.
Whether you choose green tea to use in a traditional ceremony, to
protect your health or just because you love it, you’ve made a
wise choice. There’s certainly a reason that green tea is used
in so many ceremonies and so highly revered in the Asian world.
It’s a natural way to celebrate an occasion that’s healthy and
delicious, too.
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Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon
Tea Company. For more information about tea,
(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea)
green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea)
and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com
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