New Year New Tea "Mango Sunrise"

For the New Year we decided to add a new great tea. Mango Sunrise is a fruit tea blend of the highest rank! Extra large flakes and cubes of juicy exotic fruits form the base of this low in acid blend. A very delicious tea one that will outshine many other juice drinks. You should think twice before adding any sweeteners it's sweet enough. Mango Sunrise is good hot or cold.

Mango Sunrise will be January"s tea of the month. In January only you can purchase Mango Sunrise for 40% off. Enter coupon code tmonth at checkout. View the tea at http://www.doehitea.com/Mango-Sunrise-p/22122d.htm

Ingredients: pineapple cubes (pineapple, sugar), mango cubes (mango, sugar), pineapple and mango flakes, orange slices, flavoring, freeze-dried tangerine-orange pieces, safflower, marigold blossoms, freeze-dried strawberry slices.

The Four Types of Tea

There are four types of tea and each is distinct in its own way. While tea is one of the the most popular drinks in the world along with water, its characteristics and types may not be familiar and known to everyone, including its drinkers. All tea leaves come from the plant Camellia sinensis.

Black tea is the most popular type of tea drunk in the West and can either be served with a squeeze of lemon or milk and a sugar cube to enhance the flavor. The Camellia sinensis leaves in black tea are heavily oxidized. When black tea is served plain, it has no calories, carbohydrates or fat making a refreshingly healthy beverage. It does, however, contain more caffeine than other of the other three types of tea.

Popular in Asia for many centuries, green tea is not as oxidized as black tea. Its health benefits have been well studied and have increased its popularity in the West. These benefits can include lowering cholestrol, the prevention of cancer and increase in metabolism.

White tea is the rare, more expensive and least processed tea compared to the others. Its Camellia sinensis leaves go through a longer process of steaming or frying, fermenting and drying. It also has a sweeter, more delicate taste and just a small amount of caffeine.

The last type of tea is Oolong tea, which is a common traditional Chinese tea. The name, referring to a black dragon, was given to the tea for its dark, long distinguished leaves. Its flavor is lighter than black tea yet stronger than green tea.

Tea: Did You Know?

We’re learning daily about the health benefits of drinking tea, but did you know these fun and interesting facts about this delicious brew?

• All tea, whether it’s black, green, oolong or white, comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis.
• Should you leave this plant to grow in the wild, it could reach up over 30 feet high and can produce tea for 50 years.
• An experienced tea picker can collect roughly 70 pounds of tea in one day, which would be enough to make 14,000 cups of tea!
• One pound of tea will make approximately 200 cups.
• When properly sealed and stored, loose tea can stay for up to a year.
• The Irish drink more tea per capita than any other group in the world.
• The Chinese word for tea is “cha”.
• Up until the 19th century, solid blocks of tea were use as money in Siberia.
• Americans consume 1.42 million pounds of tea each day, and three billion cups are drunk worldwide each day.
• Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, behind water, so drink up!

Cancer Prevention With Tea: True or False?

Is there truth to the idea of cancer prevention with tea drinking? According to some studies, tea can work in numerous ways to help prevent cancer for some. These studies show that tea can inhibit the formation of tumors and slow the growth of existing tumors. According to 1997 University of Kansas research, the antioxidant power of EGCG is approximately 100 times greater than Vitamin C and 25 times greater than Vitamin E in restricting the free radical damage to DNA that could increase the risk of cancer.

The idea of cancer prevention with tea drinking has been around for several decades and has been noted in possibly diminishing these types of cancers:

Breast Cancer: Research shows that breast cancer is much less common in countries where green tea is regularly drunk. One such study showed that women who drink at least 26 ounces of green tea leaves each year had a 39 percent reduced risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers.

Ovarian Cancer: Studies have shown drinking two or more cups of green or black tea a day lowered the risk for ovarian cancer by 46 percent in 61,000 women, with each additional cup lowering the risk by another 18 percent. It is possible that the more black tea you drink the greater protection against ovarian cancer.

Lung Cancer: Another study concerning the prevention of cancer by tea drinking showed that smokers who drank four cups of decaffeinated green tea a day had a 31 percent decrease in biomarkers of oxidative DNA damage in white blood cells compared to those drinking four cups of water per day. The oxidative DNA damage is connected to the development of various forms of cancer. Black tea may have a preventive effect on the exposure of smoke to the lungs.

Prostate Cancer: Second to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men. More than 230,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Yet another study has found that the polyphenols in green tea can help prevent the spread of prostate cancer.

Other Cancers: In addition to the above forms of cancer, studies have shown that tea can assist the prevention of other cancers such as skin, stomach, bladder and colon cancers.

A Cup of Tea for Your Heart

With there being so many diet fads and lose-weight-quick schemes out there, maybe looking at history and how tea has been beneficial to the heart is a smart and reasonable way to approach dieting. As early as the late 1960s, American scientists were finding interesting results in Chinese Americans who drank tea. During their autopsies, these individuals’ arteries were found to contain only two thirds as much coronary artery disease as Caucasian coffee drinkers.

In additional studies throughout time, a link has been shown between drinking tea and preventing heart disease. These benefits are thought to come from ingredients known as “flavanoids”, a type of antioxidant found in all types of tea. They act as a neutralizing agent of free radicals, a highly reactive molecule traveling around the body causing chemical reactions that can damage cells, including those in the heart tissues. These free radicals are directly linked to heart disease, stroke, cancer and aging. By drinking tea at least one cup of tea a day, you may reduce your risk of a heart attack by almost 50%, according to some of these studies. Most research studies have found that tea drinkers have a higher reduction in heart attack risk compared to non-tea drinkers.

Furthermore, the affects of tea drinking can be seen in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Hypertension, which is the most common type of heart disease, can possibly be lowered by almost 50 percent by drinking as little as a half-cup of green or oolong tea each day.

With the benefits of drinking tea for your heart being shown in numerous studies, it’s an excellent idea to drink at least a cup a day to lower your chances for heart disease. Keep your heart clean and healthy with a daily dose of tea.

Tea Brewing: How to Make the Perfect Cup

To enjoy the wonderful taste of tea, you must first know how to properly brew a cup. For some, tea brewing may be tricky, so here’s a review of how to be successful at brewing that perfect cup of tea. There are just as many ways to brew tea as there are types of tea! Correctly steeping teas comes in five parts: water, weight, temperature, time and equipment.

Water

Great tasting water is the first step in tea brewing. Your water should have between 40 and 50 parts per million of mineral content and usually this means a rather expensive reverse osmosis filtration system and a calcium carbonate cartridge to establish the proper amount of mineral content. Water with too many minerals will extract extra astringency from your tea and give you a harsh brew and water with too little minerals will not extract enough of the polyphenols that deliver astringency, health benefits and taste. Thus, you’ll have a weak, muddy cup. When tea brewing, fresh water is important in order to keep its oxygen and purity.

Weight

When tea brewing, your tea will be bitter if the weight of tea you use is too great. You will also be disappointed if you use too little tea resulting in a weak cup. The “golden ratio” of leaves to water is one teaspoon of most tea leaves (approx. two grams) per a traditional six-ounce cup of water. Keep in mind that most mugs are nearly twice that at 10 to 12 ounces. In addition, a large, open leaf tea like a White tea or some Oolongs may require two or more teaspoons to equal two grams. Teas that are broken or tightly rolled like gunpowder may pack as many as three grams of tea into a single teaspoon. Keep on eye on the leaf size, adjust the amount based on your preference and you’ll have the perfect cup of brewed tea!

Temperature

Different teas can require different temperatures in brewing. Some like it hot; some like it cooler. Use boiling water (212F) when preparing Black, dark Oolong and Herbal teas. These teas are tough, can take the burn and even require it in order to break down the leaf and release the flavor and antioxidants. However more delicate teas, such as Green, green Oolong and White teas require you to use cooler water when steeping. Water that is too hot will cause a delicate tea to taste overly bitter or astringent. Water that is too cool will cause a tea to taste flavorless and weak. Should you not have a thermometer or kettle with a gauge, you will find that typically boiling water that sits for five minutes will have dropped to roughly 180F.

Time

Tea brewing is especially dependent upon time. Too much time can result in a bitter and astringent taste. For most black teas, the rule of thumb is three to five minutes for most black teas, while dark Oolong and White teas can allow for a little longer. For light Oolong and green teas, only two to three minutes will result in the perfect steeped cup.

Equipment

The final part in tea brewing is utilizing the proper equipment. Your tea will need ample room to move and breath since the leaves can unfurl up to five times their dry size when hot water is added. A large infuser area is essential to imbue as much flavor into your cup as possible. Thus, loose tea is best in allowing movement and quality to your tea.

Finally, along with these mentioned parts in tea brewing, buying an excellent quality tea is imperative. Choose a well-blended, flavorful tea and you will surely find success in tea brewing!

Store Now Open

Our store is NOW OPEN and we are very excited. Please check out all of our wonderful blended teas. We offer fruit tea, white tea, green tea, herbal tea, black tea, flavored teas, Oolong tea, Rooibos tea and Mate teas. For a limited time we are offering half-off and free shipping on all our samples. Use coupon code sample at check out.