In my practice I often get asked, “What kind of tea do you drink?” After sharing the tea I drink and prefer (which is green tea) I usually follow with a short explanation for my tea choice. After years of drinking tea, I have come to the conclusion I am a tea snob. Are you?
According to Merriam Webster, the definition of a snob is “one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge and taste.” So a tea snob is someone who offensively acts superior in their tea knowledge or their tea tastes. Oh, that is me for sure!
By far, I prefer matcha and green tea. Green tea has many benefits. One benefit is that green tea contains a compound called Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG for short). EGCG inhibits the production of the molecules that contribute to inflammation and joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis, which researchers found at the University of Michigan. The EGCG in green tea suppresses inflammation in the connective tissue. Sign me up!
Here are some other benefits of green tea:
- Lowers blood pressure
- Improves HDL (good cholesterol) and lowers total cholesterol
- Inhibits the growth of prostate cancer
- Fights obesity and weight gain (fat burner)
- Stabilizes blood sugar
The next question you might be thinking is, “Are all green teas the same?” That is like asking are all red wines the same? Or are all eggs the same? (Yes, eggs taste different from different farms and depending if the chickens are free range/ organic vs. GMO soy/corn fed and caged up in a dark coop for their whole life.) Yes, I believe there are big differences in tea and in green tea. Are you getting snobby yet?
The two teas I recommend in this blog are great to have on a daily basis. There are better green teas out there, which I save for special occasions. These are my “go to” for the morning cup or the afternoon tea break (if you are sensitive to caffeine stick to caffeine-free herbal teas).
The first is, Ureshino Tamaryokucha Bisen Nagomi from Saga, Japan. I love this tea and most green teas from this region! This has been my “go to” tea for the last 3 years. If comes as loose tea leafs so it is wise to purchase tea bags or a reusable tea infuser (tea ball).
This tea might be strong for some and if you are new to green tea, I recommend going to a tea shop and tasting different green teas for yourself. A great tea shop to do this is Lupicia. Another one that might be more popular (have more locations) is Teavana. I am slightly biased towards Japanese green tea, mostly for the quality and the high standards in Japan for farming.
The second tea I am recommending is Do Matcha. This is a great starter out matcha. You can get this at Whole Foods or online. Matcha comes as a green tea powder.
To prepare Matcha, it is helpful to purchase an open tea bowl, as well as a chasen (tea whisk) and a chashaku (bamboo scoop). Here is a link to amazon for these items: tea whisk/ bamboo scoop.
Put 1-2 scoops of matcha in the tea bowl, add hot water and get ready to whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
I like matcha for meditation and days that demand lots of mental focus. It has been used in Zen monasteries for centuries for this use.
Another great company that offers amazing tea is Living Tea. I experienced and participated in a tea ceremony with the founder and tasted many of the teas. I have to say all the teas I tasted were top notch.
I hope this blog gives you inspiration to go out and experience trying different high quality teas from all over the world and noticing the subtle differences in quality and taste. I also secretly hope this blog gives you the inspiration to join me in being a tea snob as well!
Enjoy! 🙂
