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The New Winter Insert

Have you browsed the new winter insert yet?

Right on the first page, you will see some new teas, which, for me, is always the highlight of any new Steeped catalogue or insert. I love my tea, and I'm always curious to see what new flavours Steeped has found for us to explore! I took advantage of December's hostess special so that I could try 2 new teas right away.

I have to tell you, they are both fabulous!

Nuts About You is a blend of black and oolong teas accented with almonds and walnuts. Isn't it beautiful? When you unzip the bag, the aroma that wafts out is sweet, yet nutty (not surprisingly). I steeped my tea for about 3 minutes and then started to drink.

I found it to be pleasantly sweet, without the addition of milk or sweeteners, and a very smooth, easy drinking cup. The insert suggests that this is a great after-dinner tea, which it certainly is - in fact, if you are trying to skip dessert (and a lot of us are at this time of year!), this could make a delicious replacement for dessert. The sweetness will satisfy your craving. That is why I also think this could make a great mid-afternoon beverage, when you might be thinking about a snack as a pick me up a few hours before dinner. I know I'm enjoying it just about any time of day, and encourage you to give it a try, perhaps at your next party!

I'll be back in a day or so to share my impressions of the other new tea I've had the pleasure of tasting!

 

Celebrities and Tea

According to the Swanky Celebs and other websites, Johnny Depp, famous for such roles as The Madhatter in Alice in Wonderland, Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribean, and many other eclectric roles, is using green tea as a way to reduce his weight for an upcoming role in the movie Dark Shadows. The 47-year-old actor is reportedly drinking gallons of green tea in a bid to lose weight for his role in the upcoming movie ‘Dark Shadows.’  “Johnny is aiming to get down to 140lbs, so he looks as gaunt as possible,” according to sources associated with the film. The diet also consists of low fructose fruit such as pineapples and strawberries.

The film, set for release in 2012, is a remake of an old 1960's TV show of the same name, and is being described as a Gothic horror about a vampire named Barnabus Collins.

Perhaps tea isn't only for dieting purposes for Johnny Depp, as it appears he might be drinking some here, with Kate Moss.

 

 

 

 

We at Steeped Tea have seen lots of articles and studies that point to tea, both green and oolong, as effective in weight, but may we recommend you do it sensibly, incorporating your tea into a healthy, well-balanced diet, and exercise?

Saturday Tasting: Weight Management Oolong

 Citrus seems to complement tea flavours so nicely; think Christmas blends with orange in them, or just squeezing a wedge of lemon into your favourite black tea. When I was presented with the Weight Management Oolong, I was intrigued with the idea of trying a tea blended with grapefruit pieces.

It smelled wonderful with a full nose of delicious and robust citrus.

I steeped this one for about 4 minutes. The wonderful thing about oolongs is that they stand up to multiple steepings, so although you may pay a little more for a bag of oolong, you can get more cups of tea from it, too.

I enjoyed this tea immensely. I loved the tea flavour melded with the citrus.

If you enjoy tea with citrus, I recommend you try it - even if weight management is not an issue for you!

Health Benefits of Oolong

I am not sure what came first: the huge surge in sales and popularity of green tea, or the scientific studies of green tea and health. With oolong taking far less of the tea market, there are far fewer studies on its impact on health, but studies are out there and it's easy to believe there will be more as the scientific field will want to confirm the truth of some of the claims of Oolong, or Wu-Yi tea. Wu-Yi you may know is the infamous diet tea touted by Oprah and others. What have the studies proven so far?

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #1: Antioxidants

Free radicals are linked to many signs of aging, including wrinkles, dark spots and certain diseases, even cancers. They are everywhere - in the air we breathe, the food we eat and even the sunlight. Tea contains antioxidants that mop up the free radicals before they can hurt us.

A 2003 study conducted by Kenichi Yanagimoto compares green tea, oolong tea and black tea for their antioxidant activities.He found green tea to be the most potent antioxidant, followed by oolong tea, then black tea.

Green tea blocked oxidation by almost 100% over 40 days.

Oolong tea blocked oxidation by 50% over 15 days.

Black tea showed only slight antioxidant activities.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #2: Promote weight loss

Oolong tea has a reputation for weight loss, and rightly so.

Scientific studies have found that it does so by increasing metabolism, burning fat and blocking dietary fat absorption.

There is a lot of hype about what it can do, with some vendors claiming that it can help lose 2 pounds of weight a week. Claims such as this have yet to be proven, but it is true that oolong will increase the metabolism and burn fat. Combine that with some exercise and you've got some serious potential to lose weight and tone your body.

 

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #3: Promote heart health

Oolong tea is good for the heart in several ways.

A 2007 American study using rats found that oolong reduces blood concentrations of triglycerides (the most common form of fat that exists in the body) by a whopping 80% compared to rats on normal diet.

Another 2001 Japanese study found that it reduces cholesterol after 1 month of regular drinking.

A 2004 Japanese study conducted by Osaka City University found that oolong tea increases plasma adiponectin levels. Low levels of plasma adiponectin are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease (CAD). The study concluded that oolong tea may have beneficial effects on the progression of atherosclerosis in patients with CAD.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #4: Treat skin disorders

Atopic dermatitis (AD) skin disease, or eczema, causes the skin to become red, flaky and itchy. Mild forms of eczema can be treated. But many people suffer from what is called the recalcitrant AD, which does not respond to conventional treatment.

Green tea has been known to be anti-allergic. Perhaps drinking oolong tea can help? A 2001 study conducted by Uehara from Shiga University found that drinking oolong tea is good for recalcitrant AD. 118 patients participated in the study. They maintained their dermatological treatment, but also drank 1 litre of oolong tea (made from 10 grams of leaves) a day. Beneficial effects were observed after 1 or 2 weeks. 63% of the patients showed marked to moderate improvements after 1 month.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #5: Complement diabetes treatment

A 2003 Taiwanese study found that drinking oolong tea is helpful to diabetes patients. 20 patients who had type 2 diabetes and took the prescribed hyperglycemic medicaitons participated in the study. They drank either water or 1.5 litres of oolong tea daily for 30 days. The scientists found that those who drank oolong tea experienced reductions in plasma glucose and fructosamine concentrations by 30% and 20% respectively. Those who drank water experienced no changes. The scientists concluded that oolong tea complements oral agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #6: Reduce high blood pressure

A 2004 study by Yang found that drinking green and oolong tea for at least a year reduces high blood pressure. Regular drinkers are 46% less likely to develop high blood pressure if they drink one-half to two-half cups a day. They are 65% less likely to develop high blood pressure if they drink more than 2 cups a day.

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #7: Inhibit bacteria that causes tooth decay

A 1993 study conducted by Nakahara found that oolong tea inhibits the enzyme activities of bacteria streptococci. The bacteria has been known to cause dental plaque to form on teeth, which can lead to dental caries. Nakahara examined green tea, oolong tea and black tea in his study. He concluded that oolong tea extract "exhibits the most prominent inhibitory action among various tea extracts".

Oolong Tea Health Benefits #8: Expectorant

Recent studies suggest that the volatile aromatic vapors from Oolong help dislodge toxic residues from the bronchia and air sacs of the lungs. They can then be expectorated (coughed up and spat out). This effect may help to explain why Chinese men, among the heavier smokers on the planet, tend to have fewer cases of lung cancer.

Festive Feis-tea Beverages

Perhaps you are doing more entertaining through the week and especially on Thursday night... Here are a few tea and alcohol concoctions to try:

Flaming Oolong

Add a tsp or so of Spanish Brandy to a
brown sugar cube, on a tea spoon, lighting it, and then after it flames and caramelizes,
tipping it into a cup of oolong tea.

 

 

Sparkling Oolong

This idea is inspired by a recipe found in Gilles Brochard's book, A Tea
Box. Recipe calls for a mix of oolong tea and Brut champagne. Brochard steeps 2 T of oolong in 2 cups of cold water for 6 hours, strains, then refrigerates.

To simplify, you could make up a pot of oolong and then cool to room temperature. Then chill and mix in a champagne glass, 1/2 oolong and 1/2 sparkling wine.

One reviewer/experimenter writes: I was greatly impressed with this drink. So many of the chilled tea concoctions don't seem to grab me, but this sparkling wine/oolong combination turns out one very classy and refined beverage where the tea nuances/complexity come through beautifully.

We'll continue tomorrow with more recipes to plan for you weekend festivities. Don't forgot about our tea sampler giveaway - read the details here.

Oolong! Intense!

Here's another tea video, thanks to another Calm-a-Sutra contestant - and since we were just talking about oolong...

Tea Tasting Impressions 2010 - Oolong

Our Iron Goddess Oolong appeared in a seasonal flyer earlier last year and has now become a  part of the full product line.

Iron Goddess Oolong

The production of oolong requires that the leaves be processed directly after picking. First the leaves are wilted in the sun for a short period of time. They are placed into baskets and shaken, which bruises the leaves. The juices in the leaves are now exposed to the air, which begins the process of oxidation. The leaves are then spread out to dry. After a period of time--less than 2 hours for Chinese oolongs, longer for Taiwanese oolongs, the tea is fired, which stops the fermentation process.

Many teas can hold multiple infusions, and oolong teas are particularly good for this--many people say that oolongs don't mature into their full flavor until the second or even third infusion, so experiment! In fact, Michael Harney suggests that since their flavours are so complex, “you should drink oolongs late in the day, when you are awake enough to observe them. Then keep drinking them….oolongs can actually improve with multiple brewings.”

Our Iron Goddess Oolong is made from ancient trees in the Phoenix Mountains of China's Guandong province that infuse their magic into a mellow, yet complex oolong tea. Uplifting with its fruity aroma and unique woodsy, fruit flavor, Iron Goddess is a unique treat.

Brewing Temperature: 205^oF

Brewing Time: 3 minutes

Dry Leaves: Rolled into loose balls that are dark green to medium olive green with a bit of red stems

Liquor: Golden medium yellow

Aromas: The dry leaves make me think of being in a spring forest just after the rain. When brewed the wet leaves, which have quickly and completely unfurled, make me think of peach pits.

Body: Medium

Flavours: Slightly honeyed and fruity and very smooth.

Ice This!

Steeped Iced Tea

Earlier this week, we shared a list of suggested combinations for creating your own flavoured iced teas.

Today we're sharing a list of suggested iced teas that don't require any blending. Just add 2-3 tbsp of any of these teas to your pitcher and add hot water. Steep for the same amount of time as you would a cup of hot tea. Then pour over ice cubes to chill.

• Pomegranate White

• Pai Mu Tan

• Margaret's Hope

• Jasmine Dragon Tears

• Any rooibos but especially: Pina Colada, Cranagranate, Lemon Drop, Orange Burst

• Many of our flavoured black teas: Monk's Blend, Ginger Peach, Bluest Blueberry 

• Herbal Tisanes: Berry Mania, Bella Coola, Roasted Mate, Blue Lagoon, Superior Sunrise Strawberry Orange

• Green Teas: Superior Snow Cap Green, Japanese Sencha, Mango Delight, Genmaicha

• Iron Goddess Oolong (if you have some left!)
  

   Which Steeped Fine Loose Teas have you tried iced? Leave us a comment!

Steeped Iced Tea Flavour Combinations

Here are a few ideas to try as you experiment with blending tea leaves to create new flavours. Remember to steep the tea tea leaves in the hot water for the same time you would do if preparing a cup of hot tea (ie, 5 minutes for black tea, 3 minutes for green, etc.)  but if you are blending tea types, steep according to the leaves chosen (i.e. if you are trying a green and a rooibos together, steep as though steeping for green alone).

Jasmine Oolong - combine a few tbsp Iron Goddess Oolong with a tsp of Jasmine Dragon Pearls

White Blueberry - combine a few tbsp Pai Mu Tan and Bluest Blueberry

Strawberry Vanilla - combine Strawberry Shortcake with Vanilla Dream

Orange Chai - combine Masala Chai and Orange Burst

Berry Mint - combine Berry Mania and Peppy Peppermint

Lemon Ginger - combine Lemon Drop and Spicy Ginger

Chamomile Citrus - combine Egyptian chamomile with Lemon Drop and Orange Burst

Blueberry Lemon - combine Bluest Blueberry with Lemon Drop

Lavender Mint - combine small amounts of French Lavender and Peppy Peppermint with Black tea

Licorice Mint - combine Amsterdam Licorice with small amount of Peppy Peppermint

Cranberry Orange - combine Cranagranate with Orange Burst

Lemon Almond - combine Lemon Drop with Amaretto rooibos (try adding a little sprite or soda to give it some sparkle; add black tea if you like a little more body)

We're sure there's lots more great flavour combinations. Leave us a comment if you've created a great flavoured iced tea - we'd love to hear about it!