Tea Types: The Healing Touch

Cool Tea Pic: Wagh Bakri

The antioxidants in green tea help us inside-out. We tend to glow more and get rid of dark circles around the eye. We even feel more relaxed on the outside while the cholesterol levels, cardiac systems and the organs are all getting a touch of healing on the inside! Green tea can be combined with other healthy beverages or food to add a twist in the flavor and also treat common illnesses naturally.

Know Tea Types

Genmaicha is Japan’s famous combination of green tea and toasted or roasted brown rice. ‘Genmai’ means roasted brown rice. It is commonly referred to as ‘popcorn tea’ because of the quantity of puffed rice it contains. There is no corn in it at all.

Processing and serving
The flavor of the Genmaicha tea depends on the ratio of the green tea and brown rice. For better aroma the brown rice content is higher. About a tablespoon of brown rice is roasted dry making sure each grain gets roasted. It is then kept aside to cool. The tea is carefully infused with hot almost-boiling water for just 30 seconds. About 5g of tea leaves is put in about 1/10th of a liter of hot water. Then it is poured into a cup through a tea strainer that already has freshly roasted brown rice in it. The strainer is kept in the cup for about 2 minutes to make a strong Genmaicha.

Benefits

Genmaicha has calming properties due to which it is recommended to have a cup when you return home after a hectic day or an hour before going to bed to help with sleeping disorders. It is also recommended after a heavy meal because it helps in quick digestion. It is also rich in vitamin B1 and has a very low caffeine content.

Jasmine Tea

The flowers of jasmine that is usually planted to add to the beauty of the garden can be put in green tea to get a sweet aroma. It is also said to double the anti-carcinogenic properties of regular green tea.

Processing and serving

The buds are plucked early in the morning and stored in a cool place. They start blooming in the evening. The flowers are the green tea are made to ‘mate’ for four hours. Longer the ‘mating’ time better the grade of the tea. By the time the tea is served the flowers are dry and devoid of the moisture and aroma but they are allowed to sit in the cup anyway to add to the aesthetic appeal.

Kukicha Tea

This is also called twig tea because it’s made from twigs and stalks. It is made by adding the stalks and stems of Camellia and has a creamy, nutty flavor.

Processing and serving

The stalks and stems of Camellia are steeped in water at 75 degree C for two minutes and the green tea powder is added to it and steeped for another 45 seconds or so. One or two stalks are left in the cup to add to the beauty.