Jasmine Green Tea

It's a cold winter day - the perfect day to snuggle up in a comfy chair with a hot cup of jasmine green tea. Which also happens to be the perfect beauty beverage.

The polyphenols in green tea are powerful antioxidants that have been found to provide protection against the free radicals that cause photo damage and premature aging of the skin (Roizen & Oz 2008; Sinja & Mishra 2008).  These polyphenols also provide protection from infection and disease (Sinja & Mishra 2008).  Green tea can increase the body's metabolic rate, which helps promote weight loss. (Sinja 2008).  Also, the antioxidants present in green tea are good for the hair and it has been shown to slow down the production of hair damaging dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (Roizen & Oz 2008) .

Jasmine is an herb that has been used in traditional Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat a wide range of ailments, from irregular menstruation and cramps to regulation of blood sugar and blood pressure in the elderly (Nguyen et. al. 2008).  I love it for its refreshing floral aroma and flavor, and it just makes me feel more beautiful when I'm drinking it. 

At my last trip to the grocery store, I was hoping that I would be able to find a good loose green tea so that I could really make a proper pot and tell you all about it. However, I had no luck finding a loose version, so I went ahead and bought Bigelow Jasmine Green Tea in individual tea bags.  If I do come across a good deal on a loose leaf version, I will be sure to provide an update.  The individual bags are incredibly convenient, though, even if they aren't as fancy as loose leaves, and I've really been enjoying my tea, especially during this polar vortex weather!

To make a decent cup of tea, I feel that it is extremely important to place the bag in the cup before adding the hot water.  This allows more of the tea to be exposed to the hot water, so you get a fuller taste.


References

Nguyen Thi Hong HuongNguyen Khac Quynh CuTrinh Van QuyChristian ZidornMarkus GanzeraHermann, S. (2008). A new phenylpropanoid glycoside from Jasminum subtriplinerve Blume. Journal Of Asian Natural Products Research, 10(11), 1035-1038.

Roizen, M.D., Michael F. & Oz, M.D., Mehmet C.  (2008).  You Being Beautiful:  The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty.  New York, NY:  Free Press.

Sinija, V. N. & Mishra, H.N.  (2008). Green tea: Health benefits. Journal Of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine, 17(4), 232-242.  

UPDATE

So now I'm hooked.  I have given up my daily cup of coffee and replaced it with a cup of hot green tea.  But I wanted to really experience green tea, and I knew that to do that I would need to try some of the loose leaf variety.

I trekked all over town in search of loose leaf green tea, and ended up with Jasmine Dragon Pearls from Teavana, and some Japanese Toasted Rice Matcha from Whole Foods.  Then I whipped up some banana bread, called up my mom and sister and invited them over for a tea party.  They showed up in high heels, over the top jewelry and boas.  So cute!  I wish I had taken a picture, but I forgot.

The Japanese Toasted Rice Matcha tasted a lot like toasted rice, which I liked, but I suspect my mom and sister were just being polite when they said that they liked it.  We all liked the Jasmine Dragon Pearls better.

Here is how I made each pot:

1. Fill up the tea kettle and put it on the stove over medium high heat until it whistles.
2. Spoon out 5 tablespoons of tea into the infuser basket.  (1 teaspoon for each 8 oz. cup and 1 more for the pot).
3. Pour a little hot water into the teapot and swirl it around, then dump.
4. Put the infuser basked in the teapot and fill with hot water.  Set the timer for 3 minutes.
5. While the tea is infusing, pour hot water into each cup, swirl and dump it out.  (This is to warm up the cups).
6. Pour and enjoy.

The hardest step for me was #6.  The teapot I was used was great for brewing tea, but the handle is removable, and at one point it came loose while I was pouring a cup for my sister. Luckily, we avoided a complete disaster, because she caught the teapot on the top of her teacup before it came crashing down onto the table.  But the entire table was covered in hot water, and I think I spilled some on my guests too.  It was definitely a mad tea party!  So, if I do have another tea party in the future, I think I will use a different teapot.  And I will try to obtain an organic fair trade loose leaf green tea, which I will probably need to order online.

If you want to learn more about tea, I highly recommend the book, Tea:  History Terroirs Varieties, by Kevin Gascoyne, Francois Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais and Hugo Americi of The Camellia Sinensis Tea House.  I checked out a copy from my local library, and it's filled with beautiful photographs and fascinating information about tea.   I'm convinced that green tea is the best beverage for you healthwise, but after reading this book, I'd like to add an item to my bucket list:  Taste a quality loose leaf tea from each of the six families of tea (white, yellow, green, oolong, black and Pu Er).

Reference

Gascoyne, Kevin, Francois Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais and Hugo Americi.  Tea:  History Terroirs Varieties.  Firefly Books.  Buffalo, NY:  2011.