Green tea...

[AVGWarhawk]

is it as good for you as claimed?

[Skybird]

Let'S say its' claimed positive effects are "discussed". Several meta-studies over the past ten years indicate that the miracles that get promised by some, are hopelessly exagerated, some are even unconfirmed alltogether, for example certain effects helping to counter cancer.

My advise would be to drink it if you like it, and then to truly enjoy it, taking the time, and not to hurry. The overall experience then indeed may be of benefit for you.

[Sea Demon]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

is it as good for you as claimed?

Sources say it's a good source of antioxidants.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

is it as good for you as claimed?

If you mean that crap you can buy at some of the hipster coffee shops like starbucks, - i didn't like the taste of it. I think one could do just as well by mowing their lawn, and mixing the clippings in a cup of water.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

If you mean that crap you can buy at some of the hipster coffee shops like starbucks, - i didn't like the taste of it. I think one could do just as well by mowing their lawn, and mixing the clippings in a cup of water.

This./\ The first time I tried plain green tea, I about yacked. I thought it tasted like hay\ dried grass clippings.

[AVGWarhawk]

Sources say it's a good source of antioxidants.

I have read the same. The jury is still out.

If you mean that crap you can buy at some of the hipster coffee shops like starbucks, - i didn't like the taste of it. I think one could do just as well by mowing their lawn, and mixing the clippings in a cup of water.

It is green! I have some with berry flavor. It's not bad tasting. I would say the berry flavor does make it better. Question is, are the grass clippings a good antioxidant?

This./\ The first time I tried plain green tea, I about yacked. I thought it tasted like hay\ dried grass clippings.

I would bet the plain taste like hay/grass clippings. Added flavor make it better. At least with this box I have. Certainly a acquired taste.

[AVGWarhawk]

Let'S say its' claimed positive effects are "discussed". Several meta-studies over the past ten years indicate that the miracles that get promised by some, are hopelessly exagerated, some are even unconfirmed alltogether, for example certain effects helping to counter cancer.

My advise would be to drink it if you like it, and then to truly enjoy it, taking the time, and not to hurry. The overall experience then indeed may be of benefit for you.

The overall experience of drinking a good scotch serves me better!

[tater]

Good green tea is quite good. I love it, though I prefer good, black coffee most of the time.

Note that if it is made with a bag, it ain't good tea (regardless of how it is dried).

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

It is green! I have some with berry flavor. It's not bad tasting. I would say the berry flavor does make it better. Question is, are the grass clippings a good antioxidant?

Note that antioxidants have chnaged their percpetion by the scientific community, too. They are no longer seen as the miracle catchers of free radicals, in fact it seems that they even can do damage.

What they now focus on to say is that you need a good balance between both antioxidants and free radicals, else, with not enough free radicals, the imune system looses in striking power.

Do not buy tead bags. That is guarantee for bad green tee. Do not - never any tea! - brew it with hot boiling water that still produces bubbles - let it cool down a bit, 1-2 minutes. That boiling water tip is BS advice from teabag producers not knowing their stuff. Use loose tea, and ask for as good one - the differences in different green teas are very very huge. Brew it very short only. 2 Minutes, not more. It shall not taste strong, and it shall not get bitter, which it easily does.

Have to say that I like Japanese Green Tea very much. There are a couple of Chinese teas as well that by taste are somewhat familiar, White Tea/Pai Mu Tan for example.

Never use these with sugar or added artifical aromes. Its just water and tea - no sugar, no milk, no nothing. If you like it sweet, get African Roibosch "tea" (its no real tea plant, so no coffeine), with sugar and milk. I kill for it, occasionally!

Coffee, okay everybody knows it, but I prefer a strong espresso any time, even when it is a lie: it taste so much better and much stronger but has at least 1/3 less of coffeine, due to the different brewing method. It's also milder and more friendly in effect.

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Do not - never any tea! - brew it with hot boiling water that still produces bubbles - let it cool down a bit, 1-2 minutes. That boiling water tip is BS advice from teabag producers not knowing their stuff. Use loose tea, and ask for as good one - the differences in different green teas are very very huge. Brew it very short only. 2 Minutes, not more. It shall not taste strong, and it shall not get bitter, which it easily does.

Very good advice also! This is another reason that green tea has a bad name - it's simply brewed the wrong way by a lot of people. You can't do it with water that's still boiling, and you can't brew en masse and hold it for a long time. Knowing those two things alone makes for better green tea. Naturally, at a lot of restaurants, they don't do that due to the demands of mass service, and you end up with mediocre tea. Or if it comes in bags - bad tea that's often full of filler (think wood chips or seed skins from rice).

My own conversion to tea happened 3-4 years ago when I was educated on how to buy, brew and serve it right. Green tea, red/brown tea, white tea, flower/fruit teas - they are all awesome in their own ways, but require the right approach. That doesn't mean you need to learn the tea ceremony to appreciate them, but brewing them right will make a lot of difference.

[Spike88]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Do not buy tead bags. That is guarantee for bad green tee. Do not - never any tea! - brew it with hot boiling water that still produces bubbles - let it cool down a bit, 1-2 minutes. That boiling water tip is BS advice from teabag producers not knowing their stuff. Use loose tea, and ask for as good one - the differences in different green teas are very very huge. Brew it very short only. 2 Minutes, not more. It shall not taste strong, and it shall not get bitter, which it easily does.

I believe the suggestion to boil the tea comes from wanting to kill any bacteria on the tea.

I know sun tea can be poisonous if left for too long as the water never gets hot enough to kill the bacteria in the water and on the tea.

For those who are not familiar with sun tea, it's the process of putting tea leaves/bags in a glass container with the water, and leaving it outside during the hot parts of the day to "brew" the tea. It brews the tea without using any energy(well energy that you get billed for, as sun light is free(for now)). The only draw back is that the tea needs to be refrigerated after two hours, and thrown away at the end of the day.

Have to say that I like Japanese Green Tea very much. There are a couple of Chinese teas as well that by taste are somewhat familiar, White Tea/Pai Mu Tan for example.

I also enjoy Japanese green tea, and I've been drinking it before it was "cool" (That's a jab at hipsters who do things "Before they were cool")

While it may not be the most traditional way I do enjoy getting my cup of Hot Green Tea with my meal at my local Hibachi Steak House(Aptly named Samurai). I prefer drinking it without sugar.

As for the whole coffee or tea thing, I'll always prefer tea of any kind(with or without sugar).