A Hot-Bodied Invigorating Tea -- CHAI SPICE by Stash

© Ugur Akinci

Stash company is so far ahead in bringing us one high-quality tea blend after another.

Here is my latest favorite: CHAI SPICE.

As its red packaging suggests, this a tangy, spicy, hot-textured  blend, perfect to take care of that 3 p.m. afternoon slow-downs.

It's got black tea, cinnamon, ginger root, cinnamon flavor, clove oil, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and cardamom oil. It comes in decaff version as well.

You want to give your taste buds a workout? Then this is your tea for sure. But take it easy. If you drink two bags in a row, for example, it may upset your stomach or give you a headache. Don't let your teabag sit in your cup for too long.

I prefer one a day, at most two, sometimes with a slice of lemon for that extra metabolism kick. It's enough to rev up your system a notch or two.

Also recommended: try it with milk for a milder ride late at night.

You can cool it off, save it in the fridge, and try it later cold as well. A few ice cubes will transform this strong cinnamon-clove blend into a delicious ice tea offering indeed. Perfect for hot July and August afternoons.

A delectable tea for waking up from any siesta. Enjoy!

Available (both regular and decaff) from Amazon.

Univ of Washington Study: Tea Drops Ovarian Cancer by 54%

Women might want to skip the coffee and opt for some tea instead.
 
A new University of Washington study involving more than 2,000 women says drinking at least one daily cup of green tea reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 54 percent.
 
And the benefit isn't just with green.
 
A similar study from the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm says two or more cups of Black tea also slashes the risk by nearly 50 percent.
 
Previous research suggests the same cancer protecting properties in both teas also helps reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as boosts brain power.

What is Turkish “Kitlama” Style of Tea Drinking?

Kitlama sugar cubes

© Ugur Akinci

There is a special way of drinking tea with sugar in Turkey which called “kitlama” and originates from the Eastern city of Erzurum. In this style, the sugar is not poured directly into the cup. That’s considered almost a “sacrilegious” act by die-hard Turkish tea fans.

Instead, the sugar, which is a small (quarter to half and inch wide) lump of hard white candy, is placed and held in between the half-open jaws. Then, as the drinker sips in the tea, the hot liquid is held over the lump of sugar for a brief second before swallowed. The tea liquid is thus sweetened inside the mouth instead of in the cup itself.

Kitlama drinking needs some practice to get used to. But if you’re a foreigner and learn how to drink your tea by this method, you will certainly win friends for life since Turks hold this skill highly and consider it as the true mark of a genuine tea lover.

How to brew a cup of Turkish tea

A typical Turkish "çaydanlık" set, with "demlik" on top

© Ugur Akinci

Turks use a set of stacked kettles called “çaydanlık” to brew their tea.

The smaller kettle that sits on top is called “demlik.” That’s where the tea leaves go. A demlik never touches the flame or heat source directly.

The larger kettle at the bottom, which sits directly on the flames, is also called a “çaydanlık” for lack of a special word.

The çaydanlık sets come in all sizes. They are made of either porcelain or stainless steel.

You start with placing the desired amount of tea leaves in the small kettle on top (demlik) -- while it's still cold and not warmed up, and BEFORE placing it on top of the bottom and larger water kettle.

Usually one or two tablespoon of leaves is enough but you can increase or decrease the amount depending on your number of guests or the intensity of the brew you desire. The exact amount of tea leaves in the demlik is less critical in Turkish style brewing since you can always adjust the final strength of the brew by mixing it by any amount of hot water you want from the bottom kettle.

Next is filling the bottom kettle with clean water and placing it on the burner. You take the lid off the bottom burner and sit the demlik (the upper and smaller kettle) right on top of it.

In this double-decker configuration, as the water gets hot in the bottom kettle, the steam rising upwards warm up the demlik automatically and soften up the tea leaves inside. Some Turks add just a little water to demlik even when the water is yet cold so that, as the demlik warms up, there is some sort of pre-brewing going on inside the demlik.

When the water boils in the bottom kettle, you fill the demlik about one half to three quarters with hot water, place the lid of the demlik back on and sit it again on top of the bottom kettle. Now it’s time for brewing. Reduce the flames to low and wait about 5 minutes. Your Turkish tea would be ready in no time.

Serve it by first pouring a little of the “dem” (brewed tea) from the demlik ("container of the dem") and then topping off the glass with clear hot water from the bottom kettle.

NOTE: Use a strainer to catch the loose tea leaves from pouring into your cup (unless you like that specifically). Drinking a cup of Turkish tea with tea leaves is not a comfortable experience. That's why Turks always use a strainer to pour brewed tea out of a demlik. If you balance the strainer on top of the tea cup, you can use both hands just to pour the hot content from the demlik. Throw away the tea leaves caught in the strainer. They won't be good for a second cup. Here is a strainer I recommend you use to pour Turkish tea, especially if you're using the authentic narrow-waisted Turkish tea cups. Here is another one.

You can pour as little or as much brewed tea as you like from the demlik. That kind of separation between the brewed tea and the clear hot water provides a great degree of freedom to produce servings of various strength from the same kettle set.

If a guest wants a light (Turkish: açık) cup of tea, then you can pour just a little brew and then diluting it by adding a lot of plain water on top.

But if a dark and strong (Turkish: koyu) cup of tea is requested, you can fill the cup all the way to half or even more with the brew and fill up the remainder of the glass with plain hot water. You can serve black tea in all kinds of strength and robustness levels thanks to the Turkish double-kettle set up.

NOTE: if you brew for too long, Turkish tea turns bitter very quickly. Similarly, it’s not a good idea to brew the same Turkish tea leaves more than once either as it tastes very stale.

Also see: Turkish Tea facts

Turkish Tea

A glass of Turkish tea presented in its characteristic slim-waisted ("ince belli") glass cup

© Ugur Akinci

Tea, called “çay” in Turkish, is the unofficial “national beverage” of the Turkish people. Turkish tea is a special kind of black tea with strong robust flavor and a lovely crimson color.

Wherever you go in Turkey you’ll immediately be offered a cup of hot tea, in distinctive glass cups that look like an hour glass.

There is hardly a single business meeting, meal or social gathering in Turkey in which tea is not served automatically. To turn down a cup of (almost always free) tea is considered a rude act in Turkish culture and will not win you any friends.

All government offices, universities, and most corporations in Turkey have a full-time tea-server on their payroll called “çayci” whose sole function is to brew and serve tea all day long.

DID YOU KNOW THIS -- According to 2004 figures, Turks drink even more tea than the Brits. Turks consume 2.5 kg of tea per person a year compared to 2.1 kg per Brit.

Green and ever-moist mountains of Rize is ideal to grow tea

Turkish tea, the same Camellia Sinensis cultivated all over Far East, is grown along the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Provinces like Rize are famous for their black tea plantation situated on the steep mountains that overlook the Black Sea.

Turkish tea is both consumed widely within the country and exported as well. Usually export variety is a slightly more expensive but better brand. Some of the best-known Turkish black tea brands include Filiz and CayKur.

Turks do not add milk to their tea but use sugar.

Also see: How to brew a cup of Turkish Tea?

"Chai Spice Decaf Tea" by STASH Premium

Being a hard-core tea lover, I usually don't care for the decaf stuff but this is good. It really has the right kind of clover and black tea taste for that fresh invigorating jolt to the palate and soul.

The dominant note in this spicy song is CLOVER, which I like.

A great tea to try late at night, after work, or whenever you'd like to relax, meditate and think about things.

Here are the ingredients: Naturally decaffeinated black tea, cinnamon, ginger root, cinnamon flavor, clove oil, cardamom oil, allspice, clove and nutmeg.

So how do you classify this: herbal tea, or black tea, or both?

One thing I don't understand from a production point of view is this: why would one use both Cinnamon AND Cinnamon Flavor? What's that all about? I'm hoping to find it out one day.

I'm not trying to be difficult here; just curious is all. And I'm going to enjoy every drop of this distinctive blend. Recommended.

STUDY: Black and Green Tea Help Prevent Tooth Enamel Erosion

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

© Ugur Akinci

First the shocking fact: did you know that a 20 oz. can of soft drink has 17 teaspoons of sugar?

Here’s another: The citric acid found in most fruit juices is actually more powerful than hydrochloric or sulfuric acid (a.k.a. “car battery acid”).

Result -- both the soft drinks and fruit juices will corrode your tooth and wear out your tooth enamel. And once the enamel is gone, there’s no way to grow it back again.

However, you can stop the erosion by drinking black and green tea, according to a study published in the July/August 2008 issue of General Dentistry, the official journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).

According to the scientific research conducted by Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, BDS, MSc, PhD, green tea is better than black tea in its protective qualities. Actually, tea in general seems to have the same corrosive power as water: that is, none.

Organic Gunpowder Green Loose Tea

Dr. Bassiouny said the research conducted in Japan and Europe has determined green tea to be superior to the black tea due to its higher content of “natural flavonoids (plant nutrients) and antioxidants.”

However, adding milk, sugar, sweeteners or lemon to tea lessens its protective function.

AGD spokesperson Kenton Ross, DMD, FAGD, said enamel erosion due to high soft drink consumption is nothing new for dentists. "I would highly recommend patients choose tea as an alternative to more erosive drinks like soda and fruit juice."

Black Tea May Lower Blood Sugar

Darjeeling Black Tea

According to a study conducted in Tianjin University, China, a polysaccharide compound found in black tea works similar to Precose and Glyset, both of which are Type 2 Diabetes drugs.

According to the study conducted by Dr. Haixia Chen and his colleagues, the compound in question is specific to black tea and is not found in less-processed oolong and green teas. Black tea had been used in the past in China and Japan to lower blood sugar.

Chen and colleagues have shown that the polysaccharide compound in question inhibits an enzyme called alpha-glucosidase, which turns starch into glucose. That inhibition effect helps lower blood sugar level.

"Many efforts have been made to search for effective glucose inhibitors from natural materials," Dr. Chen says in a press release. "There is a potential for exploitation of black tea polysaccharide in managing diabetes.”

However the experiment was conducted with high concentrations of polysaccharides extracted from black tea. Therefore it is not clear at this writing if brewed black tea would have the same inhibitory effect. CAUTION: Large quantities of black tea is known to lead to respiratory and nervous problems and is not recommended.

The finding was published in the Journal of Food Science.

Russian Tea

A brass Russian samovar set

When Russia is mentioned, perhaps the first drink that comes to mind is Vodka. But tea is also widely consumed by the Russians to the extent that, for some people, tea is actually the true "national beverage" of this gigantic country which spreads over 11 time zones across Europe and Asia. There is hardly a Russian home or office today in which a tea samovar is not ready to serve a piping hot cup of black Russian tea to friends, family, or business associates.

Russian tea is basically black tea, both imported and home grown. However, green tea is also making inroads in the tea-fanatic Russian population.

Did you know that 82% of the 140 million Russians drink at least one cup of tea every day? That translates to a minimum of 115 million cups a day, or 42 billion cups a year!

Tea originally arrived in Russia from China. But the transportation of the exotic plant over the difficult terrain and great distances proved to be so problematic that initially it could be afforded and enjoyed only by the aristocracy. With the creation of Tea Road between Russia and China and protection provided by the Czar more Russians began the enjoy the heart-warming wonders of a cup of hot brew. At the end of the 18^th century, Russia was importing 3 million pounds of tea by camel caravans from China, enough to elevate it to the status of a "national beverage."

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries the camel caravans were replaced by trains and ships but the Russian love affair with tea continued unabated. Today tea is grown in native Russian plantations around the great summer resort of Sochi, located on the shores of the Black Sea.

What is Irish Breakfast tea?

Irish Breakfast tea is a strong blend of black tea, mainly made up of Assam (India) variety. The tea grown in Assam is so special that it is considered a sub-specie of the tea plant and has its own name: Camellia sinensis assamica.

It's a strong robust dark-red or dark-brown tea that has a smooth malty taste and tastes great either straight or with milk and sugar. You can use lemon with this blend as well.

Make sure the Irish Breakfast is not overbrewed since it can turn bitter, unlike the green tea.

CONSUMER TIP: When in Ireland please do not order any "Irish Breakfast tea" since Irish, one of the most enthusiastic tea-drinking nations in the world, refer to this blend simply as the "tea."

Suggestion: Organic Irish Breakfast Loose Leaf Tea

Also see: English Breakfast Tea

What is English Breakfast tea?

English Breakfast tea is a blend that is very popular in England. It's a strong and robust blend of black tea with rich red color and it accommodates milk, cream and sugar very well. It can also be served with lemon and used for iced tea.

The most common ingredients of the blend are black tea varieties like Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Assam, Ceylon and African (Kenyan). Keemun tea is also used for the higher-grade gourmet blends.

Make sure the British Breakfast is not overbrewed since it can turn bitter, unlike the green tea.

Suggestions: Ashby's Breakfast Blend, and Organic English Breakfast Loose Leaf Tea

Also see: Irish Breakfast tea