GREEN TEA

• The plant CAMELLIA SINENSIS is the source of leaves with which green tea is prepared .all green tea comes from this plant .the different varieties have been divided on the basis of their place of origin and appearance.

GREEN TEAORIGIN:

• China has been the leaders in terms of origin of green tea in the world for 4000 years.asian countries also have green tea as their commonly preferred beverage.it is also consumed in the form of BLACK TEA ,specially in the west.

GREEN TEA CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS :

FLAVANOIDS:

• Green tea has the highest content of these phytochemicals known as flavanoids which is more than any other fruit or vegetable known for this quality.the flavanoids are responsible for the ANTI-CARCINOGENIC and ANTI-OXIDANT properties.

POLYPHENOLS AND CAFFEINE:

• Green tea extracts contain polyphenols and caffeine which increase the fat oxidation and metabolic rate without having any increse in the heart rate.
• The process of making tea is called BREWING OR STEEPING it varies with different kinds of tea

HEALTH BENEFITS of GREEN TEA:

• According to epidemiological studies,green tea is proven to be associated with a reduction in th erisk of heart diseases.
• Extracts of green tea alongwith theaflavin from black tea is associated with reduced cholestrol levels.
• in case of women ,consumption of green tea and mushrooms by women lead to 90% reduced risk of breast cancer.
• Regular intake of green tea also has a soothing effect on the lens retina and other parts of the eye .

EPIGALLOCATECHIN GALLATE :

• This compound present in the extracts of green tea is responsible for many of the health benefits offered by green tea..
• 1.it has a suppressive action on immune disorders.
• 2.green tea extracts lead to reduced incidence of rheumatoid arthritis.
• 3.it also has anticoagulant action preventing aggregation of blood platelets.
• 4. drinking green tea maintains the levels of HDL(high density lipoprotiens) which are beneficial to health while it lowers LDL (low density lipoproteins)levels which cause increased cholestrol levels.

HARMFUL EFFECTS of GREEN TEA:

• The one common side-effect of green tea is insomnia, due to the fact that it contains caffeine.although this effect is less as compared to the same amount of coffee.

INDICATIONS OF A HIGH QUALITY TEA:

• The size of their leaves and their intactness determine the quality of the tea.high quality teas are very costly and are endemic to china.
• The best quality tea is not powdered / fanned rather it is kept in whole leaves, carefully packaged to be airtight and used within two years ,more preferably within 12 months from packaging.
• Other teas made from camellia sinensis are YELLOW TEA,WHITE TEA, ORLONG TEA, JASMINE TEA.

GREEN TEAMAKING:

• Use pure form and the whole leaf quality.
• Water used should be pure free from flourides and chlorides.
• Use warm water and not boiling hot water .
• In china, the method of serving tea is called “GONGFU CHA”which implies the skill of serving tea.