Making Green Tea Taste Good

 I've been making some changes in my diet for the last couple of years. I've cut back on salt and sugar; I try to do IF every so often (haha); and I have cut back on my coffee intake.

Coffee is supposed to be good for you, but I drink mine with sweetened creamer. That's not good. I have only managed to drink particular brands of coffee black-no-sugar - Luzianne (red bag, dark roasted is one - but I have trouble finding the brands I like. So I have just cut back to one 10-11oz cup first thing in the morning. Sometimes I don't even finish it off.

Tea is my replacement beverage. I found one I love so much that I splurge with a regular subscription via Walmart. I have backup teas because it's too pricey for me to drink too often - I need to use far less per cup! I like anything peach- or mango-flavored.

$9/5.5oz
40-50 cups
(I drink too much of it!)

Green tea is supposed to be good for the body. Okay, but it's not the tastiest tea I've had - at least without some help. I have tried all kinds of brands and types of green tea and just cannot deal with the flat and bitter flavor. I absolutely cannot tolerate Matcha unless it's whipped into some too-sweet Starbucks-like concoction. So I have found a way to drink at least 3 to 4 cups of green tea a day. 

(By the way, I am going to be asking my nephrologist about green tea at my coming appointment. There is a lot of conflicting info online regarding the effects of green tea on patients with CKD. On the one hand, I've heard that it's great because of the antioxidants and, on the other hand, I've heard that it has compounds that could be harmful to compromised kidneys. This is with I don't use Google for my medical issues! I am hoping that my doc will say the tea is okay. I do expect that there might be some limitations or other suggestions from him.)

Here is how I get my green tea fix... I get the affordable Bigelow green tea from Walmart, along with some Bigelow Chamomile Vanilla, and  Twinings' Peach & Orange. Anytime I drink green tea, I add a bag of the Peach & Orange or a tiny bit of the pricey Tiesta Maui Mango. I use a some of the raw mountain honey as a sweetener. The difference is incredible.

Least fave: the Chamo-Vanilla Honey

The Peach & Orange tea is not one I normally would have chosen but I was in a hurry and using Walmart's Scan & Go app (yes, I will be doing a little review on that!  I did a review of that) for the first time. I haven't even had it without the green tea yet. Turns out, I kind of dig the Peach & Orange.

I definitely use too much of the Tiesta! 
🤣

I already have some Hibiscus tea, but I blogged about why I need to limit my intake...

So I have been drinking 2 cups of green tea (sometimes 3) almost every day. What I have noticed is that it's an appetite suppressant. Interesting. I should have (and may have) known that before now but it surprised me.

I might try drinking one of my green tea concoctions with no honey. I think I might be able to if there is some Hibiscus or strongly-flavored fruit tea in the mix. Even so, the honey has to be better than all the sugar in those yummy creamers I love. 

 I don't know if this will help anyone else who has been struggling to like green tea but it works for me. I actually have come to really enjoy the drinks. I'm not sure if I will ever completely be off the coffee but I am certainly drinking a lot less of it these days.

Peace

--Free

DISCLAIMER: I am not a healthcare professional. This is just a personal blog, not a healthcare source. Talk with your healthcare team before you start consuming regular amounts of anything. I do know that, for me, hibiscus tea lowers my BP so I have to be careful!

**Upcoming REVIEWS** Lapsang Souchong (and other) Tea

Bye Coffee Why

Long-time readers of this blog know that I love coffee. In the past few months, though, I've been loving it too much so I decided to cut back a lot. I'm having problems with anxiety and restlessness and drinking so much coffee doesn't help. Also, since I don't smoke like I used to, coffee is the enemy because drinking coffee makes me think of cigarettes!

Anyway, instead of coffee, coffee, coffee, I've switched almost completely over to black tea. I'm finding that, even though tea can be highly caffeinated, it doesn't trigger my nerves. It actually seems to calm me down a bit.

My all-time favorite tea is...

but not the kind with bergamot oil! Ugh!

                                                       
I big-a-love my Bigelow! (Minus the bergamot. Not so crazy about that.)

I love this tea so much that I can sometimes drink it without any kind of sweetener. Sometimes. I do love to add my own creamer-sweetener (see below to recipe), but that's because I need my sugar! The thing is, Bigelow's can be out of my budget sometimes and I have to use a store brand. What I find is that store brand tea is usually weak and flavorless. Ugh.

I recently got the chance to try a new (to me) kind of tea called Lapsang Souchong. (Yeah, I had to copy/paste that one!)

So, what is Lapsang Souchong?

My brain is lazy today so...

There ya go

I will refer to this tea as L.S.

I read several stories about how this tea came to be. One is that while some warrior and his crew were  in the middle of a battle, they brewed tea one night around a campfire. The teas became flavore by the smoke from the fire and... voila. There a other stories I won't go into, but it's aslo said that this particular tea is the first black tea in history.

When I was told about this tea having a "smoky" flavor, I almost passed on it. Every Google search came up with that same general description. I just wasn't that tempted. I thought that saying that my tea would be "smoky" is like saying my coffee would be "buttery".

Wait a minute. I do LOVE buttery coffee, right? When I first heard of buttered coffee back when I learned about the Keto diet, I had the same reservations.

Once I decided I might try this tea variety, I still wanted to know more about it - especially whether or not it would be any better for me than regular black tea.

Possible health benefits...

I gathered these bits and pieces from around the web. Sorry for not tracking my sources.

• Immune sytem booster This is one of the big draws for me. I've always heard about tea being good for you. This L.S. is supposed to be some kind of super booster. This could help you fight off colds and other nastiness. Hopefully. 
• Caffeine alternative.  You get caffeine, like with coffee, but this tea has less and is supposed to release into your system all through the day instead of with one big bang. This is exactly what I was looking for.
• Helps in weight loss I just heard cheers going up all over! I myself have quit banking on anything for weight loss except for calorie cut back. However, I know that some things can help suppress appetite. L.S. is supposed to help the metabolism work faster and better. 
• High in antioxidants & heart healthy We have all heard about antioxidants protecting against cancer. This tea (and maybe most others) has a combo of antioxidants that can help (they say) protect your DNA from the damage of free radicals.The antioxidants also help with evening out blood sugar and lowering blood pressure. That sounds good to me!
• Has nutrients and minerals that are good for lowering bad cholesterol. Yay.
• Relaxing and energizing? L.S. good source of L-Theanine which helps reduce stress levels. Of course, there's also caffeine. Apparently, when the caffeine is combined with the Theanine, there is the effect of relaxation and mental alertness and energy. ~shrug~ Okay.

Because I got to try more than one brand, I decided to review them separately. The brands are:

1. Twinings
2. Taylors
3. Choice Organic

By the way, I learned that some cooks like to use a smoked tea as a rub for the pot roasts and other meats.

Other Tea

For those who aren't adventurous and just want to enjoy a plain, old, good cup of tea, there's black tea. I already pointed out that Bigelow is a favorite of mine. I also pointed out that it can be pricey. Still, I will do a single post review on black tea from Bigelow Earl Grey (with and without bergamot), Tetley, and PG Tips.






Benefits of Black (and green) Tea

I was surprised to read that black tea can be just as healthful as green tea. All this time, I've been hearing more about green tea benefits. I like green tea on occasion but, to paraphrase someone, I'm not a son of gun about it.

Here is some of the info I scoured when looking at the benefits and other news about tea:

From Organic Facts:

• Treats Diarrhea. Black tea has a healing effect on intestinal disorders due to the presence of tannins. It is advisable for all diarrhea patients to sip plain, black tea slowly for maximum benefits. (I actually remembered hearing this during my younger years when elders discussed natural remedies.)
• Improves Digestion because black tea is rich in abundant tannins and other chemicals that have a positive and relaxing effect on the digestive system of human body. This anti-inflammatory quality of black tea is also helpful for curing digestive disorders. (This must be why my British former mother-in-law could eat so heartily and keep a nice figure.)
• Prevents Breast Cancer. Drinking tea, either black or green (my emphasis) varieties, aids women in preventing cancerous growth in the breasts, especially women in the pre-menopausal phase. Tea assists in raising the level of globulin hormones during the female menstrual cycle periods. The presence of theaflavins in black tea destroys abnormal cells in the body before they cause any major damage or change into cancerous cells.
• And more pros for plain black tea it is...  rich in antioxidants known as polyphenols and also has minimal contents of sodium, proteins, and carbohydrates. According to Boston’s School of Medicine, it reverses the abnormal functioning of blood vessels, which may lead to strokes and other cardiovascular conditions. (I haven't gotten to the stage of drinking my black tea "plain black" yet, so...)
• Here is a warning about drinking too much tea: Black tea is also known to cause acidity issues in the stomach. Therefore, do not get addicted to black tea. Furthermore, avoid drinking tea after lunch or dinner, as it may lead to poor digestion, whereas at other points in the day, it can promote healthy digestion.

Info from WebMD:

• I found this very interesting: Green tea, black tea, oolong tea -- they all come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The leaves are simply processed differently, explains Weisburger (82-year-old John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y.) Green tea leaves are not fermented; they are withered and steamed. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo a crushing and fermenting process.
• "In my lab, we found that green and black tea had identical amounts of polyphenols," he (Weisburger)tells WebMD. "We found that both types of tea blocked DNA damage associated with tobacco and other toxic chemicals. In animal studies, tea-drinking rats have less cancer."

Bottom Line

Moderation really is the key - whether you are doing something that is either good or bad for your health. I hope that you stick around for the reviews I will be posting. 

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Pure Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea

Green tea is one of those things that is so good for you, but hard to fit into the daily (Westernized) lifestyle. If I drank green tea the way I drink coffee...

What I like about matcha is that I can do one cup a day and feel like I've had lots more than that. I've tried other brands and am always on the lookout to try more. I got this in and gave it the first try today:

I love the color of matcha green tea. The taste is something that takes getting used to. For me, I've learned just how much to use for a cup (depending on if I plan on doing 1 cup or 2 on a particular day), and I've learned how to sweeten it to my personal taste. Before I get to all that, though, let's talk some of the positives about this particular one from Nature's Nectar.

Just as with anything else that I do for my health and well-being, when I use a food or beverage, I want to know that I'm getting good quality. One of the first things I noticed on the product page for this matcha is that it's "lab tested for purity".

In the U.S. we look to the USDA for regulations of agriculture, and this tea has the stamp. In addition, this matcha also bears the stamp of the JAS - or Japanese Agricultural Standards. From what I have read and heard, the JAS has strict standards. That's nice to know. I'm not sure, but I think that the Japanese might be stringent when it comes to labeling a tea as "ceremonial grade".

It's been a while since I've reviewed a tea so let me go again over the benefits.

The biggie for a lot of people is that green tea is supposed to be a metabolism booster. Of course, that would translate (I'd hope) to weight loss, right? The other thing that the tea is good for is general relaxation and stress relief. That's the one that I like. Most of all, This matcha has an all natural Amino Acid called L-Theanine which supports energy and focus and mental clarity. (I should be drinking more than one or two servings a day!)

By the way, when I checked online to find out more about "L-Theanine", I found a Wikipedia article discussing the use of it in Japan. This article claims that "Theanine is used to help with anxiety, blood pressure control, mood, and cognition". I have to check out more info about that, but I found it interesting on the surface.

Like I said, I've learned how to use matcha to suit my tastebuds. I usually add the smallest amount of sweetener to it. In the past several months, I've primarily been using honey for my go-to sweetener. Tupelo honey (being so extremely sweet, IMO), is the one I like for this tea. I don't have to use a lot of the honey because I generally gulp the tea down as fast as I can.

Another (and my favorite) way to get my fix of matcha is to add it to smoothies. Until recently, I'd even been adding matcha to ice creams. Go ahead and laugh, but I thought that as long as I was going to be "bad" I might as well me good at the same time. There's a slight problem with that plan though.

I can't remember where I read this, but it was in n article or post all about teas. When someone asked about adding cream, milks, and sugars, it was pointed out why that isn't as healthy. Aside from the fact that those things add calories, the dairy also does something to lessen some of the healthy properties of the tea. I can't remember now exactly what the claim was but I'll update if I find the source again.

In addition to the health benefits, I know that some people consider other issues so I'll point out a couple more things. This matcha is pure. It's non-GMO, gluten-free and free of preservatives. I appreciate that the can is labeled on the bottom with a 'Use by" date.

I'll mention that The Daily Tea talks about the pricing of matcha. Also, notice that there is a Recipes page (for all types of teas) on the site.

So, go on, go and get your green on.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: via Tomoson, I received one or more of the products mentioned in this post at no charge & in exchange for doing a fair & unbiased review.

**REVIEW** Organic Ceremonial Grade Green Tea Powder by Midori Spring

After my failed first attempt at getting my hands on Matcha powder, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to try this one:

Pop top & then a screw on lid for freshness control

This is Midori Spring's Organic Ceremonial Premium Japanese Green Tea Matcha Powder.  It's actual Matcha powder, no fillers and, judging by the results I got, there's no half-stepping on the quality.

Of course, I had to judge my results against what I get with regular green tea and what I got with this tea powder. Here is what the product claims to do:

• Increase energy levels
• Help reduce stress and improve mental alertness
• Support metabolism and help with weight loss
• Support immune system and help reduce inflammation
• Help the body cleanse of harmful elements

Of course, all this is pretty much what regular green tea has been touted as doing. The thing is, a good quality powdered tea leaf is supposed to be more beneficial than regular green tea. This brand claims to have over 7 times the antioxidants found in regular steeped tea.

The first things I noticed about the Midori Spring product was how very talc-fine it is and the vibrantly green color. Let me tell you, this is nothing like that low-grade, filler-pumped product I talked about yesterday...

I received this product at the perfect time to test its energy-boosting claims. My body has been just dragging lately. I've been so fatigued and weighed down by this recurring cold/virus that I could hardly get out of bed for more than a few hours a day over the last couple of weeks. I can tell that the powder is an energy boost, although with the state my body is in, that boost only lasted for a few hours at a time. In spite of this, I was able to judge the results of the powder against the boost I get from my usual dose of caffeine via coffee.

The biggest difference between this powder and my coffee is that the powder didn't jitter me up. I got a nice boost from using just about a teaspoon full of the powder. And that is in spite of the fact that I haven't been following the brewing instructions:

Yeah. I don't own the proper equipment for the traditional brewing method. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a bamboo whisk.

The first time I used the powder, I used a fork as a whisk. The color was amazingly beautiful and I did get the foamy texture, which was pretty cool. The thing is, I think I used too much. The tea was too strong, or at least it tasted too strong for me. Or maybe I'm not used to the powdered version of green tea.

It's upside down (thanks Blogger) but you see the color
and the fine powder

About the taste: it's a very veggie-leafy-green flavor. Think of what regular green tea tastes like and magnify that by 10. Drinking it hot seems to increase that taste, but the tea is made in such small amounts that it's doable even for someone who might not like the flavor. Also, the color is so beautiful. The tea ends up looking very frothy/creamy - even whisking it with a fork.

Whatever the case, because I do want to get the benefits, and I don't always have time to use the suggested traditional brewing method. I was glad to find that there are other ways to use the tea. You can add it to other things (soups, smoothies, etc.), but I found a way to use it more often during the day.

What am doing now is adding the powder to different beverages. I like using apple juice, Ginger Ale or plain seltzer water. The apple juice and ale have calories I don't need, but they have a flavor to mask the powder. The seltzer water is good though because of the fizz. I can add just a little bit of juice or ale to it and get some flavor without all the calories. Adding the powder to meals throughout the day is probably the best way to get a good intake of the powder. I am anxious to try adding it to soups and smoothies.

I've only been using the powder for about a week, so I can't tell anything about most of the claims, but I started the energy boost more and more with each day. I still have this cold and the gloomy weather draining me, but when I replace my coffee with the powder, I feel a bit of a lift. Also, I'm still trying to see if my stress level is evening out. I can say that the powder does not give me the over-hyped feeling of my coffee. It's strange how you can be tired and jittery if you do too much caffeine.

What I like about the Midori Spring brand of Matcha is that their powder seems to be of such high quality. The packaging is made to keep the product fresh. Note that the Midori brand -

• Is certified Kosher and organic
• Is gluten-free, GMO-free 
• Contains no pesticides
• Is free of fillers (such as soy, etc.)

When I posted about powdered tea yesterday, I noted a few things that make for a quality product. Notice that Midori meets the criteria for being from "first harvest" and grown in the shaded conditions. 

I will keep using the powder to see about the other claims (especially the weight loss), but for now, I will take what can get as far as the energy.

From what I have heard about regular green tea, you need to get at least 8 cups a day for full benefit. For now, I'm adding about a teaspoon of the powder into my beverages 2 or 3 times a day (since day before yesterday) to see if it helps. One benefit is that I'm cutting back on my coffee and other less healthy drinks, so at least I'm cutting out some calories. I can't wait to see how I feel in a couple of weeks.

Remember that Matcha - or at least a good one - is made from the whole tea leaf. Think of the benefits of regular green tea:

• Aid in weight loss
• 8 Benefits (a slideshow but worth it)
• 11 More Benefits (some of which are new to me)

Now remember that Matcha is processed differently to boost those benefits to a whole other level. And as far as some of the benefits of the powdered tea:

• Some "proven" benefits
• And some benefits I mentioned above in the post
• Top 3 benefits (with some explanation)

the way I look at it, if I'm going to ingest something or its health benefits, it's nice to have something I can add to food and drink. 

Midori Spring offers a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee of refunding or product exchange.

Matcha has been used in Asia for centuries, and I'm glad that we are picking up on the benefits of this powder here. Just remember: go for quality.

I want to mention that you might want to check out this link. Midori Spring is having a giveaway. Good chance to try out the product...

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

About Matcha Tea (a pre-review post)

You have probably started hearing a lot about something called Matcha. In my opinion, it's in the category of About to Trend. Hard and heavy.

I've had a chance to try a couple types of Matcha - one sponsored and one that I picked up at my local health food store. Since I'm going to be posting a review of the sponsored product very soon, I wanted to go over some of the basics about Matcha in general. First thing to know is, there's nothing really "basic" about Matcha. I feel like I'm having to learn a new language just to understand this product.

Let's start with a little of what I am coming to understand about matcha:

• Matcha tea is powdered, but not all powdered tea is matcha. 
• Matcha is also, I believe, grown in the shade.
• Matcha is prepped for serving (to drink) than regular tea.
• Matcha tea is from the whole leaf, the tenderest parts of the leaf, and is often used ceremonially.

To make matters  just a little bit more confusing, in addition to the types of green tea, and types of matcha, there are different grades of the teas. Yikes.

I'm determined to kinda, sorta understand this Matcha tea though. If the terminology doesn't trip me up. Here are some of the different types of Matcha:

• Usucha - or "thin" tea, is from sprouts younger than a certain age. (source)
• Koicha - "thick" tea, is usually more expensive because it comes from rarer tea plants.
• Tencha -  In Japan, this is the only tea that qualifies as"true matcha" and it is made from the delicate shade-grown tea leaf trees. (source)

 So... Tencha = Matcha - though in the U.S., the Matcha we get is most likely never Tencha... Yeah, see? Confusing.

Just to take a break, I took a look at a video of Matcha leaves being processed.



When I applied to review the product that I will be posting on soon, I had never tried any kind of Matcha tea, but I picked up some at my local health food store a couple weeks ago. Since I didn't understand that there are different types of Matcha, I was a little bit confused when trying to choose between the few brands available. I ended up with this one, just because of price and convenience. This brand had three different types so I chose the one that sounded most flavorful.

Then I had to look up what "Genmai" means:

Genmaicha is the Japanese name for green tea combined with roasted brown rice. It is sometimes called "popcorn tea". This type of tea was originally drunk by poor Japanese, as the rice served as a filler and reduced the price of the teas; which is why it is also known as the "people's tea".

Okay. So I got a little bit ripped off as the American trying to experiment with a new trend. Let me tell you, at about a dollar per pack - for 12 single-serve packets (0.03 ounces, or 3 grams, per pack), I wasn't getting a "true" (or even near-true) matcha tea.


At least the labelling was honest. The problem was my own ignorance.
















This, by the way, is what the actual tea looks like:

The texture is very grainy and leaves very little film on the plate I had it on. It felt like a fine sand.

And, for comparison, this is what a true matcha powder looks like:

The matcha powder is vibrant green and almost as fine as talcum powder
It's hard to tell from the photo, but you can see some of the texture difference between
the Matcha powder and the Genmaicha (paler) product

To be fair, the Genmai wasn't awful. I think that any kind of powdered (or grainy) tea is an acquired taste. The Genmai had a soil-ish/dirt-ish taste. I was able to cover that with some of the Chaga nectar I used as a sweetener. I also learned that I could just put the Genmai into other flavored teas or beverages.

I will be posting more about the actual Matcha powder when I do my product review. For now, I can tell you that there is a huge  flavor difference between those two products. Huge.

Doing a little research beforehand literally pays (or at lease saves) when trying something new. In the case of the brand of Genmaicha I bought, I couldn't even do much checking on it when I got home. The website printed on the package takes me to a domain that is for sale. After a brief search, I couldn't even find images for the product. I gave up because, for one thing, I won't be buying the brand again and, for another, I want to stick with trying better quality products. Maybe that Matcha Matcha brand has an actual Matcha tea available, but it wasn't one of the choices when I was shopping.

The main thing to know when using Matcha is that you have to read the labels. Make sure that you are getting the best Matcha available.

Next: I will be doing the review for the first organic, powdered green tea I've had the chance to try.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Age Delay Serum (by Morea Naturals)

For a product with a long name - Hyaluronic Acid Age Delay Serum with Vitamin C + Green Tea - this works fairly simply.

loooong name, good results

One of the reasons I wanted to try it out was for the claim that it would make my skin instantly "glow". I can tell you that the minute I first applied it, I could feel something happening, and I was a little bit concerned because that "something happening" was a sort of tingling sensation. I wondered what that tingling meant - that I was allergic? or just that my skin was too sensitive for this serum? - but it wasn't too intense so I just applied some of my usual moisturizer over it. That took care of the tingling. The next time I tried it, I waited to before applying any moisturizer - just to see how long the tingle would last. Not long. It seems as if the sensation abates as soon as this dries.

My skin had been having a "dull" look for a while - as it does at the start of every of cold weather season, when the outside temp goes down and the indoor heat goes up - and after probably the second or third use of the Hyaluronic serum I noticed a little bit of relief from that. After about a week and a half, I could tell that my skin was not as dull. I haven't been using it as faithfully since that (just off and on) because of other products I'm trying out. I want to get on a regimen with it later to see if it does help boost the collagen levels in my skin - or at least from what I'll be able to notice visibly!

Overall, I really like this product quite a bit. Since this is a serum, and even though it provides moisture, I still use my regular moisturizer over it and, since it has Vitamin C in it, I make sure my moisturizer has sunscreen. I do think that because of my sensitive skin, I'll have to use on a on/off basis. That goes for most products with Vitamin C in it though.

This is not the first product I have tried from Morea Naturals, and I'm always happy with the brand and product stance. Finally, you might notice that this is not nearly as expensive as most serums of the same good quality. That's always a bonus, right? Plus, it's made in the USA. And then there's the Money Back Guarantee, just in case this doesn't work for you.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.