Re: green tea vs. black f/kombucha

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/12/03 11:51:13 PM Eastern Standard Time,

cassiusdio@... writes:

> Make extra sure it's organic tea if you use green tea. Tea is one of

> the few plants that soaks up a lot of fluoride (from pesticides and

> water), and non-organic green tea supposedly has twice as much

> fluoride as non-organic black tea.

>

Tom, do you have any stats on the fluoride content? This seems like a

concern if the concentration is abnormally high, but I wouldn't expect

terrestrial

plants to have nearly as high a concnetration of fluoride as sea

plants/animals, so double of a little isn't necessarily a lot. So I wonder what

the

concentration actualy is.

Chris

[Guest guest]

> If anyone

> knows of a source that's not $4 a for just over an ounce, I would

> love to know.

I indulge in expensive teas because I make them last about 3 times as

long. I brew the tea very strongly in a mason jar, only about a cup

of water letting the tea steep for hours. Then I keep that in the

fridge and when I want a cup of tea, I just put an ounce or two of

that concentrate in my mug and add hot water.

-

[Guest guest]

> I indulge in expensive teas because I make them last about 3 times as

> long. I brew the tea very strongly in a mason jar, only about a cup

> of water letting the tea steep for hours. Then I keep that in the

> fridge and when I want a cup of tea, I just put an ounce or two of

> that concentrate in my mug and add hot water.

*sound of fainting tea snob hitting the floor*

I find that you just don't need as much leaf of a good tea unless

you're serving it gungfu style (a formal Chinese tasting). Then you

have to pack the (extremely tiny) pot, but the tea can and should last

all afternoon; gungfu tea is for long lingering afternoons. If you live

anywhere with a good tea room, go have some oolong served gungfu style,

it's really fun and relaxing, and you've never really tasted tea til

you've done it.

If you're in Portland, OR, the three Tao of Tea teahouses teach/brew

gungfu style, and I think a couple of the other foofoo tea shops in the

Pearl do too. I strongly recommend the Frozen Summit oolong. I'm such a

tea freak I'm going to plant camellia sinensis bushes! (Just for fun,

really.)

Lynn S.

a tea enthusiast who says, " hey, brew it in the fridge, brew it in the

sun, brew it fresh every cup, just brew it! "

-----

Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan

The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/

Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/

People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/

[Guest guest]

> Lynn S.

> a tea enthusiast who says, " hey, brew it in the fridge, brew it in

> the sun, brew it fresh every cup, just brew it! "

Hehe.. well, that's where I was coming from.. any way I can

rationalize buying fun expensive teas, I'll do it!

An herbalist I know was in China and said that in the villages they

traditionally put a few tea leaves in a pot, brew that, and keep

adding water to the pot over the course of the day, so you can

imagine how weak (by our standards) that would be. I hadn't heard of

packing the pot full of leaves, but I would guess that would produce

a pretty strong brew even by the end of the day!

-

[Guest guest]

> Tea is one of the few plants that soaks up a lot of fluoride

I've talked to clinical herbalists about this, and the consensus is

that traditional use is the key. Tea isn't traditionally brewed

nearly as strongly as the way we use it as a stimulant. There are all

sorts of toxins to be found in herbs, if you look at them apart from

the way they're actually used traditionally. (Herbalism guru

Duke calls that " nitpickology " :-)

-

[Guest guest]

> I hadn't heard of

> packing the pot full of leaves, but I would guess that would produce

> a pretty strong brew even by the end of the day!

It's a TINY pot, smaller than a cup. It produces enough tea per

infusion for about 3-4 teeny tasting cups. You use the same leaves over

and over until you get tired and go home.

Lynn S.

-----

Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan

The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/

Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/

People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/

[Guest guest]

> It's a TINY pot, smaller than a cup. It produces enough tea per

> infusion for about 3-4 teeny tasting cups. You use the same leaves

> over and over until you get tired and go home.

>

> Lynn S.

Oh!! Well, that's a whole 'nother image, and I like it! I like little

things, for some odd reason.

[Guest guest]

>> It's a TINY pot, smaller than a cup. It produces enough tea per

>> infusion for about 3-4 teeny tasting cups. You use the same leaves

>> over and over until you get tired and go home.

>>

>> Lynn S.

>

> Oh!! Well, that's a whole 'nother image, and I like it! I like little

> things, for some odd reason.

For the curious: http://www.shanshuiteas.com/brewing.html

No affiliation or knowledge of this site; it does have good pix though.

Lynn S.

-----

Lynn Siprelle * Writer, Mother, Programmer, Fiber Artisan

The New Homemaker: http://www.newhomemaker.com/

Siprelle & Associates: http://www.siprelle.com/

People-Powered ! http://www.deanforamerica.com/

[Guest guest]

--- <dianamagic2000@...> wrote: >

> i noticed in the NT book that Kombucha is made with

> black tea. i am using green tea. Can someone tell

> me if it matters, as i prefer to use green tea,

> unless it is less beneficial. thanks, diana

>

www.seedsofhealth.co.uk has a great section on

kombucha. It says green tea is fine, as is black tea,

but don't use perfumed teas like Earl Gray.

HTH

Jo

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