Maurice from Amanzi Tea in China
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Greetings, Tea Students.
Put down your steaming cups of tea for one second and pay attention. The information I am about to impart unto you goes beyond telling you what a tea infuser is, or how green tea helps fight cancer. I don’t want you to spit your Lung Ching across the room in shock.
Are you ready?
Greetings Tea Students;
As I sit in my Tea Monastery, sipping a flavorful cup of Masai Sunset Tea and hum a short mantra to the Oneness of Tea-ness (I chose a nice rooibos tea because I have a lot of meditating to do later, so I need the natural energy boost), my otherwise blank mind wanders back to an age-old question, that I thought perhaps I would share with you, my inquisitive tea seekers, today. Prepare your minds.
Now, those who have meditated, or even seen movies about meditation, probably know this one: what is the sound of one hand clapping? Well, that one is too easy, so I shall enlighten you as to what we say here at the Tea Shrine.
Why does a teacup have no handle?
Greetings tea students. I know we have talked about the health benefits of tea (especially green tea) quite a bit, but we speak about it at such length because it seems every day new health benefits are being discovered.
And today, as the fall weather starts to set in, and the temperature starts to change, it is possible that you might find yourself sniffling a bit. The weather changes affect many peoples’ bodies. So it is an excellent time for me to inform you that tea can help your allergies.
Greetings, Tea students.
As you sit there with your hot cup of loose leaf tea, welcoming the first hints of Fall, perhaps you think to yourself, “Master Amanzi has taught me so much. I know how healthy tea is, where it comes from, how to make it—but how much should I drink?”
This is a good question, young Tea Seeker, and I am glad you have asked it. Your tea knowledge has grown, and I am suitably impressed.
There seems to be a lot of confusion out there about the amount of caffeine in a cup of tea, and what that means. When you drop your tea bag into your cup of tea, you want to know just how much caffeine you’re getting. The short answer is that it varies—depending on whether you’re using a tea bag or loose leaf tea, how long you steep it for, etc. But fear not—Master Amanzi shall tell you more.
Greetings young Tea Students. On the long Road to Tea Enlightenment, during an idle cup of steaming herbal tea, perhaps you have thought to yourself, “How does Master Amanzi keep it together? He is so old!” Before I discipline you for your insubordination, let me tell you another tea health benefit of which I am a prime example.
Greetings Tea Students. I, Master Amanzi, have opened my giant Book of Tea Knowledge today so that I could impart unto you some valuable information about the leaf teas that come from Japan. So go get put your tea bags in some hot water, and spend the next three minutes steeping in enlightenment.
In Japan, 97% of the tea they drink is locally grown and processed. This is unsurprising, since tea has been popular there for centuries—long before the Western world was exposed to it. Almost half of Japan’s entire tea production is picked in the Shizhuoka region at the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Green tea is the least processed kind of tea, and may easily be found in all over the country. But if you would like to expand your tea consciousness and learn a little bit more, please continue.
Greetings tea lovers and students of the Way of Tea. Please sit down with a pot of loose tea, pour yourself a cup, and pay attention. I shall impart to you the history of tea.
As you may have noticed, the arrogant Earl of Grey has on more than one occasion claimed credit for discovering tea. This is, of course, ridiculous. Tea has been around many more generations before the Earl was born—before his country even existed.
Part 7: Herbal Tea
You are no doubt anxious to complete your lessons on the different types of tea. You have studied hard, I have no doubt, and know all that I have shown you and more about the previous types I have explained to you: white tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea, rooibos tea, and yerba tea. Now it is time to finish your journey.
The final type of tea is herbal tea.
Herbal tea, like yerba mate and rooibos, are not actually types of tea since they are not made from the leaves of the tea bush. But while these other two are made from specific plants, herbal tea is basically any kind of tea not made from tea leaves. Herbal teas are actual infusions made from other plants, such as leaves, flowers, roots, or seeds.
Part 6: Yerba Tea
As you all continue your journey down the Path of the Perfect Pot of Tea, I, Master Amanzi hope to guide you with my vast knowledge of the Way of Tea.
We have already dealt with the four kinds of actual tea: white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. We have also discussed rooibos tea. This brings us to another cousin of the tea family: Yerba Tea.
Yerba tea, also called mate, is a Central American drink that is made from a type of holly plant that grows in that region. Because yerba isn’t made from tea leaves it’s not considered tea, but is prepared in the same way and is often served as an option in tea circles.
