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HEALTH

Japanese Tea

Japanese tea is a part of daily life in Japan. After the meal has been eaten, tea is then served.

Varieties of tea
There are many varieties of tea, but all tea plants belong to the same species of Camellia. They can be divided into

1) Fermented tea (English tea),
2) Half-fermented tea (Oolong tea), and
3) Unfermented tea (Green tea),

depending on the heating and fermentation process.

Green tea is steamed after picking, which destroys the enzyme present in the tea leaves. Removing these enzymes allow the tea leaves to stay green and retain their natural chemical composition such as Vitamin C, and Catechin.

Nutrition of Green teas
Recently green tea is becoming more popular for health reasons: reduction of heart disease; reducing the risk of cancer; practicing good oral hygiene; slowing the aging process through the effects of antioxidants and other nutrients such as: Vitamin C, ß-carotene, Vitamin E, Catechin and Caffeine. Catechin is especially popular as it is a powerful water soluble polyphenol and antioxidant. One cup of green tea provides 10-40mg of polyphenol and has antioxidant effects greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach or carrots.

by Sumi Saikawa
Nutritionist / Cooking Instructor

OTHER TYPE OF JAPANESE TEA

Bancha (brown colour): Is made from lower grade tea leaves. It contains much less caffeine and tannin which means it is safe to be given to children. Bancha has two varieties.

Hojicha: Roasted, it gives a smoky tasting flavour.

Genmaicha: Mixed with grains of roasted rice, which give it a nutty rustic flavour.

Sencha (green colour): Going up the scale. This is the most popular green tea.

Gyokuro (green colour): Continuing upward. Gyokuro means “dewdrop”. The tea leaves are shielded from direct sunlight during growth.

Macha (Bright green colour): It is made by grinding steamed dried tea leaves into powder with a stone mortar. It contains higher concentrations of caffeine, catechin and Vitamin C. It is used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It is also used to make green tea ice cream.