Belgium Chinese Tea Centre

Answer: Before answering this question, I think it would be better to establish a basic understanding about what tea is first. 

Tea is one of the most popular non-alcoholic beverage consumed by >two-third population in the world today. It does not matter how much people know about tea, in general people like its refreshing taste and flavour, try to find solution from its medicinal and mildly stimulating qualities. The first unambiguous text to the consumption of tea can be dated back to the Western Han Dynasty (1046 – 771 BC), and there are many documents about the use of tea in various literature from Chinese traditional medicine practices in the past over two thousand years in China.

The most influential Chinese medical doctor, scientist, pharmacologist, herbalist and acupuncturist of the Ming Dynasty, Li Shi-Zhen (1518-1593) gave a very thorough dissertation about the pharmacological effects of tea in  Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) that the consumption of tea should consider the physical conditions of each individual, one can only enjoy the health benefits from tea by knowing how to consume tea in appropriate manner; for those who have unsuitable problems, it is perhaps better to avoid consuming tea. In his discourse, he set the pharmacological qualitative of tea as “taste bitter sweet, mild Yin, non-toxic”.  In his book he wrote:

Tea tastes bitter and cold, is Yin in the Yin; can lower down and reduce fire effectively.  Fire is the source of many deceases, clarity rises when fire is reducing.  But there are five fire and there are Yin and Yang in fire.  For young and strong healthy people often have strong fire in heart, lung, spleen and stomach, then tea is a good match. Warm drink can reduce the fire because of Yin, the fire energy is dispelled with the hot drink. Can dissolve the poison from food and alcohol, refreshing energy in mind, feel not fainting or sleepy. These are benefits from tea.  However, to those who suffer from cold and low energy in blood, the long and too much consumption of tea can cause the rise of ill Yin in stomach and spleen that weaken the vitality without knowing, without correction can furthermore cause serious problems to the essence and blood deficiency in various symptoms, such as too much sputum, gas, muscle paralysis, looking pale and skinny, inverse vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache or liver swelling, all kind of internal injuries; these are damaged by incorrect tea consumption.  There are many people making the mistake and there are more to follow the wrong doing. Habits and culture influence people’s preference without knowing.  Not to mention there are less authentic pure quality tea and too more blended tea, damages are more than what words can described. 

There are many scientific research reports published by well known institutes in the world, many pharmacological points have been confirmed under the modern scientific research methods and reports have been published in the East and West.

Today tea is divided in six types subject to the difference in fermentation level that influence the contents of Polyphenol oxidase and Catechin.  The content of Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in lighter fermented tea is higher than the heavy fermented teas that could have greater impact on the absorption of Iron and folic acid. Pregnant women therefore perhaps should pay attention to the supplement of iron and folic acid during the pregnancy, regular checking with her doctor is strongly recommended.

While people are attracted by the benefits from Polyphenols and Catechin, they should also need to understand tea made from Camellia sinensis var. L. does contain Caffeine, the content is varied in each type of tea, i.e.

      Caffeine in daily drink:

• Black Tea  (226.8ml)        : 40-120mg
• Green Tea (226.8ml)        : 20-40mg
• White Tea                            : 15mg
• Coca Cola (340,2ml)         : 34mg
• Coffee (226,8ml)                : 60 – 120mg
• Instant Coffee (226,8ml) : 70mg
• De-Cafe (226,8ml)            : 1-5mg

Here we have to point out that we are not sure which type of quality tea those research Laboratories used, but we do know one thing – how we brew tea can influence the caffeine content from the loose leaf tea. 

A study from Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research from the University of California found that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine daily had double the risk of miscarriage compared with those who avoided the stimulant. Conversely research reports from Yale University and from Denmark claimed it is safe for pregnant woman to consume no more than 200-300mg caffeine a day.  The caffeine contained in tea is a central nervous stimulant and could become addictive. Caffeine can be transfused to baby through the blood circulation and the fragile unborn baby is not like adult can dissolve caffeine through metabolic decomposition. A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found no association between intakes of up to 350 milligrams of caffeine and miscarriage, but if the consumption of caffeine is over 600mg a day then the risk for miscarriage and light-weighted baby is increasing, the risk increases with stronger and longer consumption.

About three years ago, a long time Oolong tea lover YM shared with me her great news that she was expecting her first baby and asked me if she could drink tea.  At that time, I gave her a simple suggestion – listen carefully to your body and care for the body; it’s better to brew the tea light and mild (2-3 cups a day) and avoid strong and too much tea.  At that time she has no problem.  Recently she sent me another good news for the new expectation of her second baby, this time her baby does not like her to drink tea.  Even though she loves tea greatly, and the health of herself and her baby must come first.  Mother-to-be experiences amazing and non-stop changes in her body, hormones and energy during the pregnancy, and no one or each birth is identical.  So back to question – is tea suitable during the pregnancy period? The answer will be “it subjects to who and how is the condition of the pregnant woman and how does she consume tea”.  Each pregnant woman should know the best of change in her body and should learn to listen to her unborn angel; nutritionist, doctor, scientist or even tea sommelier will give the best suggestion as they could think of, but till at the end what is the best, the mother-to-be must think rationally and make a cautious decision everyday.

Suggestions during the pregnancy:

1. Consume more water than normal, even this should consider the physical differences from person to person.
2. Choose pure and nature quality tea, even if you choose caffeine-free infusion or herbal tea should try brew your tea mild
3. Limit daily tea consumption, subject to what kind of tea you drink; just remember how you brew it influence the caffeine content
4. Warm drinks are recommended, keep the suitable warmth, i.e. 60°C

 

If you chose the beastfeeding, then definitely should reduce tea consumption a day and should avoid to drink tea one-hour before the breastfeeding, only drink tea afterwards.

Based on the latest report mentioned on the China Times today, here are the top 3 food additives that they suggested consumers to avoid:

1. Artificial preservatives :  79%
2. Artificial flavors : 78%
3. Artificial colouring and antibiotics or hormones in animal products : 76% (artificial coloring additives are also used in baking)

The rest food additives that also are also potentially harmful to health are :

1. MSG (Monosodium Glutamate (MSG/E621) : 74%
2. Artificial sweetener : 73%
3. GMF (Genetically modified foods) : 70%
4. Take-away using BPA Phenolic Methane Packaging : 67%
5. Sodium : 53%
6. Trans fat : 52%

The research also showed preferences of those who care about health:

1. Pure & Nature : 68%
2. Non-genetically modified : 59%
3. Free from artificial flavor : 52%
4. Free from artificial coloring : 49%
5. Organic or low sugar or sugar-free : 48% in each element

Source: http://health.chinatimes.com/Home/Detail2?nid=248702&menu=1

Bubble tea, the most unnatural and unhealthy soft drink invented from Taiwan. It is attractive for many business people, but not for health.

This is the research from Taiwan.  When further investigate on this matter, I also found another interesting article by Mike Adams which he pointed out there are over 300 chemicals used in the food processing today and statistics show the average American household spends about 90% of their food budget on those questionable foods. Due the difference in food culture, therefore the top 10 food additives to avoid in the States is slightly different from the research in Taiwan.  So let’s see what is the difference between Asia food vs. American food:

1. Artificial sweeteners – Aspartame, (E951) more popularly known as Nutrasweet and Equal, is often found in foods labeled “diet” or “sugar free”, so think twice is your sugar free or diet drink are really healthy and nature or not.
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup – a highly-refined artificial sweetener which can be found in almost all processed foods.
3. MSG (Monosodium Glutamate (MSG/E621) – an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and many restaurant foods. Waw, I guess it is better to make my own saslad dressing in the future
4. Trans fat – this can enhance and extend the shelf life of food products
5. Common Food Dyes – these are artificial colorings, can be found in soda, fruit juices and salad dressings, may contribute to behavioral problems in children and lead to a significant reduction in IQ. Is it potential cause for children who have ADD or ADHD learning problems?
6. Sodium Sulfite (E221) – Preservative used in wine-making and other processed foods
7. Sodium Nitrate / Sodium Nitrite – used as a preservative, coloring and flavoring in bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, corned beef, smoked fish and other processed meats
8. BHA & BHT (E320) – I was surprised when I realised these are used as preservatives  in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils
9. Sulfur Dioxide (E220) – these are toxic which can cause allergy reaction to those who suffer from asthma, hypotension (low blood pressure), flushing tingling sensations or anaphylactic shock
10. Potassium Bromate – An additive used to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls

Source : http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/top-10-food-additives-to-avoid

What do you care about for your health? Then you have to challenge yourself by asking “What kind of actions I  need to take for my own health? “.

In life we tend to expect a lot from others or even dream for a lot than we actually need. On the positive side, it motivates us to achieve great things in life. However when individual drives by these dreams or desires go too far or become so impulsive that there is only room for “me” or sometimes unintentionally we ignore the impact to our family or surrounding, the wave of stress begins.

Often people ask for tea that helps to reduce their stress, I think it is important for people to realize that even though there were many ancient medical text or recent western scientific researches confirmed many health benefits from tea, but we shouldn’t over exaggerate the medicinal effects too much or even consider tea as medicines.  When one can enjoy a healthy tea time and able to reach out to the peace and strength from inside, then  the medicinal effects in tea are allowed to function in their life style. 

We tend to complain when we fail to achieve or to get what we were hoping for.  But complaints won’t help to solve problem, on the other hand it can accelerate the potential psychological stress. Of course, it helps to talk with friends and/or professional psychologists for help. 

How to find a good balance in life seems difficult today because people are looking for quick answer and easy cure; actually we all hold the key in our hands only when we are able to change our mind and start to pay attention on small thing and give ourselves time to enjoy simple thing. Have a cup of tea !

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In order to protect the consumer’s rights, blended and/or flavoured tea must label the percentage (%) of content and compositions honestly starting from 13/12/2016 according to the new regulations announcement from EU.  Among those new regulations the following information are required on the label as well as on brochure and/or web site for tea industry:

•  Clearer and harmonised presentation of allergens (e.g. soy, nuts, gluten, lactose) for prepacked foods (emphasis by font, style or background colour) in the list of ingredients

Luckily we do only pure and nature quality of tea that consumers are free from worrying of having any presence of allergens.  For those natural scented tea, I have already informed the tea research institute to provide more clearer information of natural ingredients that they use in the imprint techniques  in the future.

• Same labelling requirements for online, distance-selling or buying in a shop

Please do pay attention to this new regulation because it does not only affect the hard printing label and/or brochure, but it also means we should put such information  on the web site or web shop.

• Strengthened rules to prevent misleading practices

Any claim made on a food’s labelling, presentation or advertising in the European Union is required to be  clear, accurate and based on scientific evidence.  Hopefully this new regulation can reduce numbers of question about the ‘diet tea’.   Each type of tea has respective health benefits, similar but with more or less differences; but tea is not and should not consider as ‘medicine’ or ‘solution’ to solve problems which people could learn how to manage a good balance from their daily life style.  Indeed, as it’s written in the announcement that this new labelling requlation not only protects consumers, but also promotes innovation and ensures fair competition; certainly we hope it would open more doors for pure and nature and good quality tea.

With this new regulations, consumers would have more clear information to distinguish the difference between nature & pure quality tea vs. flavoured and/or blended tea.  Not just for European but also for international tea traders, regardless big or small, whole sale or retail, to realize Honesty and Accuracy are no longer moral concerns but serious Legal Obligations.

We do not have too much concern by this new regulation, because we are devoted to only Pure and Nature Quality since the day one in 1995.  Now based on this new regulations, consumers will find more precise content information on our label.  We are glad that the new regulations will able to enhance the basic principles of Honesty and Business Ethics.

Source: food information to consumers – legislation ( http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/labelling_legislation/index_en.htm )

Ecological tea garden with the least artificial intervention

A very interesting question from Andre this afternoon: Will tea leaves get old and bad when the tea tree get old?

As usual, there is no absolute answer to this question, because we need to understand there are fundamental differences based on the location and how the tea garden is being managed.

• As it has been mentioned in the Cha Jing written by Lu Yu that it takes three (3) years for tea trees to produce good quality tea, so we know we should be patient till tea trees are mature to produce good quality tea leaves.  Even at that time, in the first chapter of the book Lu Yu had already mentioned the discovery of wild-tree type of tea trees, so we know tea trees can the strength to grow old and tall and yet able to produce good quality tea without too much artificial intervention from human being.
• On the lower altitude (<1000 meters above sea level) and high mountain (>1000 meters above sea level) mainly are cultivated tea gardens which are either shrubs or modified clonal tea tree cultivars; the advantages are branching is not so obvious, the foliage is more dense and lush and able to have more production outputs:
  • Normally the plantation of tea trees are very close, some are too close,  to others
  • It’s more easy to manage the fundamental maintenance, such fertilizer, pruning, and of course including pesticide. On the other hand the risk for pesticide issue is also higher.
  • More easy for tea plucking to maximize the production outputs, tea gardens in lower altitude in some region then exercise excessive tea picking.

Due to the too close planting and excessive artificial interventions, the quality of tea normally will gradually get weaker with the age of tea trees comparing with more ecological tea gardens or natural old tea trees.

• Cultivated tea trees from tea gardens that have much less artificial intervention, many are small-leafed tea tree cultivars that are being managed to human, tea trees are not tall so it’s easy for tea picking. Even though the thickness of tea leaf is not so thick as from wild-type tea trees, the color of tea leaf is in darker green or olive green or yellowish green color, with obvious main and vice vein; the tea nature can be evenly strong as wild tea, with high notion of flavor and the taste is less spicy or aggressive than the wild tea.
• Wild tea often are not same as the tea as we normally drink. The genetic factors from ancient wild tea trees allow us to deepen research in the tea breeding; those genuine ancient and not being cultivated wild tea are not suitable to drink. We have to understand, the natural production outputs from wild tea trees are limited, but there are many faked wild tea in the market due to the market speculation and promotion.  Besides wild tea are not necessary all good quality tea that provide you a good balance flavor and taste.

Key factors to influence the tea quality are climate, the condition of soil, the micro-environment, elevation and production processes.

Making a cup of tea is easy, all you need is some tea leaves, water and tea ware.
But……Is it just that simple as it sounds?

Tea does provide many health benefits, but at end it is upto each individual to make it works in her/his life style by

• being able to take time out to enjoy a cup of tea
• knowing what to choose and how to distinguish the differences
• knowing how to brew and to consume

It is like an ancient Chinese wisdom mentioned in the Dao Te Jing written by Lao Zi:

Tao (means Way) is more than a way, once you are able to name it, perhaps it is either an extraordinary way or far from way.

Name is more than a name, once you are able to name the name, it can be already an extraordinary name or a wrong name.

Cha Dao goes beyond of how to brew tea and how beautiful we can present the art of tea, it is about how we can emerge in tea with peace, calm and tranquillity in mind.