Tea 101

IS TEA HEALTHY?

Tea contains a lot of antioxidants that are said to fight disease and aging. The amount of antioxidants in a cup of tea equals around about two glasses of apple- or seven glasses of orange juice. Antioxidants are found mainly in plant based food, and they protect the cells in our body and prevent diseases such as cancer as well as diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Research also shows that tea lowers bad cholesterol in our body.

IS GREEN TEA HEALTHIER THAN BLACK TEA?

Green tea naturally contains more antioxidants, and that's the main reason for its high status as a healthy drink. It is more antioxidant in green than black tea, as the substances change in the production of black tea when the tea leaves are oxidised.

HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS THERE IN TEA?

One cup of black tea contains about 50 milligrams of caffeine - one cup of coffee 100-150. It can therefore be said that coffee contains about twice as much caffeine as black tea. However, the caffeine content can vary a great deal depending on the type of tea and how you brew it. Green tea contain more caffeine than the black tea, but when we brew it in colder water and shorter time (max 80 degrees and 3 minutes) will still lower the caffeine content per cup than in black tea.

CAN I DRINK TEA WHILE PREGNANT?

Swedish National Food Agency recommends that pregnant women limit their daily caffeine intake to a maximum of 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is about two to three cups of coffee (1.5 deciliters per cup) or four cups of tea (2 deciliters per cup). So yes, you are allowed to enjoy your cup of tea while pregnant.

CAN I DRINK COLD BREW TEA WHILE PREGNANT?

Yes, as the answer above states you can enjoy your four warm cups of teas a day. When it comes to cold brewing tea there is shown that less caffeine is released into the water when cold brewing and if you also rebrew the already brewed tea leaves the majority of caffein will be gone in your second brew. So you can simply enjoy more cold brew tea while pregnant, but keep it to a limit though!

WHY BREW DIFFERENT TEAS IN DIFFERENT WAYS?

The green and white teas do not go through an oxidation process, and thus the leaves are more sensitive to hot water. The black tea requires (almost) boiling water and longer, about 5 minutes, to give maximum flavour. The green tea gives off the flavours in a lower temperature, max 80 degrees and shorter brewing time about 3 min. If you use too hot water and brew too long, the green tea becomes bitter.

WHICH TEA SHOULD YOU DRINK IN THE EVENING?

If you are sensitive to caffeine, do not drink black or green tea close to bedtime, we would say rooibos is best suited. But remember that you can brew green tee several times and most of the caffeine dissolves in the first brew, so the second and third do not contain as much caffeine.

IS TEA DEHYDRATING?

To drink three or more cups of tea a day is as useful as drinking a big amount of water. Caffeine is dehydrating, but only in higher concentrations than the most natural drinks. A new study shows; -"To drink tea is actually more useful than drinking water. In practice, water replaces fluid. Tea replaces fluid and at the same time contains antioxidants, so the beverage has two advantages," says Dr Carrie Ruxton, who led the study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, to the BBC.

HOW MUCH TEA CAN I DRINK?

You can drink as many cups as you want! If you are sensitive to caffeine, you should limit your intake. (If you have iron deficiency, you may want to avoid drinking your tea in conjunction with the food. This is because the polyphenols (antioxidants) in the tea bind vegetable iron and make the body harder to absorb.) But remember to always choose an organic quality tea!
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