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Fu Cha for Health

September 15, 2007

Let’s take a closer look at Fucha in all of its splendor. Fermented teas come in many forms, but Pu-erh is the most common tea for these unique shapes. Fucha follows in Pu-erh’s footsteps with its popular compressed shape and structure. Two of the most popular forms of Kurocha are Toucha, which is compressed into a bowl shape, and Heicha, which is compressed into a disc shape. Korucha presents itself in a myriad of ways, not simply these two, whose forms we will expand upon in another post.

Kurocha (koo-ro-cha) is a highly valued post-fermentation tea, which is kept in conditions of high temperature and high humidity where airborne microbes cause the tea to further ferment. As time passes, this tea increases in mellowness, depth and flavor and becomes easy to drink. Kurocha is a fairly new tea in the Western market, appealing to health-minded individuals because it promotes digestion and is an effective at washing away fat inside the body.

The miraculous Fu Cha is produced during the final stages of the Kurocha fermentation process. During the final forty days of the manufacturing process, the tea is dried, creating Fu Cha. The fine yellow powder, called the Golden Flower, which Fu Cha yields, is unique to this tea. High-grade Fucha is harvested by selecting only young leaves that are three to a stem. The long fermentation process coupled with the unique property of the Golden Flower creates a type of metabolic and digestive harmony, supplying a rich content of catechins, dietary fiber and amino acids. Because of Fucha’s abundance of vitamins and minerals, such as calcium iron and zinc (it is very gentle on ones body with the extremely low caffeine content – less than that of green tea), many cultures recommend a daily drink for adults and children.

The conditions must be perfect to create the Golden Flower. If they are not, the Fucha tea will lose its function and the Golden Flower will not form. The diet of our modern western society has come to resemble that of the Northwestern Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan nomadic people, in that their diet is mainly composed of heavy oily foods with lots of meat and milk products and a reliance on saturated fats. In these regions this seemingly unhealthy diet is maintainable because they burn so many calories living in a high altitude and dealing with extreme weather conditions. However, our similar diet is not counter balanced by our environment and so it throws our bodies out of whack. By exploring the diet and choices of other tribes around the world perhaps we can find healthy alternatives in our society. By drinking Fucha in conjunction with a natural diet it is possible to maintain one’s health and to offset the disturbance to the balance of nutrients and minerals that occurs during improper dieting.

Leave a Comment / Filed In: Health & Lifestyle, History and Culture of Tea, Tea Profiles

Back to School Tea

September 13, 2007

One of the many things I do to help pay the rent (I live in LA after all!) is to tutor high school students planning to take the SATs. Remember that time in your life? You’ve just spent the summer lazing around the pool, avoiding your summer reading lists and forgetting every mathematical function you ever learned. Then suddenly, it’s September and you’re thrust back into the grind. Only it’s now your Junior or Senior year and everything everyone’s telling you is that this is it: this test and these grades will determine which college you can attend and subsequently the quality of your ultimate career. Basically this one test will make or break your life. Obviously there are some fundamental flaws to this reasoning, but it’s nonetheless prevalent in households of teenagers. It’s no wonder that by the time these students meet me for tutoring they are bundles of pure stress and nerves.

It is for these students (or really any student) for whom StuTea is perfect.

Let’s look for a moment at what comprises our oolong blend. First of all: oolong, which has been shown to be incredibly beneficial when it comes to health. Oolong tea is high in Polyphenol, which, as studies have shown, helps reduce the amount of free radicals in the human body. Beyond this, Oolong has caffeine, which can boost a student’s ability to stay awake and study, without the intense crash coffee so frequently brings on. Oolong also promotes weight loss, while perhaps not the main goal of a student focused on his or her work, is a nice added benefit.

Also present in StuTea are Ginseng, Licorice Root and Osmanthus flowers. It is generally believe that Ginseng has a stimulatory effect during times of stress and fatigue by helping to release a pituitary hormone. If stress and fatigue don’t aptly describe the life of today’s student, I don’t know what does. And if you’re anything like me, that stress has a tendency to sit right in your stomach. How many ulcers are caused by stress? In traditional homeopathic medicine, Licorice Root is often used to ease stomach troubles, which is yet another benefit for that student struggling with stress. And then there are the Osmanthus flowers. As far as I can tell, their main benefit is to create a delicious, eye-opening aroma. One whiff of that fruity, apricot aroma and you will be transported to a place free of everyday stresses.

Which leads me to my final point: you don’t have to be a student to enjoy the luscious benefits of StuTea. After all, aren’t we all students of life?

If there is a student or scholar in your life who’s away at school, maybe you could send her some StuTea in your next care package. Or if he’s upstairs right now studying, I recommend fixing him a cup and taking it up to him with some homemade cookies. Either way, it’ll help to relieve a little of the stress, if only for the duration of sipping. I promise you, your SAT tutors will thank you.

Leave a Comment / Filed In: Health & Lifestyle, Tea Profiles

Oxidized to Purple-fection

September 12, 2007

Oolong teas have been gaining popularity in Western Societies for the last several years. Many people have touted the health benefits of oolongs for their high level of antioxidants and increased metabolic effect. Personally, I like them because they are simply delicious.

Oolong teas are in between green teas and black teas with regards to the level of oxidation that the tea master allows the leaves to go through during processing. Most oolongs fall in the 40-70 % oxidized range. Oolongs are classically from either China or Taiwan. That tea you’re being served at a Chinese restaurant? It’s probably oolong.

Art of Tea offers some great oolongs but one of my favorites is our “99% Oxidized Purple Oolong”. This is a rare tea that seems to always generate a lot of interest whenever we travel to trade shows. When employees from other tea companies want to try it, you know it must be special. And it certainly is unique.

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By taking the oxidation process almost all the way to the end, the tea master from our supplying estate has created a tea that is as close to black tea as it can be and still be an oolong. The look of the un-steeped leaves has the classic hand-rolled leaf appearance that you would find in any well-crafted oolong. However, the leaves in our tea are noticeably darker than what you may be used to seeing. In the sunlight it has a purple hue to it. Even the liquor is tinged with purple once brewed. Upon the first steeping the leaves barely begin to give in to their “agony”. The flavors are fantastic. The tea is wood roasted, and that smokiness gives you the first impressions of what you are about to encounter. The range of character is so unique that it is sometimes easy to forget that it’s an oolong. The smoky aroma and taste move onto musk and cinnamon spice. As I mentioned, the first steeping is just the beginning for this wonder of oolongs. For the leaves to fully unfurl, they need at least two, or even three, steepings. I find that there is a definite roasted-chestnut quality to the first couple of washings. This gives way to wonderful, fresh vegetal flavors with subsequent additions of hot water. I have washed the same leaves five times and still found enjoyment in the cup.

If you like oolongs and want to try something truly unique, I recommend our “Purple Oolong”. Use water that is around 195 degrees and be ready to enjoy several cups. For an adventurous tea drinker this will not let you down.cialis order 5 mg

Leave a Comment / Filed In: Brewing Tea, History and Culture of Tea, Tea Profiles

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