Cold brew teas are growing in popularity both due to their refreshing taste and health benefits. This blog will cover some of the health benefits of drinking cold brew teas, how they differ from traditional hot brewed teas, and discuss how the brewing process and temperature play a role in cold brew tea’s potential health benefits.

The health benefits of cold brew tea can be attributed to the antioxidants and phytonutrients found in tea: specifically, catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigens. These antioxidant compounds are responsible for providing health benefits such as enhanced cognitive function and weight management.

One of the most important antioxidants found in tea is polyphenols, which have many health benefits. Cold brew tea contains more polyphenols than hot brewed tea, due to the different brewing processes. Cold brewed tea is typically steeped at low temperatures with little to no heat, whereas hot brewed tea is steeped in hot water, which can reduce the level of polyphenols in the tea. Polyphenols have been found to have potential benefits such as reducing inflammation, preventing damage to DNA, and reducing the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Catechins are another type of antioxidant found in tea, which have been found to provide many health benefits. When catechins are heated, they can break down, which reduces their health benefits. This can be a problem when consuming hot brewed tea, as the heat can reduce the level of catechins present. However, cold brew tea is brewed at low temperatures, which allows the catechins to remain intact. Studies have shown that the catechins present in cold brew teas can reduce the risk of heart disease, improve cholesterol levels, and decrease blood pressure.

Theaflavins are a third type of antioxidant found in tea, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits. Studies have shown that theaflavins can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can lead to chronic disease. Theaflavins have also been found to reduce the risk of cancer and improve liver health. Because cold brew tea is brewed at a lower temperature, the level of theaflavins present is greater than in hot brewed tea, which allows for more of the health benefits from theaflavins to be gained.

Thearubigens are another type of antioxidant found in tea, which have been linked to a variety of health benefits. Studies have shown that thearubigens can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which can lead to chronic disease. In addition to this, thearubigens have also been found to have antiviral activities and can improve blood pressure. Thearubigens are more abundant in cold brewed tea than in hot brewed tea, due to the lower brewing temperature.

Overall, cold brew tea is an excellent source of polyphenols, catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigens, all of which are antioxidants that have been linked to a variety of health benefits. The lower brewing temperature of cold brew tea means that the polyphenols, catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigens are less likely to break down, which allows for more of the health benefits to be gained from these compounds. Therefore, cold brew tea is an excellent way to get the health benefits of tea.

Ever wonder how to make a tea espresso drink using an espresso machine? If you love espresso coffee drinks chances are you will also enjoy a cup of tea espresso drink.

The process of making an espresso from tea is pretty straightforward and almost identical to making coffee espresso. However, there are a few keys to a delicious cup of tea espresso drink. Let's go through them in this article.

Pictured above is a tea cappuccino made using our Malawi Chisunga.

Type of tea to make espresso

Black tea is most suitable for espresso making. Black tea is a fully oxidized tea which means it has a fuller and more robust taste. Black tea also takes high temperature and pressure well. This is very important because we want to extract the flavor and at the same time preserve the taste of the tea. Black tea is the ideal candidate due to its oxidation level. Other types such as green and white teas are more delicate and just slightly oxidized. They just can’t tolerate high temperatures and pressure. 

Malawi Chisunga CTC Tea Grounds after brewing. 

We highly recommend using CTC black tea

CTC stands for “crush, tear, curl”. CTC is a tea making process. In this process, tea leaves are processed and broken down to astandard size through the use of machinery.  CTC teas are perfect for espresso making because they are broken down into very small pallets. Flavor can be extracted more easily from CTC tea leaves because of their shape and size.

CTC tea in the porta-filter.

Don’t overfill the porta-filter

Fill and tamp the porta-filter as how you normally would with your coffee. If the brew is too strong and you are enjoying it with no milk, you can dilute it with hot water. When making cappuccino and latte, we recommend experimenting with different amounts of milk/foam to get the right ratio. 

Tea espresso dripping out into the cups.

Now let’s turn on the machine and make some tea espresso! 

Enjoy! 

Have you ever wanted a very robust, bold and full-flavored cup of tea? 

If you have a stovetop Moka pot at home, try brewing tea in a Moka pot. You may be surprised by how robust and flavorful the tea is. Tea brewed in Moka pot also makes very delicious Black Tea Latte. 

What kind of tea is best for Moka pot? 

From our experience, black tea is more suitable for Moka pot. Black tea is fully oxidized which means it takes high temperature and pressure very well. Other types of tea, such as green and white teas, don't tolerate high water temperature well and can easily over brew.

How to use a Moka pot to make tea.

• Fill the base of the Moka pot with hot water.

• Put tea leaves in the filter container. Level and smooth the tea leaves using a spoon and don't over fill the filter.

• Screw on the top part (spout) and place Moka pot on the stove.

• Turn stove on to medium flame. Make sure not to burn the handle of the pot.

• Take the pot off the stove as soon as tea starts dribbling out.

• Pour the tea into a cup. Enjoy the tea as it is. Or add steam milk to make a Tea Latte.

• Enjoy! 

When tea starts dribbling out, take the pot off the stove. 

This thirst quenching tropical delight is an alcohol free Iced Tea Sangria. It is a perfect kids friendly summer drink. Please see recipe below for ingredients and direction.

Ingredients to made a 60 oz. pitcher:

• 5 teaspoons of Black Tea . We used our Assam Behora Estate for its strength and malty flavor. 
• 2 cups of fruits. Use fruits and berries that are fresh at your local market. We used strawberries, mandarin oranges, sweet tomatos, and apricots.
• Honey or sugar to taste. Alternatively, use stevia extract to make a sugar free version. 
• 1 lime and 5 fresh mint leaves.   
• Ice. 

Direction:

• Wash, peel and cut the fruits into bite size pieces and put them into a pitcher.
• Add mint leaves and honey (or sugar) in the pitcher. 
• Muddle and mash the fruits, mint and sweetener for 30 seconds.
• Fill pitcher with ice.
• Bring 30 oz. of water to a boil. Then use a tea pot (or a heat resistant pot) and steep the tea leaves in the freshly boiled water for 5 minutes.
• When tea is brewed, strain and pour tea into the ice-filled pitcher.
• Stir well and top off with more ice if needed.  

Enjoy!

This Black Dragon Pearls Tea, also called Yunnan Black Pearls, is a hand rolled small batch production from Yunnan, China.  

Product Page: https://www.beantowntea.com/black-tea-products/black-dragon-pearls

The beautiful tea pearls are hand rolled using only the highest quality leaves and buds. 

It is an exceptional tea from the Dian Hong tea category. It brews a cup that is earthy, sweet, and mellow. It is Complex but with low astringency. Very forgiving tea that still tastes good when over brewed. Delicious tea that can be enjoyed all day long.

50/50 blend of Japanese Hojicha and Kukicha

Hojicha is a classic roasted green tea from Japan. It is low in caffeine and has a clean toasty and slightly sweet taste.  

Kukicha is also a traditional green tea from Japan. It is uniquely flavorful. It brews a light cup of tea that is nutty with a  slightly creamy finish. It is very rich in antioxidants and low in caffeine as well. 

We made this blend at the request of a customer. And since we love both teas, we thought we should at keep some for ourselves. When we first tried it, we were surprised at how good and different it tasted. We loved it so much that we decided to add this blend to our roster. It should become available very soon.

So what does the blend of Hojicha and Kukicha taste like? It is very crisp, toasty and slightly sweet. Notes of honey and walnuts are very noticeable. It does not taste astringent at all. This blend is perfect for cold brewing, because of its taste profile.  

If you are a fan of Japanese green tea you should definitely give it a try. 

Cheers! 

Click to here to view product. 

Moroccan Mint Tea is a blended Green Tea. Our Moroccan Mint is blended with the classic quality ingredients.​ We use the full body Chinese green teas as its base and blended them with top quality peppermint. 

The brewed cup is minty, refreshing and emergizing. Excellent both hot and iced. It can be enjoyed as is or with a dash of sugar.

For more information, please click here to visit the product page. 

Click here to view product

Darjeeling Margaret’s Hope estate 2nd flush TGFOP. This stable Darjeeling tea is such a classic. Medium body with right amount of astringency. The signature Muscatel grape notes are prominent. It compliments desserts and snacks very well. For someone who is new to Darjeeling Tea, this is a relatively inexpensive easy pick as an introduction to the regions great teas.

More information: The bushes at Margaret’s Hope are almost entirely the Chinese Jat (genus) accounting for the green leafed tippy appearance of the manufactured leaf and the superb fragrance. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the production is limited. The best time of the year for quality is during ‘second-flush’ (end May - end June). During this time Darjeelings are incomparable to any other tea in the world. The fragrance and taste is a complex bouquet that reaches right out of the cup. Some would describe the taste as nutty; others find it reminds them of black currants, but most often it is described as similar to the taste and fragrance of muscat grapes.

Click her to view product  

What are the differences between Green and Black teas?

This is a 2 parts question. First is how are Green and Black teas compared to each other from a production stand point? Second is what and how are they different as end products? Now lets expend on them and discuss further.

Firstly, lets take a look at how Green and Black teas are produced. Green and Black teas are both produced from the same plant which is called Camellia Sinensis. The sub cultivars of each tea maybe different, but they all belong to the Camellia Sinensis family.

The oxidation process is what sets Green and Black teas apart. Green tea is very lightly oxidized (less than 1%-15%), where as Black tea is fully oxidized. The oxidation is a process which the chlorophyll in the tea leaves is enzymatically broken down. Tannins are also released during the oxidation. This oxidation process is often times referred to as "fermentation" in the tea industry.

Green and Black teas got their name from the colors of the produced tea leaves. Because most of the chlorophyll is preserved, Green tea still retain the green appearance of the plant. Black tea appear black because the chlorophyll is broken down.

Quick View

Ceylon Kenilworth

from $2.95

World renowned for its strong full-bodied cup. Our Ceylon Kenilworth brews a malty flavored cup that is full of life and very smooth. A fine tea after dinner or in the afternoon. 

Kenilworth tea is known around the world for its full bodied strong liquors (liquors is a tea tasting terms for taste of the tea in the cup) and is considered to be the hallmark of Ceylon medium grown teas. This estate receives an average rainfall of 190 inches per year. The location of the estate is unique in that both the South West and North East monsoons bring rain to this particular region. The Kenilworth Orange Pekoe grades are the most sought after by any medium grown tea garden.

Addtioinal Information

Country of Origin: Sri Lanka    Grade: OP (Orange Pekoe)

Altitude: 3000 feet                   Manufacture Type: Orthodox

Infusion: Noire tending coppery

size:

Select size Sample (makes 5 cups) 4oz (50 cups) 8oz (100 cups) 1lb (200 cups)

Add to cart

Secondly, lets look at the differences between them as final products. Although both types of tea are rich in antioxidants, Green tea is richer in antioxidants than Black tea due to a lower oxidation level.

Studies have found that Both Green and Black tea may help boosting our energy and keeping us alert. Black tea has more caffeine than Green tea. 1 g of black tea has 22 to 28 mg of caffeine, while 1 g of green tea has 11to 20 mg of caffeine. The energizing effect is why Black tea is a stable breakfast drink in many parts of the world.

Some long term studies have shown that Black tea is beneficial to our cardiovascular system. This means regular and long term consumption may help in maintaining a healthier heart.

For Green tea, researches show that the catechins and other nutrients in Green tea may help lowering the blood sugars. Drinking 2 to 3 cups of Green tea is also believe to be very beneficial in weight control.

The conclusion

In conclusion, both Green and Black tea are healthy and can be very beneficial to our health. However, in order to reap the benefits of tea, we need to establish a habit of consuming 2-3 cups of tea a day every day. So the key here is to find the teas that we love to enjoy. Because if we enjoy the experience of drinking tea, it is then very naturalto establish a long term and consistent consumption of this healthy beverage.

So if you are already a regular tea drinker, stick to your favorite teas. If you are new to tea, try different types of teas and find some that you love to enjoy! Cheers

Pouchong Oolong

What is Oolong Tea

Oolong tea is semi fermented/oxidized tea. The degree of oxidation varies among different types of Oolong. This variation in the oxidation gives Oolong tea unique characters and complexity. Oxidation levels of different Oolong teas can differ greatly. Some are very green with an oxidation level of only 10-15%, while some are very dark at 85%. As a result, the taste profile can range from floral and fragrant to smoky and malty.

You will see (particularly in the infused leaf) that the edges of the leaves are slightly bruised (brownish). The reason for this is that the leaves are lightly bruised to start the oxidation process. Oolong teas usually are not picked too early or at too tender a stage. They must be produced immediately after picking.

Unlike leaves for green tea, those destined to be Oolong are wilted in the direct sun and then shaken in tubular bamboo baskets to bruise the leaf edges. The bruising is what make the edges oxidize faster than the center. After 15-25 minutes (depending upon ambient temperature and humidity levels) the tea is fired, locking in the special flavor profile.

A freshly brewed Ali Shan Oolong.

How to brew Oolong Tea

Quality Oolong teas have complex taste profiles. Usually, same tea leaves can be infused multiple times (2-3 times).

Water temperature for steeping Oolong varies depending greatly on oxidation level. Generally, the darker or more oxidized types of Oolong tea the hotter the water. For example, the Fomosa Oolong and Oriental Beauty Oolong are best when steeped in freshly boiled water, because they both have higher levels of oxidation. One the other spectrum, the less oxidized Jade Oolong and Pouchong Oolong are best when infused in water that is 195°F.

Amount of tea leave to use really depend on personal preference and taste. Generally, we use 2-4 grams of leaves per 8 oz. cup. We would recommend using less tea leaves to start.

As for brewing/steeping tea, we suggest steeping 2-3 minutes for the first infusion and 3-5 minutes for the second infusion. If a third infusion is desired, steep for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

There are many good reasons to drink tea. Drink tea for its good taste and to boost energy are the primary reasons why tea is the most consumed beverage in the world.  However, to the health conscious crowd, tea drinking is not only pallet pleasing but also beneficial to our health. Let's scroll on to find out why.

• Tea is very rich in Antioxidants. Tea has one of the highest contents of flavonoids among common food and beverage products. Catechins are the largest type of flavonoids in tea leaves. While many scientific researches have mixed conclusion on the effects of antioxidants, the antioxidants in tea might help protect against cancer.
• Tea energizes us with its caffeine but in a less abrupt way then coffee does. After drinking tea, the caffeine is released into our body more slowly. So the result is a gentle and longer lasting boost of energy.
• Tea could be beneficial to the cardiovascular system. Researches have showed that tea drinking may associate with a reduced risk of stroke. Research also showed that long-term tea consumption can help lower the cholesterol in our body. In short, tea might be very beneficial to our heart.
• Tea may help protect against age-related cognitive impairment/decline and dementia later in life, based on correlations found in epidemiological studies.
• Tea can help boost metabolism and exercise endurance. Scientists have found that the antioxidant rich tea might help speed up metabolism and increase our body's ability to burn fat as fuel.
• Tea could help control blood sugar. Studies suggest that tea drinking might help our body tometabolize sugar better.
• Tea can have immune boosting effects on our body. Again, because of all the antioxidants tea has, tea might be beneficial to our immune system to fight against common cold and flu.

 In conclusion, moderate long-term tea drinking could be very beneficial to our health. Let's brew some tea now. Enjoy!