Everything you need to know about tea: types, brewing secrets.

Green tea is a perennial evergreen shrub growing up to 10m in height. The plant has beautiful, long, dark green leaves that have the shape of an oval. The leaves contain supporting sclereids in their pulp. In the axils of the leaves are fragrant flowers, collected 2-4 pieces or singly. The florets and bracts are arranged in a spiral. The fruit of green tea is a box, slightly flattened, consisting of three wings. Inside the fruit there are round-shaped seeds, dark brown in color.

From the end of summer to the last days of autumn, the flowering period of this plant lasts. The plant bears fruit from October to December. Green tea plantations are found in China, India, Japan, South America and Africa.

Green tea composition:

This fresh, strong drink contains a lot of chemicals, this is the reason for the beneficial effect of tea. More than half a thousand components are found in its leaves, including calcium, fluorine, which are so necessary for the body, as well as magnesium, phosphorus and many others. It contains several hundred complex compounds of organic origin and most of the known vitamins. The special usefulness of green tea is due to the presence of the following compounds in it:

Caffeine is the main alkaloid, its presence in tea gives strength and energy to our body, invigorates and activates the brain. However, regular tea does not contain caffeine, but its analogue, called theine. Theine action is somewhat milder than caffeine, while it also activates the energy of the human brain, improves mood, and with it performance and activity.

The minerals contained in green tea contribute to the proper functioning of all our organs. Preventing the imbalance of minerals, it strengthens the immune system, contributes to the excellent condition of nails, hair and teeth.

Catechins are flavonoids, excellent antioxidants. Their impact is ten times greater than the effect of vitamins. Drink a cup of green tea throughout the day and your body will get all the polyphenols it needs. A similar effect has been found in catechins in other natural foods, such as carrots and broccoli. Being an effective antioxidant, this product suppresses free radicals in the body, reducing the risk of. Tea increases natural immunity, destroys microbes, so it is recommended for dysentery.

The benefits of green tea

The benefits of green tea have been known for a long time. Moreover, this fact is recognized not only by folk healers, but also by official institutions. The most venerable pharmaceutical companies, along with cosmetics manufacturers, use this unique, miraculous plant in their products. The beneficial properties of green tea are actively used in nourishing creams and dietary supplements.

Experience the action of this wonderful product for yourself - wash your face in the morning and before going to bed with a freshly brewed drink, you will feel an improvement in skin tone. It is very useful to wipe the neck and face area with pieces of iced green tea. Repeat this procedure regularly, and you will be provided with a cheerful and cheerful mood. Green tea will help get rid of unhealthy, as well as other similar negative symptoms on the face and body.

Green tea can make you beautiful. If you have far-reaching plans for the evening, he will help you become simply stunning. The beauty of your skin will be awakened by such a composition. Mix about 20 g of plain flour, egg yolk and strong brewed tea. Apply for 15 min. this mass on the face, thoroughly washing off after that. Your skin will acquire a pleasant color, straighten and tighten. You can enhance this effect with a piece of green tea ice.

Do not ignore black tea, its benefits are also obvious. Our mothers in their youth did without tanning beds to make their skin swarthy. To do this, pour a little water into black tea, put on fire, bring to a boil, and then insist, waiting for the liquid to cool. Wipe the skin with this infusion twice a day. You will become tanned without sunbathing.

But back to green tea. This drink normalizes the processes of digestion. By constantly drinking green tea, you will make your internal organs work faster - the liver, intestines and stomach. You will also notice an additional effect -. You are no longer afraid of stomatitis. All this is facilitated by surprisingly useful components with which tea is saturated. The antioxidants that are present in tea are an amazing preventative against cancers that have become a real disaster. In a tea drink, the well-known zinc is present in the required amount. This element is necessary for strengthening nails, hair growth, and it also promotes tightening, for example, with cuts.

Green tea preparations have a diuretic effect, but due to the stimulating effect of the plant, it cannot be used as a diuretic.

Green tea is the best remedy for fatigue. Green tea infusion is used as an antimicrobial agent for dysentery. This tea is a means of preventing urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. Green tea maintains the tone of the body and satisfies the feeling of hunger.

The beneficial properties of green tea are due to the fact that its composition contains a large number of various bioactive substances, trace elements and vitamins. During the production of the product, tea leaves do not undergo complete oxidation (fermentation), due to which they retain their green color. Thanks to gentle drying, the beneficial substances and vitamins found in the leaves are not destroyed, unlike black tea.

How useful is green tea? This healing drink has a tonic effect on all body systems. It contains caffeine and tannin, which stimulate the mental activity of the brain. It is useful to drink it for the prevention of blood clots, it reduces the level, protects the liver from toxins and alleviates the symptoms of stage 2 diabetes.

This drink is recommended to be consumed after suffering colds for faster recovery of the body. It is said to be able to speed up the healing of wounds and burns. Regular consumption of tea leaf infusion relieves the symptoms of certain skin diseases.

Harm of green tea

The composition of green tea includes substances that have both positive and negative effects on the human body. In addition, green tea contains theophylline and theobromine, which have a stimulating effect on the human nervous system. That is why an infusion of tea leaves is not recommended for people with increased excitability and with.

A strong drink is definitely harmful for:

With an unstable nervous system and with diseases of the cardiovascular tract. Of course, theine is bad for them. But tea is not rich in theine alone, it contains substances that actively influence these systems, which causes its harmful effects, for example, due to theobromine.

During pregnancy. It interferes with the natural breakdown of folic acid, which is so vital to the developing brain of an unborn baby. All this is due to the content in it of a large dose of a chemical drug with the unpronounceable name "gallatepigallocatechin". Again, we mention caffeine, which is contraindicated for pregnant women. Whether black tea prevents the breakdown of folic acid has not been proven for certain, but it does contain caffeine. Just a few cups of any tea per day can cause the birth of a child with low weight, stimulate premature labor with possible fetal death.

At a temperature. Tea contains theophylline, which can raise a person's temperature. Therefore, a patient with a temperature, drinking green tea, will worsen his condition even more.

With a stomach ulcer. Rather, tea is contraindicated than really harmful. Strong tea, and green tea in particular, increases the acidity of gastric juice, and this, in turn, interferes with the natural process of wound healing. As a result, the patient's condition may worsen significantly.

With an unhealthy liver. This is where green tea comes into play. Some of the compounds found in tea are extremely taxing on the liver, especially if the drink is drunk in large quantities. But in black tea, these compounds are very few.

Washing out beneficial trace elements. Tea removes metals from the body. Again because of theine.

For the skeleton and bones. The analyzes put by scientists on animals showed unexpected results. It turns out that tea has a negative effect on the skeleton and, in particular, on the density of bone tissue. In fairness, we note that such studies have not been done on humans.

Urea formation. Any tea is rich in purines, which in the process of assimilation synthesize urea. It is known to be poisonous, and is removed from the body with difficulty. Its salts synthesize crystals that develop gout. In addition, green tea disrupts the condition of people who are ill and.

For teeth. Although the opposite effect was mentioned here, there is evidence that tea has a detrimental effect on tooth enamel. What to believe? You can’t answer for sure, but it’s hardly worth rinsing your teeth with tea when brushing.

The absorption of iron. Caffeine interferes with the absorption of essential iron.

Harm of tea from improper use:

It has already been said that old tea is harmful. When stored for a long time, it accumulates a lot of purines. Although at the time of brewing they are already formed, but over time, the processes of their formation increase and after half an hour tea is no longer worth drinking.

The combined use of tea and alcohol causes an intense formation of aldehydes that harm the kidneys.

Excessive consumption of the drink causes a state of intoxication, the head starts to hurt, nausea rolls,.

Extremely hot drink should not be consumed in large doses. Therefore, if you constantly consume excessively heated tea, burns of the internal organs inevitably occur. They are deformed, painfully shrink, cracks form on the tissues. These types of burns certainly increase the risk of cancer. It should be noted here that this is not a harm to tea as such.

Brewing tea with boiling water makes it practically useless, since the most valuable substances are destroyed. But harmful elements are significantly added, the same purines, for example.

The use of green tea

Tooth decay is the most common problem for many teenagers and adults. Green tea quickly and effectively destroys bacteria in the mouth that prevent it from forming.

Green tea reduces cholesterol in the body, makes blood vessels more elastic, normalizes lipid metabolism, accelerates fat metabolism and prevents the body from aging quickly.

Green tea is an excellent diaphoretic. And if you mix it with lemon, the effect will be even better. In addition, green tea removes toxins from the body.

Green tea infusion for atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Take 3 grams of dry green tea and wash it with boiling water - this is necessary to reduce the caffeine content in it. Next, pour green tea with 100 ml of boiling water and leave for about 10 minutes. Take this tea in a glass at a time three times a day. But, given the fact that a person takes green tea, it is necessary to drink no more than 1.2 liters of liquid per day (this includes 3 glasses of tea itself).

Green tea infusion for dysentery. Take 25 grams of crushed raw materials of the plant and pour 500 ml of boiling water. Leave everything to brew for half an hour. Then put the composition on low heat for 1 hour. After that, you need to strain the finished infusion. We store such a drink only in the refrigerator. Take an infusion of 2 tablespoons 30 minutes before meals 4 times a day.

Tea for indigestion. Many people suffer from this disease. Green tea will help with it. This plant contains bactericidal substances that destroy pathogens in the intestines and stomach. To get rid of an upset stomach, it is enough to drink strong green tea for 2-3 days in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening - and the ailment will pass.

Infusion for vitamin deficiency. We take 3 grams of crushed tea and pour 100 ml of boiling water, leave to brew for 10 minutes. After that, add 1 teaspoon of syrup to it. Every day after a meal, we take such an infusion of 100 ml three times, only in a warm form.

How to brew green tea?

In order for green tea to be useful and give the effect that is expected from it, it must be brewed correctly.

There are three things to take seriously:

The most important of them is the temperature of the water and its quality.

Portion of brewed tea.

duration of the welding process.

Optimal combinations of these three parameters will give an excellent drink. Let's dwell on this in more detail.

1. How to determine the optimal portion of tea? Here it is necessary to take into account the size of the tea leaves, as well as the density of the tea leaves that you want to get. On average, one teaspoon is taken, based on a full glass of water.

2. What is the duration of the brewing process? This parameter depends on the size of the tea leaves, as well as the desired tonic effect - intense or slightly slowed down. Please note that theine, which causes such a desired tonic effect, dissolves in the first minute of the brewing process. Then there is a preferential saturation of tea leaves with tannins. Only after them our body assimilates theine itself. Therefore, when you expect an intense charge of vivacity from the tea ceremony, tea leaves should not be kept in tea leaves for more than one - one and a half minutes. On the contrary, if you want a not too intense surge of strength, but a long one, hold the tea leaves a little longer than indicated in the instructions. But keep in mind that the tea will turn out slightly bitter in this case. By experimenting with this indicator, you will find options that are acceptable for each specific case.

3. What water should be used for brewing? As with most drinks, spring water is the best option. Since not everyone lives near a spring, filtered water can be used. When there is not even one, then at least give the tap water time to stand a little. Purchased distilled water is not suitable for brewing. Also, do not boil water for tea again. In general, it is unacceptable for water to boil over, since it is by no means unacceptable to brew tea with fresh boiling water!

The temperature of the brewing water is recommended in the region of 80-90 degrees. Without a thermometer at hand, determining the right temperature is quite simple. It is necessary to open the lid of the kettle and when the steam begins to rise, bring your hand to it. The steam must not burn the hand. This is the optimum temperature. Learn once and for all - boiling water destroys most of the beneficial substances in tea, making this drink useless!

4. What is the best container for brewing green tea? The best cookware is the one that holds the heat for a long time. Clay or porcelain teapots work well. Japanese tea connoisseurs use a teapot made of enameled cast iron, while Arabs prefer silverware. Dishes should not have foreign odors. To do this, pre-rinsing the dishes with boiling water will help a lot. It is also necessary that the cold kettle does not collect the heat of the water into itself, which was intended for brewing.

When, after several brewing procedures, a yellowish coating appears on the inner surface of the kettle, do not rush to remove it. Such a film is a kind of protection against adverse external factors. Maybe this will alert guests who are not familiar with such subtleties of the tea ceremony, but I think you will find a way to explain the situation to them.

5. Direct brewing procedure. The kettle used for this purpose must first be heated over an open fire. Only then pour tea. The spoon must be dry and clean. The teapot is wrapped in a soft cloth. Gourmets of tea ceremonies use special beautiful things for this. The kettle is kept warm for a couple of minutes. The tea leaves are poured into a third of the container with hot water. Withstand another 2-3 minutes, after which the kettle is topped up to the eyeballs.

Cups, preferably also made of clay or porcelain, intended for the tea ceremony, are rinsed with hot water before use. After all, hot tea poured into a cold cup cools quickly. The total duration of the brewing procedure is on average 3-4 minutes. The drink is poured into cups in small, equal volumes, so the same taste of tea is obtained for all guests.

6. Sometimes tea is prepared in the cup itself.(there are also such lovers) impose no more than one tsp. tea leaves. Such a drink is infused for about 2 minutes. The appearance of yellow-brownish foam on the surface of the kettle means the correct cooking mode. It is not required to remove the foam, it is simply stirred with a spoon in a cup. Also, do not forget to warm the cup itself, in which the tea is brewed.

7. How many tea leaves are allowed and with what to drink tea? It is generally accepted that sugar is the enemy of green tea. It is better to use honey for dessert, and in its absence - dried fruits. Secondary high-quality tea is brewed up to seven times. However, it is better not to do this more than twice. We take a tiny mini-teapot, brew it once, and then repeat it again. Secondary brewing time is increased. The initial brew has the most tart aroma. Next, the actual taste of tea begins to unfold.

Can you always drink green tea? Many people use this healing drink, thinking that it quenches thirst well. For example, in Central Asia they drink it hot when working in the field, but this is a big mistake. Tea leaf brew is a strong diuretic, and drinking it in the hot season, a person thereby dehydrates his body. In addition, excessive consumption of tea leaves can lead to a deterioration in the state of the nervous system.

caffeine in green tea

Small doses of caffeine with moderate consumption of tea leaves from green leaves tone up, help relieve fatigue, increase physical and mental activity of a person. However, with all the beneficial effects of this noble drink on the body, one should not forget about its harm. It is because of caffeine that the abuse of green tea is not recommended for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. This can lead to various complications.

This healing drink, mixed with milk, perfectly cleanses the kidneys, strengthens and tones the body. This “cocktail” is also very fond of Chinese centenarians. Milk neutralizes the effect of caffeine and other alkaloids, and therefore you can drink such a drink without fear for your health. Although this is a high-calorie product, the extra calories in it are compensated by calcium. An interesting study was conducted in which several women drank a glass of milk daily. Oddly enough, in the end, to all the advantages of such a diet, in the form of strengthening nails, teeth and bones, weight loss was added to the subjects. According to the organizers of the experiment, this phenomenon is associated with calcium deficiency. Subsequently, scientists have developed a special diet based on green tea with milk, and its effectiveness has already been proven empirically. The cleansing processes in the body caused by drinking tea, in combination with a milk diet rich in trace elements, promotes weight loss without any harm associated with emaciation of the body.

What is the essence of such a diet? Two methods can be noted - soft and radical. When you're looking for a boost and don't have stomach issues, drastic measures are taken. You should eat only a few fruits per day, giving up all other foods. We drink green tea with milk. Sugar, if the need for it is irresistible, change to a spoonful of honey. In addition to tea with the addition of milk, it is necessary to drink from one and a half liters of plain water. If this is all very difficult for you, then you are still indecisive in your desire to lose weight.

But let's say your goal is just to get rid of toxins. Then a fasting day is what you need. Such a measure, of course, is much softer - just one day can be tolerated. But you still have to forget about ordinary food on such a day in order to let tea complete its effect.

Consider the ways of drinking a miraculous drink. There are also only two of them, and here are some.

Method one: Gourmets assure that the highest efficiency of the tea-milk diet will be achieved if the tea leaves are prepared directly on milk. That is, water is not used at all. Dry tea is poured with heated milk. In this case, plain water is drunk only separately from the drink.

Method two: This option is considered easier, but not as useful. Boiling water and milk are mixed in equal parts by volume, and tea leaves are poured into such a mixture. Such tea is greener in color, but its taste is not so milky.

We also note that the use of green tea with milk is possible both hot and cold. It doesn't make it any less useful. Green tea is very popular among athletes. Relying on the miraculous properties of tea, it is necessary to use it not only after training, but also before it. The range of beneficial effects of tea is huge. Connoisseurs of bodybuilding, fitness and just people of an active lifestyle include it in their diet. But low blood pressure is a significant reason to refrain from green tea. After all, one of its most important functions is precisely the fight against hypertension.

The medical community has not yet made a definitive decision on whether green tea affects weight loss, although many people believe in the effectiveness of weight loss with this product. And this way of losing weight has recently become fashionable. It is believed that this infusion enhances metabolic processes in the body and accelerates the removal of fat, it is a powerful antioxidant and helps strengthen blood vessels, increasing their elasticity.

If you feel a little hungry, then instead of a snack, it is better to drink a cup of infusion from tea leaves without sugar. With its regular use, you can lose 2-3 kg, and in combination with a diet, stunning results are achieved. Let's remember the main tea gourmets - the Chinese and Japanese. Finding a fat man among them is very difficult. What is the ability of tea to get rid of excess weight? It turned out that among the useful qualities of green tea, it is precisely those that can cause weight loss that prevail. The drink perfectly cleanses the body, improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines, removing toxins, and increases metabolism. The positive effect of tea on accelerating the breakdown of fats has been proven. This drink allows you to forget about hunger.

1. Half an hour before a meal, just drink some tea (however, we note that drinking green tea before a meal is bad for the stomach. If you decide to drink it before a meal, then only 15 minutes before a meal). This is a great way to lose weight. For a single dose, a teaspoon is brewed into 300 g of water, infused for about two minutes and drunk without sugar. Such a technique will somewhat reduce the feeling of hunger, but at the same time it will speed up the processes responsible for the digestion of food, fat burning. It can be recommended to add plants to regular tea, which also contribute to weight loss. Among them, for example, hibiscus, distinguished by its mild laxative and diuretic effects. Hawthorn fruits are also suitable, absorbing fats, lowering cholesterol. Another addition is finely ground cinnamon. With it, tea acquires an exquisite, pleasant taste, and metabolism will increase by an order of magnitude. Finally, even a brutal appetite suppresses a spoonful of flax seed, eaten with a cup of green tea.

2. Add green tea to your dinner table. There is one recipe that will probably seem original and even somewhat strange to you. Try grinding tea into a fine powder with a coffee grinder. Eat a spoonful of this powder during any of your meals. You can drink it with water. You can not even eat the powder in its pure form, but, say, sprinkle cold snacks on it, for example, salads, cereals, Russian salad. You should not only add it to various soups or cocktails containing a lot of liquid. In such dishes, the powder will simply dissolve and its effect will be significantly lower or simply weakened. This recipe has come down to us from China. And in this country people know how to keep a figure.

3. If you are already on a diet, then tea is excellent to improve the effect. In general, the best nutritionists recommend drinking green tea as often as possible when losing weight. Eating fruit and vegetable dishes helps to quickly get rid of excess weight. At the same time, reduce the amount of sweets and flour products in your diet. Replace fried meat with fats with boiled. Try to reduce the amount of salt and especially sugar in your food. But all kinds of cereals - buckwheat, rice should be welcome on your table. Of course, also in reasonable quantities. And remember, drink green tea regularly, as there are no restrictions on its intake when losing weight. Now let's talk about the most successful combinations of dietary rations and green tea.

How does green tea affect weight loss? The acceleration of metabolic processes is not the only factor influencing weight loss in the arsenal of tea. There are several other useful functions in this direction, we list them:

mild diuretic properties, contributing, respectively, to the removal of excess fluid. Although among all the products that are usually used in conjunction with green tea, milk does not appear in any way, in order to lose weight, this ceremonial can be bypassed. By adding a little skimmed milk to tea, you can dramatically increase the diuretic effect, more fluid will be excreted. And this tool is a good prevention of swelling of the legs and feet.

polyphenols, contained in excess in tea, enhance the body's heat exchange through the efficient processing of deposited fats. Drinking several cups of tea a day, according to scientists, can increase the amount of fat burned by almost one and a half times.

Reducing blood sugar also favors weight loss, because it helps not to feel hungry ahead of time. Drink just a cup of tea before meals, and lunch will seem much more satisfying to you, which means you can eat less. Those such a hearty meal, as usual, is also an ally in the fight against excess weight.

The question may arise, how long should green tea be a mandatory component of the diet? Literally two weeks will be enough for this, the result of the tea diet will be the body's habit of healthy eating, a moderate diet. You will get a double benefit - first there will be getting rid of excess fluid, and only then the fat will be utilized. By accustoming the body to a healthy diet, you can sometimes indulge yourself with completely non-diet products, without fear that this will lead to extra pounds of weight.

Green tea extract

Such an extract is made from the green, non-fermented leaves of the plant. It is used in the cosmetic and food industries. In cosmetology, masks, creams, shampoos and much more are produced on its basis. Such a widespread use of this product is due to the fact that preparations from tea leaves have a beneficial effect on preserving the youthfulness of the skin and its beauty. In the cosmetic field, the extract is used as a preservative, antioxidant, stabilizer of natural dyes and as a deodorant.

Green tea extract nourishes and moisturizes the skin, improves and strengthens its very structure. It also prevents skin aging, enhancing its protective functions, and at the cellular level it has a general positive effect. In the food industry, green tea extract is used as a natural antioxidant to prevent the oxidation of oils and fats. It is a stabilizer for a number of unstable and rapidly oxidizing compounds.

Contraindications to the use of green tea

While green tea has many health benefits, it should not be consumed in excess. It is generally contraindicated for people with hypotension, since green tea reduces blood pressure. Ulcers are also better off not using green tea preparations.

If you have drunk alcohol, then forget about green tea! If alcohol and green tea are consumed at the same time, then aldehydes are formed, and this will have an extremely negative effect on the kidneys. It is undesirable to use preparations from green tea and on an empty stomach.

Education: A diploma in the specialty "Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the University named after N. I. Pirogov (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Moscow University of Peoples' Friendship (2008).

Expert editor: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna| Dietitian, endocrinologist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University N. I. Pirogov, specialty "Medicine" (2004). Residency at the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).

Radio Puer FM. Issue 51

We are talking about trainings that are gaining popularity to help beginner tea entrepreneurs and what information can be gleaned from them; about whether it is worth considering what we do as a business, and about what we would really like to wish to those who are thinking about creating their own tea project.


Recently, we are often asked to give some advice to those who want to start their own tea business. For people who grew up in the vast expanses of the former Land of the Soviets, it is quite natural to look for clues before taking on something. There are only two things that upset me about this. Firstly, many people are quite sloppy in their choice of advisers, and tend to listen to beautiful and confident-sounding words, not really understanding how competent the person who pronounces them is. In particular, Russia is a true paradise for pseudoscientists; some of them are on the verge or even beyond sanity, but at the same time they have armies of faithfully believing fans. In the tea world, real insane people are perhaps not easy to meet, but the competence of many gurus causes laughter ... through tears. For example, we recently saw a tea group on VKontakte, the author of which has been professionally engaged in the tea trade for more than 10 years, but at the same time says that he cannot distinguish shen pu-erh from shu, and, moreover, claims that hardly anyone can distinguish them at all. . As they say, comments are superfluous. But people ask him questions, listen to the answers and thank him for them!

And secondly, mass unified production has developed a habit among people that you can go and buy a ready-made thing that will fit perfectly into a standard interior made up of the same typical things, and it seems that they also apply to ideas and recipes. success. Whereas the recipes for true success are often inseparable from their creators and bearers, and in the tea world we have clear evidence of this. If you watch how the masters make tea, you will notice that they often break the well-known rules, and the tea turns out perfectly. But if you exactly reproduce their sequence of actions, it may very well be that the result will be discouraging.

In general, I would advise you to treat advice from someone else's shoulder with caution. And it’s better to ask for advice on the tea business from those who have a more or less profitable tea business project, and not from us, because we are not involved in the tea business, at least if we understand business as an activity whose main goal is to extract arrived. We have other goals. You know, there is such a thing as “socially oriented business”? So, our project is a commercially oriented charity. Let this word not mislead you - this is not about charity in the modern sense, that is, not about distributing freebies that educate entire generations of freebie hunters and destroy relationships based on professionalism. The point is that the tasks of the “Owl and Panda” lie not in the noble plane of building economic empires, but in a purely selfish sphere: we need someone to drink good tea with and talk about it with. We are too lazy to wait until such people appear themselves, so we give people tea, sell them tea and tell them about tea. Of course, we would not refuse to make our tea business profitable and self-sufficient, but we are far from ready for everything for this, since this task is not our main task. Judge for yourself whether it is worth imitating us, or whether it is better to take an example from the sharks of the tea economy.

Different goals dictate a different course of action. For example, if you ask tea businessmen what is better - one good supplier or ten different ones, most will answer: “Of course, one is good!” And this is logical: after all, the larger the order, the greater the wholesale discount and, accordingly, the benefit. Plus, each supplier is a job, it is time for negotiations and placing an order, time and money for tasting his teas, etc. And we already have more than ten suppliers, their number continues to grow, and the share of even the best of them in our assortment does not exceed 20-25%. Because the quality of each item in our collection is important to us. And we take wuyishan oolongs in one place, and guangdong ones in another; xiaozhong from one supplier, jin jun mei from another.

Trainings for beginner tea businessmen have recently become extremely popular. Over the past month, invitations to such events - I must say, quite expensive - I met several times. When it becomes more profitable to sell the secrets of your business than your own product, it makes you wary!))) But seriously, the logic of large wholesale companies is not difficult to understand - just as we are interested in having more people who love tea and understand it, so and they are interested in having more people buying tea in bulk from them, and trying to encourage the audience to do so. Theoretically, they should also be interested in the success of their students, which means they should conduct their trainings sensibly. In practice, I'm afraid, in Russia it turns out to be more profitable to expand your audience than to work on the quality of the product. It is no coincidence that network and matrix marketing systems are so barbarously popular in our country.

And one company, one of our suppliers, recently started a free series of webinars to help novice tea traders, for everyone (by the way, we noticed some of our listeners among the participants). It would seem, why all of a sudden such generosity? And everything is very simple: this company has developed sets of, let's say, guidelines for beginners, and a good half hour of each webinar is devoted to the fact that if you place an order with us for 20,000, you will receive a standard kit for free, and if you order 35,000, then extended, etc. . Understandable, right?

We also touched this storehouse of commercial secrets. What can be said? It is like a window into a strange and completely alien world. At these webinars, they talk, for example, about calculating advertising conversion: you change the text on a pillar or on flyers handed out near the metro and count how many more people began to enter your store. And my most beloved and, by the way, quite visited tea places did not have not only outdoor advertising, but often signs in general. Or, for example, there is a lot of talk about scripts, about the fact that it is generally impossible to work without scripts. Scripts are such templates, algorithms for standard responses of a seller or manager to typical questions and claims. That is, such an attempt to turn an employee into a robot. Would you like to buy tea from a robot? We met tea places that work on scripts. The impression is amusing and more than repulsive. Or take the advice to use the Odnoklassniki website as an information resource, because no one uses it, and there you will be out of competition - it seems that there is logic here, but is it worth following it ...

In general, all this has a very distant relation to tea, in fact, this is a banal retail sales training. Do these recommendations work in the tea business? Maybe. Why don't they work. Do they work well? Everything is relative. The host of these webinars cited the work of their company at a weekend event in Gorky Park as an example. The rent is very expensive, he said, but the organizers worked it out honestly, ensuring high traffic. And the net profit for 2 days amounted to 20,000 rubles. To some, it may seem that this is not so bad. But we happen to be somewhat familiar with such activities. One of our acquaintances earns just retail trade at festive events. So, if it weren’t for a large company, but for a modest individual entrepreneur, and not in Moscow’s Gorky Park, but on the square of a provincial regional center, without any support from the organizers, he earned only 10,000 in a day, he would try not to tell anyone about this so as not to disgrace himself .

If you have a desire to make tea professionally, I would advise you to decide on the motivation at the very beginning: why you need it. Why do you want to do this? This does not mean that you need to invent some kind of concept; gather creators, copywriters, arrange brainstorming, and then share your insights. No, it's just not bad to be aware of what intention drives you, what kind of fuel your enthusiasm is filled with. You probably know the parable about workers at a construction site who were asked what they were doing. One answered: "I'm dragging a wheelbarrow with bricks." Another said, "I'm making money for my family." And the third said: “I am building a temple!” And although outwardly they are busy with the same thing, the way they do it will be different, and the result will be the same. I do not urge you to strive for the most lofty goals, although they can also be set and realized. One tea project, which I like very much, has a simple and understandable motto: “We bring goodness through tea.” But this does not have to be imitated. Idealism is good, but honesty is more important and necessary. It is better to honestly drag a wheelbarrow than to sing in unison: “We are building a temple! Wow, what a nice temple! Oh, what good fellows we are! - while wheelbarrows and bricks will be lying somewhere to the side.

Motivations can be very different. That is why the tea world is not very united and not even very friendly. From the outside, we all do the same thing, but if you look closely, then someone needs profit, someone needs positive communication, someone promotes the respectfulness and meditativeness of tea culture, and someone needs emancipation and ease, and all these people go not only in more than one way, but often in general in opposite directions.

Then it is important to decide on the direction of activity. There can also be many of them, and for sure there are such applications of tea that no one has thought of yet. But globally, I would single out two formats: a tea club where people come mainly to drink tea (although you can also buy tea in most tea clubs), and a tea shop where people go mainly to buy tea (although in most good tea shops (tea parties also take place). Personally, we definitely chose the second one for ourselves, because we want our guests to work with tea on their own at home, gain their own experience, make their own discoveries and not be tied to our tea space. So that they drink high-quality tea not once a week at the club, but every day. It is much easier to create and maintain a truly tea atmosphere in a shop, while people who are interested in socializing and having a good time, rather than tea, often come to the club.

You can also sell tea in different ways. The remarkable tea man Denis Shumakov identified four main strategies. In their pure form, they probably do not occur, but usually one of them predominates.

The first is the basic one: “bought and resold”. Everything is simple here. This is just the scope of the laws of the market in its purest form. The rest of the strategies include an element of creativity.

The second is bringing the product closer to the customer. Complain about the high pace of life and lack of time? Here are bags for you even more packaged, tipodiki even more typey, and here is a novelty for you - powdered tea: put a pinch into a plastic cup, stir and drink! Love milk oolong? Here you have banana and pineapple, the bushes of which, according to ancient tradition, are watered not with milk, but with tropical fruit juice. And so on. The adherents of this approach insist that it is necessary to give the client what he wants: if he wants cheap money, he must give cheap money; if he wants lies, he must give lies. On the one hand, yes, we work, ultimately, for people, and not in the name of great bright ideals. And on the other hand, if you purposefully follow the tastes of the masses, then it takes a few years for everything around to be filled with squalor. Look at modern Russian cinema, at the modern Russian book market, at the modern Russian stage.

The third strategy is the opposite: bringing the buyer closer to a high-quality product, developing the taste of consumers, turning them into demanding connoisseurs. Complain about the high pace of life? Try to switch off from this rhythm for an hour and spend this hour on thoughtful tea drinking. Suddenly you like it? Look at your life from the tea space. Maybe you will have new ideas about this very tempo. Love milk oolong? Taste the real highland Taiwanese Jin Xuan. And now Thai. And now New Zealand. Isn't it much more interesting, isn't it? And so on. This occupation is not only noble, but also provides the greatest benefit imaginable: the opportunity to live in a world that you have made a little better with your own hands.

Well, the fourth option is the creation of some structures in which tea as such is given a secondary place. For example, the erection of a separate complex supposedly ancient tradition into a cult. Or, conversely, extreme simplicity. Or something else. Elements of something like this are often found, because in fact, tea as a substance is not so interesting as what is behind it. But it may also happen that the tea itself is completely lost behind this cult.

On each of these paths there is a place for both conscientiousness and sincerity, as well as their opposites. For us, first of all, the choice between truth and lies, between calmness and fear, and between quantity and quality is important.

I have met tea projects whose authors are afraid that their customers will not find out about the existence of competitors, that competitors will not find out about their suppliers, etc. Friends, try not to take an example from such people, try to organize your business in such a way that you do not benefit from the lack of information from your customers, do not benefit from ignorance, so that you, on the contrary, benefit from the fact that people will know more and more understand so that you are not afraid that someone will find out something - and you will see how much easier it is to breathe from this.

Just as generously as with knowledge, it is worth doing with the tea itself. In a good tea place, tea is drunk often and in large quantities, ideally continuously. Good tea speaks for itself. Not everything can be heard and understood the first time, but if people are given tea systematically, many will understand what it is good for, without any advertising and exhortations.

There will be those who will not understand - well, good tea is not for everyone, just like good books, good music and good movies. And in the end, if you don't enjoy serving people tea, maybe you should look for something more enjoyable?

Take care of your own erudition. When a tea merchant claims that milk oolong is poured with milk, or that shu pu-erh is indistinguishable from sheng, or simply knows little about tea, he discredits not only himself, but the entire industry. Let's not forget the honor of the profession. And, as with tea itself, look for sources of quality knowledge about it. You should not consider the first Chinese you come across as a tea teacher. When the words and actions of Chinese tea sellers are cited as a weighty argument, it is sad and funny. You should also not think that from any book you can learn everything about tea. Neither Pokhlebkin nor Vinogrodsky has either exhaustive or simply completely true information. You need to read, watch and listen a lot, and so that information does not form a disorderly heap in the mind, you need a basic education that will allow you to systematize it. Go through a good tea school at least once with someone who has been working with tea for a long time and seriously.

At the webinar, which was mentioned at the beginning of the issue, we not only listened to the presenter, but also watched the communication of the participants in the chat, and it seemed to us that many of them have known good tea for only a year or two, or even are completely unfamiliar, and with retail trade in general - too, but they are already building ambitious commercial plans.

The impression of such people is very similar to the impression of people who ask for advice on some tea, otherwise they do not understand anything about it. And here, in addition to some tea, they ask for advice on some tea business, because they do not understand either one or the other. Well, if you don't know and don't like tea, if business in your understanding comes down to elementary buying and selling, then why tea? There are a lot of goods in the world that do not require knowledge about themselves, and are in excellent mass demand.

The utilitarian approach to the tea business reminds me of a modern inside-out logic like: “I’m already so many years old, it’s time to give birth, so I need to get married, how would I get to know someone?” It is possible, of course, and so, but with this approach, you should not count on a happy marriage. The natural order of things is reversed: first acquaintance, then love, and then marriage and the birth of children. And in the tea business too: it’s better to start with an acquaintance with tea, then a passion for it and a desire to get to know it more deeply, and then serious professional relationships and obligations)))

Tea is important, knowledge and skills are important, but the people who surround you and for whom you work are perhaps even more important. And here, more than ever, the question of choice between quantity and quality arises. Many tea people use the expressions "fight for customers," "persuade people to tea," "promote" or "promote tea," and so on. as a matter of course. We do not believe that aggressive, bazaar marketing is appropriate when it comes to good tea. Tea is a quiet thing. It’s good to talk about him calmly, and sometimes keep quiet. If you have to shout about tea, something is wrong.

I often meet tea groups that consist of thousands and tens of thousands of people, and all the content comes down to typical pictures and quotes that are already familiar by heart. It's hard for me to understand why create a group if you personally have nothing to say? Why spend hours inviting everyone to the group? Wouldn't it be better to sit down, have some tea, think a little and write something worthwhile, something that the band members would like to tell their friends about? Why these appeals to the participants with requests for likes and reposts? Any reasonable and caring member of the group understands how informational support is needed, and if he does not provide it on his own initiative, it means that the group is not interesting enough, and efforts should be directed to this, and not to ask for alms. When we created a group, we asked active acquaintances to invite their friends to it, and we really didn’t like what happened: the group was filled with people who didn’t and don’t care about tea. And since then, we have not invited anyone at all, with the exception of those whom we first met live. Everyone else finds the group and joins it on their own, on their own initiative. The group is growing not very fast, but steadily, and most importantly - at the expense of people who are really interested in it, and not at the expense of everyone in a row.

There are many ways to artificially increase the popularity of a group - lotteries, discount promotions, etc., by the way, this is also given a lot of attention at business webinars. There, people discuss in a chat how much it costs to pay for a repost - 20 rubles or 30. In my opinion, all these tricks are very similar to artificial additives in tea - they make it more attractive for those whose taste is low, but they only spoil good tea.

I believe that it is better to take care of doing your job as best as possible, and not that as many random, outsiders as possible know about you.

But on the other hand, you should not approach the matter with excessive seriousness and try to fit yourself into some, even very good standards. Don't be afraid to experiment and be creative. If you are interested in tea, you are interested in drinking it and watering your friends and acquaintances - do it. It doesn't matter if you have a tea toy and a beautiful tea table. If the tea way calls you, then sooner or later, one way or another, you will acquire everything you need. If you need experience working at mass events and experience of working with a large number of people, then various festivals are just what can be a good help. In general, you should not be afraid. If you confidently walk, even in small steps, along the path that is really yours, then there will be people and circumstances that will provide support and help, give you the necessary experience and teach you how to act.

"I'm a businessman. My business is related to the grain trade. But I always wanted to find some useful hobby for myself, so that it would also be useful to people. I decided to study the history of tea - it seemed interesting. I started looking for where to buy it. First in the city, then in online stores. Having tried the purchased teas, I realized: from those that I ordered on the Internet, they are in a pleasant state, they have a pure taste - without any chemicals. The Chinese call this aftertaste "cha tsy" - life force, energy.

There is a saying: you can drink a different Chinese tea every day and not repeat it once a year.

I have tasted over 50 teas by name. I learned that the main groups of teas are green, yellow, white, red, oolong, black. A separate group is pu-erh. These are post-fermented teas, that is, they have undergone natural or artificial aging with the help of a special fungus. Pu-erhs are dark and light. This is one of the most expensive types of tea, very tasty and exceptionally healthy.”

step to self-development

“The competition among tea professionals became a stepping stone for my self-development. For me, this is something sporty and fun at the same time. Plus communication with like-minded people, with those who are fond of tea culture. Basically, these are creative people - either involved in sports or art: music, painting.

IN Tea Master Cup participating for the second time. I tried it last year and saw what it was like. Took 4-5th place in the skill of brewing and tea composition. This year I went to Rostov-on-Don for qualifying competitions. Participated in the same nominations and also in the tasting.

At the tasting, they give you a taste, smell, look at five teas. Then they are brewed in the same pot at the same temperature and for the same time. It is poured into common bowls, tasting spoons are distributed and recorded for 10 minutes. Both the correctness and the speed of determining the types of tea by the contestants are taken into account.

In Rostov, the first place was taken by a guy from Moscow, who has been professionally engaged in tea tasting for three years. He guessed four teas, I guessed three and took second place, so I went to Moscow for the final. The same Muscovite also won the Russian Championship, but I became the fifth among 13 participants (guessed two teas). Now my goal is to take a prize at the next Russian championship.”

Tea ceremony

“The easiest way to make tea is Ping Cha. It is used for tea drinking at home. Is there some more gong fu cha- higher mastery of the tea ceremony using tea pairs and following certain rules.

For a quiet tea drinking, we need a teapot, a chahai (an intermediate vessel where the brewed tea is poured from a teapot before pouring it into cups), a chabei (a cup), a chaji (a set of tools: a scoop, tongs, a needle, a spatula, etc.) and a chaban (tea table).

First, we prepare the dishes, warm them up: this tea opens up better. This is one of the symbolic actions of preparing for the tea ceremony.

We wash the dishes, awakening a warm spirit, a wave. Pour tea into a warm teapot. The teapot I use for brewing is a reproduction of one of the oldest teapots by the Chinese master Gong Chun. So, pour boiling water - it washes the tea, as it were, awakening it and washing away dust particles from it. We drain this water and continue to warm the dishes, dousing it with boiling water. This procedure must be repeated again and again. Then, after infusing the tea, pour it into the chahai, where the tea leaves settle, and then into the cups. Why is the infusion not immediately poured to the guests? Because, pouring it alternately into cups, we will get tea of ​​different strength, and in chahai it mixes, becomes homogeneous. That is why chahai is called the cup of justice.”

A cure for 100 diseases

“All Chinese tea, if it is real, is useful, it does not have any side effects. The studies of Japanese and English scientists say that tea contains more than 100 microelements useful for humans. Although they are in microdoses, they are very important.

Tea is called a cure for 100 diseases. According to chemical properties, and this was again confirmed by studies, tea lowers blood sugar levels, strengthens the cardiovascular system. Interestingly, there is an area in China where pu-erh (post-fermented tea) has been grown for centuries. There are few cancer patients in this very tea-drinking area, there are practically none. And people live up to 90-100 years.

They say that all diseases come from the internal state of a person, his lifestyle, behavior, sensations. Tea helps to calm down, feel calm, gives a state in which you do not want to be angry, but want to be in a pleasant state of mind. Tea reveals some inner potential, new talents through a subtle state of taste. And I see it everywhere: someone begins to write poetry, someone is fond of music, someone generally changes their lifestyle, monitors their diet.

Communication with such people charges with positive, tunes in a creative wave. In the future, I also plan to open my own tea house or participate in some large tea project. I want to approach this with a stock of knowledge and experience.”

heady effect

“Sometimes after drinking tea you can feel a feeling of intoxication, slight dizziness. But it is very subtle, sublime. I try not to call it intoxication, because most people immediately associate with something negative. This is some kind of tea state. It happens that somewhere at a tasting, when buying tea in China, a person tries a lot of teas and is already too in good shape. After all, you can get an overabundance of everything. It is the same with tea: it gives an influx of oxygen into the blood, which stimulates brain activity.

By the way, there is more caffeine in tea than in coffee. But tea is excreted from the body, does not accumulate, it has a milder effect. From coffee immediately the tone appears. And tea gives a smooth, thin wave, stretched in time.

There is another expression: tea intoxicates with its sobriety.

If you drink tea on an empty stomach, you may experience mild nausea due to irritated stomach lining. This applies to green teas, sheng pu-erh (green pu-erh). It is better to drink not immediately after a meal, but after 40 minutes. Although dark teas that are fermented by fire can also be taken on an empty stomach if they are gently brewed.

How to choose and store tea?

“It is better to buy high-quality elite tea in tea clubs (they are also available in Belgorod). Or online stores. I do not recommend any large trading platforms: there is a big risk of getting the wrong tea. Very enthusiastic people work in our clubs. They travel to China to tea plantations, buy tea from farmers and already know from experience how the drink should look like, how to brew.

As a rule, tea is a whole leaf, evenly roasted, with a clean, not sharp aroma. Any good tea should give a complacent, pleasant mood. There shouldn't be any discomfort. Low-quality can knit in the mouth, it will not have any game of taste. Real tea brews quickly and has a sparkling, clear, clear color.

It is important to store tea properly. Oolong (semi-fermented tea, which according to Chinese classification is between green and black) is placed in the freezer at -18 °. This does not allow him to weather. I recommend buying home 50-100 g, so that the tea does not stale. Store in a dry, dark place without foreign odors. The refrigerator should not be: there are smells. Tea is a delicate product. For aged teas, an old bookshelf is good. It is good to store in a separate bedside table, putting a glass of water there. Or in a tightly sealed jar.

Tea bags

“For the seventh year I do not drink tea bags. As a rule, blended tea comes in a bag, that is, not a mono-sort, moreover, of lower quality. Perhaps they are blended with others, of better quality, but in small proportions - to give flavor. He gathers somewhere in African countries, India, Kenya. Machine processing is possible. All the teas I drink are hand-picked. Tea bags are intended for mass consumption and are more aimed at getting big profits with small investments.

The bag itself is made of paper or some soft material. Its particles, as well as the glue with which the tag is glued, get into the water during brewing, and then we drink it ... In principle, the tea itself cannot be called bad. It's just lower quality and rougher in taste. Harm can be if you brewed it, it has cooled down, and you drink it cold. Tea can be drunk only when it is brewed, while the tea leaf gives up its juice.

foundation of the foundations

“The choice of water is very important: tea starts with it, it is the basis. We take a 10-point scale. For example, water is 7 points, and tea is 9. The final score will be 8, that is, water delays quality. And if the water is good, and the tea is worse, then the taste of tea improves due to water. The best option is water from a mountain spring, as written in Chinese treatises. It should be clean, without any taste of salt, astringency and may be slightly sweet. This is a natural sweetened taste.

By temperature. If you brew pu-erh and dark teas, then the maximum temperature is from 90 to 100 °. Dark or light oolong, green teas - 70-85 °.

With or without lemon

“Whoever considers it necessary, he adds lemon to tea. There is nothing wrong with that. Chinese tea is drunk without anything, because it is self-sufficient: it has the whole palette of flavors. Nature and the master who roasts the tea leaf, everything is laid down. When you interfere with something or snack on something, you cover the delicate taste of tea with brighter aromas. You can eat a few nuts, dried fruits, dried apricots, prunes: it goes well together, does not interrupt the taste, and the receptors remain clean.

At competitions in the nomination "Tea Composition" tea is just mixed with something or served with an appetizer. She continues the taste of tea or overlaps, beats, and then the taste returns again. There are people who know how to find such nuances. One girl at the championship even splashed some orange perfume into her tea.

I am calm about all the traditions of tea drinking. For example, to English, when tea is diluted with milk. I myself never add anything to tea.”

Posted by Sergei Belykh

Since ancient times, people have known about the miraculous properties of Ivan tea, so they carefully collected it, dried it and prepared it for the winter, providing themselves with a delicious warming drink and excellent medicine. Why do you need to drink Ivan tea?

Useful properties of tea

Not every person knows why Ivan-tea is needed? It's a pity, because it has the ability to restore the mechanisms for the full functioning of the body, special attention should be paid to its medicinal properties:

• contains a huge amount of vitamin C, which is necessary to strengthen immunity and preserve youth;
• normalizes human blood by alkalizing it;
• cleanses the body, helping to remove toxins and toxins;
• perfectly increases potency, even in men of respectable age, ensures normal work;
• improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• reduces fever, inflammation and helps to overcome colds;
• helps with severe migraines;
• able to prevent oncology;
• relaxing effect on the nervous system;
• quickly restores strength after a hard labor process;
• restores hair health, strengthening and preventing hair loss;
• helps with diseases of the stomach and intestines due to its enveloping properties.

Preparation for the winter

Every summer, the time comes when you need to collect Ivan-chai grass. In July - early August (learn more about), it reaches a state in which useful components are at their peak of activity. The top ones break off, and they should be juicy, healthy, which means that the color should be bright green without yellowish spots and signs of spoilage. It is better to get up early in the morning and, if no rain is expected, go to the field to collect tea, as at this time the plants will be most juicy after the night. This suggests that there will be more active components than after a hot day, when all living things are exhausted from the rays of the scorching sun. Then you need to dry Ivan-tea. To do this, it is laid out in a thin layer in a well-ventilated place where direct sunlight does not fall. At what temperature should Ivan-chai be dried? The drying temperature is about 20 degrees, this will allow the tea to retain all the benefits and aroma. But we have also prepared an article if you are interested in the question. After complete drying, the grass should be folded into thick paper bags and closed well to avoid penetration of insects, because the tea exudes a very pleasant, alluring aroma.

Learn more in an educational article.

Do I need to wash Ivan Chai after picking? Depends on the condition of the plants. If it rained the day before and washed away all the dust, then you can not wash it. But if you see that dirt is present or the earth has got in, it will be useful to rinse, as it is necessary in a form suitable for further use. There is still tea, but it requires effort and time, therefore, in order not to complicate your life, you can buy ready-made fermented tea in a pharmacy or a specialized store, and our information site will help you figure out how best to use and store Ivan tea.

Secrets of use

To get the most healthy and delicious drink, you should take only high-quality water - spring or multi-level purification. Take a teapot or a thermos, previously scalded with boiling water. Take tea from the calculation: 3 teaspoons per half liter of water - to get the most intense taste and aroma. Experts recommend pouring boiling water in two stages - the vessel is filled by one third, wait 5 minutes and top up to the end. After 10-15 minutes, you can enjoy an excellent drink. In addition, it has a unique feature - it retains its properties and taste, even if you add water to the teapot several times, and can be stored ready-made for two whole days, and even when cold it will be extremely tasty. As a dessert, it is recommended to use Ivan-tea with honey, figs, halva, nuts, dried apricots.

Video about what Ivan-Chai grass is for

Here we will give some features of the use of both black and green tea, as well as the rules that you need to follow when drinking tea if you are looking after your health.

What are the benefits of green tea.

Green tea preparations have a diuretic effect, but due to the stimulating effect, it is not recommended to use it as a diuretic.

Green tea is one of the best remedies for fatigue. Green tea infusion is used as an antimicrobial agent for dysentery. This tea is a means of preventing urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. Both red and green as well as black teas support the tone of the body. In individual tea consumption can affect the appetite - both by stoking and satisfying the feeling of hunger.

Due to the content of vitamin C, green tea helps to cope with many cancers. Vitamin P contained in green tea makes the walls of blood vessels stronger and more elastic. All these beneficial properties also apply to black or red tea. The beneficial properties of green tea are due to the fact that its composition contains a large number of various bioactive substances, trace elements and vitamins.

Fun fact: red or black tea was used in an extremely unusual way during Soviet times. Women of fashion did without solariums to make the skin swarthy. To do this, they poured some water into black tea, put it on fire, bringing it to a boil, and then insisted, waiting for the liquid to cool. The skin was rubbed with this infusion twice a day. Tanning without sunbathing is ready.

However, some people should carefully drink tea so as not to harm themselves.

Tea, whether black, green, red or pu-erh, is certainly extremely beneficial for health.

1. Pregnant women

Any tea contains a certain amount of caffeine, which, by stimulating the fetus, negatively affects its development. It is often heard that since there is less caffeine in black (red) tea, it is not harmful to pregnant women. But, in reality, black and green tea do not differ much in this indicator. According to Japanese researchers, five cups of tea drunk a day contains such an amount of caffeine that can lead to significant underweight in an infant. In addition, caffeine causes an increase in heart rate and increases urination, which increases the burden on the heart and kidneys, and thus increases the likelihood of developing toxicosis.

2. Suffering from stomach problems

Although tea, especially pu-erh, promotes digestion, but those suffering from stomach and duodenal ulcers, as well as high acidity in the stomach, should avoid drinking it, both green and black. A healthy stomach contains a compound of phosphoric acid, which reduces the secretion of gastric acid in the cells of the stomach wall, but theophylline contained in tea can suppress the function of this compound, resulting in excess stomach acid, and the increased acidity of the gastric juice disrupts the functionality of the stomach and promotes ulcers. Therefore, those who have stomach problems, and, moreover, those who already have, should stop drinking both black and green, and other types of tea, since this will remove the stimulation of gastric acid secretion characteristic of tea and can be harmful.

3. Suffering from atherosclerosis and hypertension

Patients with a similar diagnosis should also stop drinking black and strongly brewed green tea. This is due to the fact that tea contains theophylline and caffeine, which have an exciting effect on the central nervous system. And when the cerebral cortex becomes agitated, the blood vessels in the brain constrict, which is harmful to those suffering from atherosclerosis and can cause blood clots to form in the brain.

4. Insomniacs

Insomnia can have a variety of causes, but regardless of its causes, you should not drink green or black (even weak and sweet) tea - due to the stimulating effect of caffeine. Just one cup of tea before bed puts the central nervous system and brain in a state of excitement, the pulse quickens, blood flow accelerates, it becomes almost impossible to fall asleep. To get the maximum benefit and no harm from drinking tea, it is recommended to finish tea drinking a couple of hours before bedtime. For the elderly, drinking tea in the morning is recommended.

5. Patients with fever

The heat is accompanied by the expansion of superficial blood vessels and increased sweating, therefore, high temperature leads to an overuse of water, dielectrics and nutrients, which causes thirst. It is generally accepted that hot black tea quenches thirst well, and therefore is useful at elevated temperatures. But this is very far from reality. Recently, British pharmacologists have found that tea not only does not benefit those suffering from fever, but, on the contrary, theophylline, which is especially abundant in green tea, increases body temperature. Theophylline, present in both black and green tea, is also a diuretic and therefore renders any antipyretic drugs ineffective.

In addition, you should pay attention to the following factors when drinking tea:

scalding tea
Too hot tea strongly stimulates the throat, esophagus and stomach, and can also burn the mucous membrane of the mouth, which will prevent you from fully enjoying the wonderful taste of tea. The tea temperature should not exceed +56°.

Cold tea
While moderately hot tea gives energy, clears the mind and vision, cold tea has the negative side effects of cold stasis and accumulation of phlegm.

Strong tea.
The high content of theine and caffeine in strong tea can cause headaches and insomnia.

Long brewing tea.
If tea is brewed for too long, tea phenol, lipids, essential oils begin to spontaneously oxidize, which not only deprives the tea of ​​transparency, taste and aroma, but also significantly reduces the nutritional value of tea due to the oxidation of vitamins C and P contained in tea leaves, as well as other valuable substances.

Multiple brewing.
The number of brews is determined by the method of brewing and the quality of the tea. When brewing tea "in European style", when each brew is infused for 5-10 minutes, usually after the third or fourth brew, there is little left in the tea leaves. Experiments show that the first infusion extracts approximately 50% of the nutrients from the tea leaves, the second 30%, the third only about 10%, and the fourth adds another 1-3%. If you continue to brew tea further, then harmful substances contained in tea leaves in very small quantities may begin to enter the infusion, since they are the last to enter the infusion. When brewing tea using the Ping Cha method, when a lot of tea is placed in a small volume and infused a little (a few seconds), the tea withstands 5-8 brews, some collection varieties 10-15 brews.

Tea before meals.
Tea drunk just before a meal leads to liquefaction of saliva, the food begins to seem tasteless, in addition, the absorption of protein by the digestive organs may temporarily decrease. Therefore, tea should be drunk no later than 20-30 minutes before meals.

Tea after meals.
The tannin content in tea can cause protein and iron to harden, making them less absorbable. If you want to drink tea after a meal, wait 20-30 minutes.

Tea on an empty stomach.
If you drink strongly brewed tea on an empty stomach, "the cold nature of the tea, penetrating in, can cool the spleen and stomach," which can cause discomfort.

Drinking medicine with tea.
The tannins contained in tea break down to form tannin, from which many medicines precipitate and are poorly absorbed. That is why the Chinese say that tea destroys medicines.

Yesterday's tea.
Tea that has stood for a day not only loses vitamins, but due to the high content of protein and sugars, it becomes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. If the tea has not deteriorated, it is quite possible to use it for medicinal purposes, but as an external remedy. So, tea that has been infused for a day is rich in acids and fluorine, which prevent bleeding from capillaries, so yesterday's tea helps with inflammation of the oral cavity, pain in the tongue, eczema, bleeding gums, superficial skin lesions, abscesses.
Washing the eyes with yesterday's tea helps to reduce discomfort when manifested in the proteins of blood vessels and after tears, and rinsing the mouth in the morning, before brushing the teeth and after eating, not only leaves a feeling of freshness, but also strengthens the teeth.

Note: The information given is quite general and varies depending on the type of tea and the conditions of its brewing. So, in particular, with regard to the number of infusions of one serving of tea, good varieties of tea can withstand 10 or more infusions, retaining their color, aroma and nutritional qualities; the temperature of the water for brewing a tea leaf is also a variable indicator, it varies from 65 degrees for light teas - green and white, to 95-100 degrees for black and red teas ...

frequency of tea drinking.

No matter how useful tea is, do not forget about moderation. Excessive consumption of tea means increased stress on the heart and kidneys. Strong tea leads to excitation of the brain, rapid heartbeat, frequent urination, insomnia. Caffeine in high doses has been shown by recent medical studies to contribute to certain diseases. Therefore, with tea you should know when to stop.
On average, 4-5 cups of not very strong tea during the day are beneficial, especially for a middle-aged person. Some cannot do without strong tea, because otherwise they do not feel the taste. In this case, you should limit yourself to 2-3 cups, at the rate of 3 grams of tea leaves per cup, so 5-10 grams of tea comes out per day. Tea is better to drink a little, but often and always freshly brewed. Of course, you should not drink tea at bedtime. It is useful for older people to drink simply boiled water in the evening, it is best to boil it shortly before and then cool it to room temperature.

The Chinese drink tea no more than three times a day.

On the intoxicating effect of tea.

"Tea drunkenness" can be caused by drinking too much tea or improperly brewed tea. The harm from such intoxication can hardly be called too strong, but you still should not abuse tea. Tea on an empty stomach, tea on a full stomach, a shock dose of tea for an unaccustomed organism can lead to symptoms such as restlessness, dizziness, impotence in the limbs, discomfort in the stomach, unsteady standing, hunger. As for the different varieties and ways of drinking tea, tea on an empty stomach is the most dangerous. The most susceptible to tea intoxication are weakened people with emptiness in the kidneys. When the described symptoms appear, you should immediately eat something - either honey or fruit.

Tea and alcohol.

Tea is not compatible with alcohol. Tea after alcohol adversely affects the kidneys. Theophylline found in tea speeds up the process of urine production in the kidneys, which leads to the fact that not yet broken down acetaldehyde can get into them, which has a highly stimulating, harmful effect on the kidneys, in some cases life-threatening. Alcoholic beverages should not be mixed with tea, and especially with strong tea. According to the yin-yang doctrine, alcohol has a pungent taste, which first of all goes to the lungs, the lungs correspond to the skin and interact with the large intestine. As for tea, it promotes the rise of yang energy and stimulates blood circulation, it tastes bitter and belongs to yang. When tea is drunk after alcoholic drinks, it has a stimulating effect on the kidneys, the kidneys govern water, water gives rise to warmth, as a result of which cold stasis occurs, which leads to cloudy urine, excessive dryness of the feces, and impotence. In the famous treatise of Li Shi-zhen, “Ben-cao gan-mu” it is written: “Tea after wine harms the kidneys, the lower back and hips are filled with heaviness, the bladder becomes cold and sore, and in addition, phlegm accumulates, and swelling appears from the drunk liquid” .

Modern medicine complements Chinese teachings. First, the alcohol in alcohol has a strong stimulating effect on the heart and blood vessels, and tea has a similar effect. Therefore, when the action of tea is added to the action of alcohol, the heart receives even stronger stimulation, which does not bode well for people with weakened heart function.
Secondly, tea after even very light alcohol negatively affects the kidneys. So most of the alcohol is converted first in the liver into acetaldehyde, then into acetic acid, which, decomposing into carbon dioxide and water, is then excreted through the kidneys from the body. Theophylline found in tea speeds up the process of urine production in the kidneys, which leads to the fact that not yet broken down acetaldehyde can get into them, which has a highly stimulating, harmful effect on the kidneys, in some cases life-threatening.
Therefore, alcoholic beverages (even low-grade beer) should not be mixed with tea. It is best to eat fruits - sweet tangerines, pears, apples, or, even better, drink watermelon juice. In a pinch, fruit juice or sweetened water will help. Chinese pharmacology also recommends a decoction of kudzu liana flowers or a decoction of kudzu root and mung beans for quick sobering up. If intoxication is characterized by such symptoms as slow breathing, unconsciousness, weakening of the pulse, cold sweat on the skin, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Is it good for children to drink tea?

It is generally accepted that tea is harmful to children, as it has a too pronounced stimulating effect. Parents are also afraid that tea can damage the spleen and stomach, which are very tender in childhood. In fact, there are no grounds for these fears.
Tea contains phenolic derivatives, caffeine, vitamins, protein, sugars, aromatic compounds, as well as zinc and fluorine, necessary for the development of the child's body. Therefore, tea, subject to moderation, is undoubtedly useful for children. In general, you should not give children more than 2-3 small cups a day, do not brew tea strongly, and even more so give it to drink in the evening. Also, tea should be warm, not hot or cold.

Little children often have an increased appetite and easily overeat. In this case, tea will help, as it dissolves fats, improves intestinal motility and increases the separation of digestive secretions. The vitamins and methionine contained in tea effectively regulate fat metabolism and reduce the feeling of discomfort after fatty meat meals. Tea also removes the "fire", from the excess of which children often suffer. The symptom of fire (according to traditional Chinese medicine) is dryness of the feces, which leads to difficult defecation. To get rid of this problem, some try to give honey and bananas to children, but this only gives a one-time effect. The best way to eliminate "fire" is to regularly consume tea, which according to traditional Chinese medicine is "bitter and cold", and therefore removes fire and heat. The people describe the effect of tea on the body as follows: "at the top it clears the head and eyesight, in the middle it improves the digestion of food, and at the bottom it improves urination and defecation," and these words are undoubtedly justified. In addition, as you know, microelements are necessary for the growth of bones, teeth, hair, nails, and the fluorine content in tea, especially in green tea, is much higher than in other plants. Therefore, the consumption of tea not only strengthens the bones, but also prevents tooth decay.

Of course, children, especially toddlers, should not drink a lot of tea, and strong or iced tea should also be avoided. A large amount of tea increases the water content in the body, thereby increasing the load on the heart and kidneys. Strong tea stimulates the child's central nervous system, increases the heart rate, increases the urge to urinate, and can cause insomnia. In a growing child, all body systems are not yet mature, and therefore regular overexcitation, and even more so insomnia, leads to an overuse of nutrients and negatively affects the growth process. Do not infuse tea for too long, as this will release too much tannin into the solution, and tea with a high concentration of tannin can lead to compression of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract. Combining with food proteins, tannin gives tannic acid protein, which, precipitating, suppresses appetite, negatively affects digestion and assimilation of food. In addition, the stronger the tea is brewed, the less vitamin B1 it contains, and the worse, therefore, iron is absorbed. So, a little weak tea will benefit children, but strong tea, and even in large quantities, will only do harm.

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