Tea and your arteries

Black and Green teas have a significant beneficial effects on your arteries. Black tea has been found to help maintain healthy arteries and heal damaged ones. By drinking black tea regularly you can prevent fatal clogging of arteries, which is the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks. Studies have been done to prove that men who drink 3 cups of black tea a day are 50% less likely to die of health problems related to clogged arteries such as heart disease and stroke. Green tea helps to signficantly lower your LDL cholesterol, which is also essential in preventing the formation of blood clots.

 

Various types of tea

There are four different types of tea; white, black, green and oolong. Here is a short description of the properties of each and how they are processed.

White tea is the least processed of all the teas. It is also considered the healthiest as it has the lowest caffeine and the highest antioxidants level. This type of tea goes through absolutely no oxidation, it is simply the rolled up buds of the camellia sinensis. To make sure there is no oxidation, white tea is immediately steamed after it withers.

Green tea has a grassy or leafy taste and aroma. It's low caffeine and high antioxidants appeals to many people. The processing of green tea is similar to white in that there is no oxidation, one the leaves are plucked they are laid out for 16 - 24 hours to evaporate any water. The leaves are then steamed to neutralize enzymes and finally rolled up and dried one more time. When it is ready, it has a green appearance because of the lack of oxidation.

Oolong tea is the most involved of the 4 teas, the hardest to process. Partially oxidized, the leaves are laid out for up to a full day to evaporate the water. Next the leaves are placed in a blanket to bruise the edges, which allows to leaves the partially oxidize. The leaves are then steamed to neutralize enzymes and cease oxidation. After one more stage of drying, you have Oolong tea!

Black Tea is the highest in caffeine, and it also has antioxidants although not as much as the other three. Black tea is also unique in that it is the only one of the teas that is fully oxidized. Once plucked it is laid out for almost a whole day to let out most of the water. The leaves are rolled so the surfacescrack allowing for the highest oxidation. The dark color of this tea is thanks to the oxidization.