Origins, Flavors and Health Benefits

How many times do we just want to drink tea after a heavy meal, but are then bombarded with all the various tea flavours that we get lost. This article answers that need.

What you should always remember is that there are only four types of tea.
1) Black tea
2) Green tea
3) White tea
4) Oolong tea

All these are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis, also known as the tea plant. Other herbal infusions such as chamomile tea, ginger tea or red tea made of rooibos leaves are disqualified as types of tea since the tea plant is not involved in their making. The difference between the four tea variations lies in the process of making them. In addition, each type of tea has another flavor and various health benefits.

1) Black Tea
The strong flavored burnt Sienna colored hot beverage is the most popular type of tea in the West. Either served with a squeeze of lemon or added milk and a cube of sugar, the cup of black tea is part of daily tea ceremonies that take place worldwide. Black tea is made of heavily oxidized Camellia sinensis leaves. When served plain, it contains no calories, carbohydrates, or fats. A cup of black tea contains more caffeine than any other types of tea but less than in any cup of coffee.

2) Green Tea
The lightly oxidized tea has been popular in China, Japan and Korea for centuries. Recently, rumors on its health benefits increased its popularity in the West as well. It has been proven that drinking green tea can lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, increase metabolic rates and be helpful in variety of other conditions and illnesses. The green tea is lightly oxidized, dried, but not fermented. It is usually served plain, without sugar or milk. Since some of the green tea variants taste a bit bitter, it should be brewed in lower temperature than the boiling point.

3) White Tea
White tea is rarer and more expensive than the other types of teas mentioned above. Originated in the Fujian province of china, the white tea is made of young Camellia sinensis leaves, which go through a long process of steaming or frying, inactivate fermenting and drying. Since the leaves are harvested while the buds are still covered by white hair, it is called white tea. White tea has the most delicate, sweet taste than the other types of tea. Moreover, it contains the smallest amount of caffeine and the largest amount of antioxidant that help prevent cancer.

4) Oolong Tea
The traditional Chinese tea is the common companion of Chinese foods such as dim sum and chop suey in American Chinese restaurants. The oolong tea, black dragon in Chinese, got its name after its long, dark distinguished leaves that look like wild black dragons when brewed. The unique taste of the oolong tea is achieved by a long process that includes sun drying of the Camellia sinensis leaves, light oxidization, cooling and drying processes. The result is a lighter flavor than the popular black tea and stronger than the delicate green tea.

Read more »

Cooking Asparagus The Fun And Easy Way

Preparation is the key when you're going to cook asparagus.  There are several methods of cooking boiling, grilling, steaming, or roasting.  The microwave is also a good option when cooking asparagus.  Cut the asparagus into sections and you can use it in stirfries you can also blanch the asparagus and use it in vegetable dips.  Of course, there's nothing like steamed asparagus with butter, salt, and pepper.

When buying asparagus make sure that it is fresh, the asparagus will taste much better and can be kept for two to three days when properly stored.  Once you get the asparagus home and ready to prepare, you'll need to trim it.  The easiest way to trim asparagus before cooking is to simply do it by hand by bending the stock until it breaks.  If it will not break but only bends, it is probably old and will not be as fresh as you would like it.  Some cooks prefer to peel the bottom of the stocks this is not really necessary but sometimes helps when the stocks are a little woody.  Contrary to popular belief the thicker asparagus is actually more flavorful than the pencil thin variety that most people want to buy.

An easy way to peel asparagus if you decide to go that route, is to lay a stalk on the counter or a cutting board and use a vegetable peeler. Starting at the top of the asparagus peel all the way to the end.  The main reason anybody would peel asparagus, as I mentioned above, would be to make the asparagus more tender.  You don't need to completely peel the asparagus either, simply peel down one one side to allow moisture to enter the asparagus while it is cooking.

If you want to steam the asparagus here is a simple method. After you have timmed your asparagus to the size you need, and optionally peeled it, place them in a saucepan and about an inch of water.  Another steaming method you can use when cooking asparagus is to stand them vertically.  Make sure you tie the bundles at the bottom and the top so they don't fall over in the pan.  They should steam for approximately 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness.

Boiling is a great way to cook asparagus also.  You want to use just enough water to cover the asparagus but make sure all the stems face the same direction and are covered with water.  The asparagus will take between four to six minutes to cook completely, but again that depends on the size.

One method I really enjoy is using the grill.  Cooking asparagus on the grill either directly over the fire or on skewers gives a great smoky flavor.  Depending how you like them, cook the asparagus for anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes.  Another great way to cook the asparagus is to wrap them in foil with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper and cook them on the grill for 10-20 minutes.  You'll have a great treat.

On those winter days when you really don't want to cook asparagus on the BBQ, another great option is roasting.  Simply heat the oven to 425° F, and lay the asparagus flat on a baking sheet lined with foil.  You can put any seasoning you want on the asparagus when roasting; salt, pepper, lemon pepper or any other spice that you have on hand are good.  You will be rewarded with a nice tender stalk with a roasted flavor in about two to three minutes.

Read more »