Author: Shehani
Myth Busters 2: Milk and Caffeine
Let’s look at a couple of misleading perceptions pertaining to drinking tea with milk, and the caffeine content of tea, which Tea Grower and Dilmah Chairman Dilhan C. Fernando categorically classifies as Tea Myths. Tea Myth: Adding milk to tea reduces its benefits. Busting the Myth: The tea brewing process extracts antioxidants from the tea leaf into the liquor. Once brewing is complete, the antioxidants from the tea have already been extracted into your cup. Hence, adding milk – or any other liquid element, as with tea mocktails and cocktails – does not have an impact on the antioxidant potential of your tea. The addition of other enhancements such as herbs and spices, too, will only add the respective health benefits of those ingredients, with no detrimental effect on the health benefits of the tea itself. If you’d like to know more about the antioxidant capacity of tea, read more here. Tea Myth: Tea contains too much caffeine. Busting the Myth: As per the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) recommendations, for an individual with a body mass of 50kg, it has been deemed safe to consume up to 150mg of caffeine per day. In comparison to an average of 100mg of caffeine per serving of coffee, a serving of tea typically contains around 20mg of caffeine. This implies that for a person with a healthy body mass index (BMI), it is completely safe to consume between 4-6 cups of tea in a day. Uniquely, tea is the only agricultural crop that contains L-theanine, a non-protein-forming amino-acid that is known to reduce anxiety and stress without bringing about drowsiness. Hence, in synergy with the small amount of caffeine present in tea, a cup of tea would be the best option to pique your alertness while maintaining your calm. Also see Myth Busters 1: Black Tea and Tea Dust.
Myth Busters 1: Black Tea and Tea Dust
Let’s look at a couple of misleading perceptions pertaining to black tea and tea dust, which Tea Grower and Dilmah Chairman Dilhan C. Fernando categorically classifies as Tea Myths. Tea Myth: All black teas taste the same. Busting the Myth: All it takes is a single look at the Single Region Watte series of teas to get an idea of how versatile black tea can be. Derived from the same Camellia sinensis plant and manufactured using the same processes, these four distinctive teas – from the Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Nawalapitiya and Ratnapura regions – get their unique characteristics as a result of the elements of nature in these respective regions. Starting from the highest elevation of 6,000 ft above sea level, the Watte tea from Nuwara Eliya looks and tastes lighter and brighter, and this transitions into a more malty, earthy, strong and intense colour and taste as elevation reduces and, subsequently, climate and terroir vary. So, while all your black teas are, in fact, made from the same plant using the same processes, they can vary greatly in appearance, taste and texture. Tea Myth: Tea dust is not good tea. Busting the Myth: Tea dust – like all other grades of tea, including large leaf teas – is obtained from the same Camellia sinensis plant, and is produced during the same manufacturing process. While large leaf teas may look better, and seem more presentable even, they do not produce the same intensity of liquor as dust tea when brewed. This is because the particle-like nature of dust tea offers a greater surface area for contact with water, resulting in more extraction of flavour into the brew. This stronger, more intense liquor is in fact a better option if you prefer having your tea with milk. In short, it is not the dust name or grade of tea that makes a difference to the quality of your cuppa, but the process of plucking and manufacturing that can make an ordinary cup of tea extraordinary. Of course, with Dilmah Ceylon Tea, this is never a concern, for we never compromise on quality. Also see Myth Busters 2: Milk and Caffeine.
Nutritional Benefits of Tea
We evaluate the nutritional aspects of tea consumption, and whether these vary between black tea and green tea. If you’d like to know more about the antioxidant capacity of tea, read more here. Tea – the perfect quick-fix Can tea be a great pick-me-up at any time of the day?Here are a few reasons why tea might be a great option for a quick-fix at any time of the day: Green or black – what’s your cuppa? Is green tea healthier than black tea? There is a common misconception that green tea is more potent than black tea in terms of health benefits – particularly for weight loss. The principal difference between the two tea types lies in the fact that most of green tea’s polyphenols are retained as catechins, while in black tea these get converted to rubigins and theaflavins. In the past, tea research was largely limited to China and Japan, the world’s largest green tea-producing countries. Hence, most publications – including those related to tea and health benefits – focused on green tea. However, in recent years, more countries have taken an interest in carrying out research on tea, including on black tea. Publications based on newer research suggest that health benefits associated with drinking green tea and black tea are in fact similar to one another.