Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing surprises
me.

Sasha.

Okay I watch all the nature shows about Tibet. I've never seen a yak.
I did watch Julia Roberts get more giggly on fermented mares milk.
You couldn't tell if she was drunk or sober.

Jim

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message om...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing surprises
me.

Sasha.

"RJP" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:

Also, someone said that green teas run the gamut
from bad-tasting to delicious, and while I enjoy this tea (Chung Feng
Jasmine Tea) or Foojoy Yin-Hao, I would not call either of them
delicious by
any stretch of the imagination. How can any (unsweetened) tea be
"delicious"? I can only imagine "pleasant" and "satisfying."

Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

Now adding milk, THAT would be horrid and would justify sneers and
jeers.


Randy

Ahh. Sweetener. Now *that* I can understand.

Am just now having a cup of Yin Hao from the Chinese grocery which is
*really* good. Too bad I threw the box away, as it had the product code on
it. And it was the last one they had...

Thanks,

Dave

"RJP" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:

Also, someone said that green teas run the gamut
from bad-tasting to delicious, and while I enjoy this tea (Chung Feng
Jasmine Tea) or Foojoy Yin-Hao, I would not call either of them
delicious by
any stretch of the imagination. How can any (unsweetened) tea be
"delicious"? I can only imagine "pleasant" and "satisfying."

Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

Now adding milk, THAT would be horrid and would justify sneers and
jeers.


Randy

Ahh. Sweetener. Now *that* I can understand.

Am just now having a cup of Yin Hao from the Chinese grocery which is
*really* good. Too bad I threw the box away, as it had the product code on
it. And it was the last one they had...

Thanks,

Dave

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
m...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing surprises
me.

Sasha.



Wow. Yak milk. Where can I buy that?

Dave

"Space Cowboy" wrote in message
om...
Okay I watch all the nature shows about Tibet. I've never seen a yak.
I did watch Julia Roberts get more giggly on fermented mares milk.
You couldn't tell if she was drunk or sober.

Jim


Jesus. Now I have *got* to make it to Tibet some day. Too much.

Dave

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
om...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After
I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing
surprises
me.

Sasha.

"Space Cowboy" wrote in message
om...
Okay I watch all the nature shows about Tibet. I've never seen a yak.
I did watch Julia Roberts get more giggly on fermented mares milk.
You couldn't tell if she was drunk or sober.

Jim


Jesus. Now I have *got* to make it to Tibet some day. Too much.

Dave

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
om...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After
I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing
surprises
me.

Sasha.

Tibetans who live here use half-and-half.
If you want the tea - its below. They use very cheap tea in this one,
believe me you will be much better with better black and puerhs teas. For
churn I use a thermos and shake it vigorously for several minutes.
High-speed blender won't work - it will beat it into a thicker form (worth
trying once).

http://www.tanc.org/new_food/pocha.html

Sasha.

P.S. To watch anything about Tibet and not see a yak one has to try real
hard.

"Dave" wrote in message
...

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
m...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After
I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing surprises
me.

Sasha.



Wow. Yak milk. Where can I buy that?

Dave

Kumis - (kumys) - fermented mare milk. Three days kumys does have a punch,
but way, way below say, beer. Kids drink fresh kumys with no effect at all.
It is also kinda effervescent.
Wonderful drink when you get used to it - I did when I worked in Tuva (north
of Mongolia). One-two-three-day kumys is different.
Once being distilled it become arak (araka) - milk vodka. This can be
tricky. Hmm... should I say VERY TRICKY? Some people get very aggressive
under araka, much more than under vodka (being from Russia I know the
subject of aggressive behavior under alcohol real well)
It is also may be distilled two-three times. I have heard horror stories
about thrice distilled araka. Drinking araka with locals almost always ends
in wrestling with them. Usually starts in a friendly way. may end not as
friendly.
Rumor has it that Genghis warriors drank thrice distilled araka before
battles.
My advice - try it first time alone or with your close friends. Your
resistance to normal alcohol and your resistance to araka may be two
completely different things.

Sasha.



"Space Cowboy" wrote in message
om...
Okay I watch all the nature shows about Tibet. I've never seen a yak.
I did watch Julia Roberts get more giggly on fermented mares milk.
You couldn't tell if she was drunk or sober.

Jim

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
om...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After
I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing surprises
me.

Sasha.

Kumis - (kumys) - fermented mare milk. Three days kumys does have a punch,
but way, way below say, beer. Kids drink fresh kumys with no effect at all.
It is also kinda effervescent.
Wonderful drink when you get used to it - I did when I worked in Tuva (north
of Mongolia). One-two-three-day kumys is different.
Once being distilled it become arak (araka) - milk vodka. This can be
tricky. Hmm... should I say VERY TRICKY? Some people get very aggressive
under araka, much more than under vodka (being from Russia I know the
subject of aggressive behavior under alcohol real well)
It is also may be distilled two-three times. I have heard horror stories
about thrice distilled araka. Drinking araka with locals almost always ends
in wrestling with them. Usually starts in a friendly way. may end not as
friendly.
Rumor has it that Genghis warriors drank thrice distilled araka before
battles.
My advice - try it first time alone or with your close friends. Your
resistance to normal alcohol and your resistance to araka may be two
completely different things.

Sasha.



"Space Cowboy" wrote in message
om...
Okay I watch all the nature shows about Tibet. I've never seen a yak.
I did watch Julia Roberts get more giggly on fermented mares milk.
You couldn't tell if she was drunk or sober.

Jim

"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
om...
Although some in this newsgroup may sneer and jeer, try adding a bit
of sugar to your oolongs and greens. For many of them, I find this
makes them "delicious" in addition to "pleasant" and "satisfying".

This is a religious issue. IMHO - if you like it - do it that way. After
I
drank Tibetan mushroom puerh homogenized with yak milk, nothing surprises
me.

Sasha.

"Abouna" wrote in message
om...
My father (a diabetic) has recently discovered the benefits of green
tea and has asked me to research it. I must admit I have found this
quite daunting. I too am interested in green tea but where to start?
I figured this would be the best place.

Tea might have an effect on diabetes, it has not been as researched, but
there are animal studies and in-vitro studies suggesting a possible benefit.
It might lower blood sugar somewhat.
Traditionally, tea was said to be good for digestion.

Black tea also has health benefits, it does have some bioflavanoid
polyphenols in it,
but the profile is different from green tea. Green tea is the highest in
the bioflavanoid
epicatechin, which has been extensively studied for its ability as an
antioxidant to destroy free radicals that damage cells,
and it's ability to induce cell apoptosis in malignant and pre-malignant
cells (programmed cell death, which is the body's own way of stopping cancer
before it turns into a tumor). But
many of the polyphenols of black tea also have anti-tumor and anti-oxidant
properties as well, but
it has not been as studied.
Oolong teas have some of the properties of both black and green teas, they
have
some amount of epicatechin, and also the polyphenols of black tea. Oolong
is actually not drank as much as green tea worldwide, or black tea, for that
matter, which is why it has been studied much less.

One advantage of green and oolong tea is that the tea has less caffeine
when brewed properly. (High caffeine intake is not necessarily good for
people with diabetes (caffeine alters blood sugar).

- What about quality? Are the green teas in bags at the supermarket
beneficial?

Yes, though the flavor is sort of "middling", not bad, there are worse
teas actually. The health benefits are the same as loose tea. Most of them
are made from Ceylon green tea that is dried using air heating.
Consequently it doesn't have some of the character that Chinese green teas
can have. Ceylon traditionally didn't make green tea, they made black
tea,but as green tea has become more popular, more places are making it.

If you want to try loose tea, I recommend Longjing/Lung Ching/Dragon Well.
It is a somewhat light tasting tea with a little astringency and fruity
flavor. Avoid "Gunpowder", despite the fact it is cheap and often the most
readily available loose green, it is somewhat heavy and earthy tasting.
Oolong tea is also quite good. The usual bagged Oolong or Formosa Oolong is
kk, but if you want to try a good Oolong, Ti Kwan Yin is very good. The
taste is medium bodied and very fruity.

If not, where to start with price in mind? I see many
teas selling for $30 for a few grams. This seems impossible
practically speaking for 2 people to maintain.

The tea is too expensive... but it depends on the kind of tea you want.
If you are just looking for "tea", there are much cheaper teas out there.
There are various online tea vendors you can order from. One of them, Ten
Ren, has various grades of tea. Usually the 2nd or 3rd grades of tea are
just fine, and they cost less. Tazo and Republic of Tea are also good tea,
though a bit more expensive, but are usually widely available at tea and
coffee stores, Starbucks, and health food stores. Lower grades of tea (ones
with higher numbers) often are just as good for you, in fact they might be
better, in that older leaves tend to have more bioflavanoids.

- Quantity? How many cups does an ounce of green tea powder or leaves
make/ I am trying to see how inexpensively this can be done.

First off, the brewing of green tea is a bit different than black tea.
You brew green tea about half as long as black tea, and you use water that
isn't boiling, but is instead hot.

You should use about a tablespoon (smaller leaf) or a tablespoon and a
half of tea (for large leaf tea), or 2-3 grams of tea, per cup. Use 160-180
degree water, not boiling. Steep for 1-3 minutes for loose tea, and about
a minute to a minute and a half for bagged, fine "dust" or fannings tea.
Good bagged teas with bigger particles of leaves (Republic of Tea) might
take a bit longer. Use about 6 ounces of water as a teacup measure. You
can usually steep the leaves an additional time or two (remove the leaves
from the water, or decant the tea, don't leave the tea and the water
together beyond the steeping), as long as you steep them longer or use a bit
less water. I personally draw the line at steeping the leaves or bags
beyond twice, beyond that it just isn't really worth it and the flavor
starts changing alot. Tea is fairly cheap, too, compared to other drinks,
like coffee or soda.

"Tom Koeppl" wrote in message
...
the first poster stated that he was looking for tea for a diabetic,
there for the tea with brown rice is out. too many carbs. I am diabetic
and have wondered what it tasted like. rice is a no no for type two
diabetics because a satisfying amount has too many carbs. the brown rice
tea has too many carbs to drink more than one cup ,as a snake. that
would be a mighty thin snack.

Are you sure? Genmaicha only has a little toasted brown rice in it (for
flavor or economy, like Oriental Postum). I imagine much of the starch is
caught up in the rice and not eaten, though I have no idea precisely how
many calories are in genmaicha.

I am not expert, but diabetics I believe can eat small portions of rice
and bread- whole grain or brown is preffered. The American Dietetic
Assosciation at least lists it as part of a diabetic diet (my grandmother is
diabetic... and unfortunately she won't eat brown bread, becaues people her
age, for the most part, won't touch it).

Many people have connecetd Chinese/Asian food with rice, but actually rice
was often eaten in large amounts because of poverty, and because the people
did alot of manual labor and physical activity (thus they burned more
calories, especially glucose/carbs, right away). People who sit around on
their butts all day, probably should be eating lesser amounts of starches
like rice and grain, but there's no reason to abandon them altogether (I've
been losing weight mostly by cutting the amount of bread, rice, and starchy
root vegetables I eat in about half, and replacing them with salad or
greens- though I probably should exercise more...).

Wow! Thanks fo the follow-up. Exactly the kind of information I was
looking for.

For starters I have ordered the Green Tea Sampler from
SpecialTeas.com. A bit pricey but not terrible, and I suspect more
than I will be paying once I know what I like.

As for using tea more than once, do you let it dry out between
steepings or should the 2nd steep be in the same sitting (i.e. not
saved for another time)?

Wow! Thanks fo the follow-up. Exactly the kind of information I was
looking for.

For starters I have ordered the Green Tea Sampler from
SpecialTeas.com. A bit pricey but not terrible, and I suspect more
than I will be paying once I know what I like.

As for using tea more than once, do you let it dry out between
steepings or should the 2nd steep be in the same sitting (i.e. not
saved for another time)?

"Abouna" wrote

As for using tea more than once, do you let it dry out between
steepings or should the 2nd steep be in the same sitting (i.e. not
saved for another time)?

Just another opinion here - I never do multiple steeps with any of
my teas. I enjoy tea a lot, but I am also very keen on the health
benefits and I cannot believe that 2nd (or later) steepings have as
much of the beneficial compounds in them. I also like a mild
caffeine punch, which is very attenuated in multiple steeps.

The types of tea that are multiple steeped most often are oolongs
and pu-erhs.


--
Randy
(if replying by e-mail, remove SPAMFREE and DeLeTe from my address)