You sure that's what it says? Hydroxybenzene is another name for phenol,
the first-identified antiseptic. It's a preservative, all right, but
that's approaching a lethal dose. Not that this helps unless one has
encountered it elsewhere, but phenol is quite volatile and has a
characteristic odor.

-DM

Space Cowboy wrote:
My Kuding pearls is my only 'tea' that comes with a nutrition label:
... Hydroxybenzene 1.25g 25.00%
The above numbers tells me it was soaked in some kind of preservative.

Since I saw you around I hoped this would catch your eye. The
number(s) are right. I doubled checked them before the post. They
apply to the recommended serving size of 5g. I would dismiss
everything as a misprint but I think I can taste the salt. The pearls
are 1g. I like the taste at 3g. I saw a link where organic
hydroxybenzene is a naturally occuring sweetner. I know the Chinese
are the masters of preservatives. I need to order some more Kuding and
see how the tastes compare. I describe the taste as bitter with no
real powerful aroma. This type of label is required for dietary
supplements. If Product of CNINA is mispelled maybe the lab chemist
meant to say PolyPhenol.

Jim

PS I ate one leaf and it taste so bad something had to be added.

DogMa wrote:
You sure that's what it says? Hydroxybenzene is another name for phenol,
the first-identified antiseptic. It's a preservative, all right, but
that's approaching a lethal dose. Not that this helps unless one has
encountered it elsewhere, but phenol is quite volatile and has a
characteristic odor.

-DM

Space Cowboy wrote:
My Kuding pearls is my only 'tea' that comes with a nutrition label:
... Hydroxybenzene 1.25g 25.00%
The above numbers tells me it was soaked in some kind of preservative.

DogMa wrote:
You sure that's what it says? Hydroxybenzene is another name for phenol,
the first-identified antiseptic. It's a preservative, all right, but
that's approaching a lethal dose. Not that this helps unless one has
encountered it elsewhere, but phenol is quite volatile and has a
characteristic odor.

Is it being used as a preservative, or does it naturally occur in the
plant?

Carbolic acid/phenol/hydroxybenzene would definitely make it taste
distinctively unpleasant, and it is something that does occur naturally
in some plants.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Carbolic acid/phenol/hydroxybenzene would definitely make it taste
distinctively unpleasant, and it is something that does occur naturally
in some plants.
--scott

As opposed to the distinctively unpleasant flavor that it _should_
taste like without the hydroxybenzene

- Dominic

Dominic T. wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Carbolic acid/phenol/hydroxybenzene would definitely make it taste
distinctively unpleasant, and it is something that does occur naturally
in some plants.

As opposed to the distinctively unpleasant flavor that it _should_
taste like without the hydroxybenzene

No, I am thinking that possibly the unpleasant flavour that it should have
might possibly be due to hydroxybenzine.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott Dorsey wrote:
Dominic T. wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
Carbolic acid/phenol/hydroxybenzene would definitely make it taste
distinctively unpleasant, and it is something that does occur naturally
in some plants.

As opposed to the distinctively unpleasant flavor that it _should_
taste like without the hydroxybenzene

No, I am thinking that possibly the unpleasant flavour that it should have
might possibly be due to hydroxybenzine.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Whoosh. Yeah, I know, I was joking around (that was why I had the
little winky emoticon) I meant since the stuff tastes terrible
normally, how would you know if it was worse or if something was wrong
Especially since a lot of poisons are bitter, you'd be SOL trying to
figure out if your Ku Ding was poisoned or clean. I find it pretty
unpleasant in its pristine form, in fact I think I may find drinking
bleach or hot antifreeze more enjoyable.

- Dominic

Space Cowboy wrote:
Here is a chemical comparison of Kuding and Tea. There is no mention
of hydroxybenzene or another form. Looking at the numbers only the
abundance of flavonoids could account for the taste. It does answer
the question that Kuding contains no caffeine. I assume my nutrition
label must be wrong. I don't think a cup is that bad once in awhile.
I've drank astringent greens I thought tasted worse.

http://tinyurl.com/zvfk5

Jim

Well, at least my silly little post about my bad time with Kuding Cha
has had some benefit. We confirmed that it is indeed non-caffeinated
and that is most certainly should not contain over 1g of hydroxybenzene
for every 3g of Kuding, I'm still hoping that is a misprint or grossly
miscalculated. In my own findings, I'm amazed that there are truly some
folks out there who would willingly drink this when there are so many
wonderful and intoxicating brews available. My entrance and exit from
the world of Kuding has been completed.

- Dominic

Well, at least my silly little post about my bad time with Kuding Cha
has had some benefit. We confirmed that it is indeed non-caffeinated
and that is most certainly should not contain over 1g of hydroxybenzene
for every 3g of Kuding, I'm still hoping that is a misprint or grossly
miscalculated. In my own findings, I'm amazed that there are truly some
folks out there who would willingly drink this when there are so many
wonderful and intoxicating brews available. My entrance and exit from
the world of Kuding has been completed.

- Dominic

You should keep in mind the following before you pass total judgement:


1. His tea came in a box and is not fresh.
2. It's meant for export; which basically means no holds-barred.

You can get perfectly good Kuding around here without too many chemical
additives. I still recommend the qing shan lv shui. It's very nice at
small quanities.

Just a note on the "health benefits" of ku ding: like any Chinese
medicinal, it's good for you if you need it--that is, if your
constitution and/or medical condition make it appropriate for you.
Very few things are considered to have health benefits all the time;
this is part of the yin-yang aspect of TCM. Ku ding is bitter and
energetically cold. If you have a heat condition (like a flu with a
fever) it may be beneficial--depending on the condition. If you have a
cold condition, it'll not only taste like crap, it'll likely also make
you feel like crap (and possibly exacerbate whatever it is you're
trying to fix). Western alternative health maestros like Andrew Weil
seem to enjoy making universal prescriptions (everyone should drink
green tea, everyone should take selenium, everyone should eat broccoli,
whatever...). This, however, is generally not done in TCM--it's a bit
more subtle than that.

My 2 cents.

Mike


Dominic T. wrote:
Space Cowboy wrote:
Here is a chemical comparison of Kuding and Tea. There is no mention
of hydroxybenzene or another form. Looking at the numbers only the
abundance of flavonoids could account for the taste. It does answer
the question that Kuding contains no caffeine. I assume my nutrition
label must be wrong. I don't think a cup is that bad once in awhile.
I've drank astringent greens I thought tasted worse.

http://tinyurl.com/zvfk5

Jim

Well, at least my silly little post about my bad time with Kuding Cha
has had some benefit. We confirmed that it is indeed non-caffeinated
and that is most certainly should not contain over 1g of hydroxybenzene
for every 3g of Kuding, I'm still hoping that is a misprint or grossly
miscalculated. In my own findings, I'm amazed that there are truly some
folks out there who would willingly drink this when there are so many
wonderful and intoxicating brews available. My entrance and exit from
the world of Kuding has been completed.

- Dominic