Decaffeinated tea is a great option for tea lovers who wish to avoid much of the caffeine naturally found in the tea leaf. All forms of tea (black, oolong, green, white, and pu-erh) can be decaffeinated; but really only black and green tea are regularly decaffeinated. It must be noted that decaffeinated tea is NOT caffeine free. The decaffeination process leaves a minute amount of caffeine in the leaf. By law, tea labeled as “decaffeinated” must have less than 2.5 percent of its original caffeine level. Currently, there are four methods of decaffeination: methylene chloride; ethyl acetate; carbon dioxide; and water processing.
Methylene chloride decaffeination is a process by which the molecules of caffeine bond to molecules of methylene chloride. Caffeine is removed either by 1) directly soaking the tea in methylene chloride or 2) indirectly soaking the water (used to remove the caffeine) in methylene chloride and then returning the water to the tea for reabsorption of flavors and oils. Because methylene chloride is widely believed to be unhealthy for consumption, a legal limit of 5 parts per million is placed on residual traces in the tea and the US bans all imports using methylene chloride.
Tea processed using ethyl acetate is often referred to as “naturally decaffeinated” because ethyl acetate is a chemical found naturally in tea. Caffeine is extracted in the same way as with methylene chloride processing, but ethyl acetate is the solvent. However, ethyl acetate is very difficult to remove after the decaffeination process, and is sometimes described as leaving a chemical taste.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) decaffeinated tea is essentially “pressure cooked” with this naturally occurring gas. At high pressures and high temperatures, carbon dioxide reaches a supercritical state. The CO2 becomes a solvent with its small, nonpolar molecules attracting the small caffeine molecules. Since flavor molecules are larger, they remain intact, which is why this process retains the flavor of the tea the best.
Caffeine extraction with water is used primarily for coffee decaffeination, however a small amount of tea products are decaffeinated using the water method. After the caffeine is removed from the tea by soaking the tea in hot water for a period of time, the solution is passed through a carbon filter for caffeine removal. The water is then returned to the tea for reabsorption of flavors and oils. This process is often described as “watering down” the flavor of the tea.
Arbor Teas offers organic decaffeinated teas that exclusively use the carbon dioxide (CO2) method. We feel that this is the safest form of decaffeination, while retaining the greatest flavor and health benefits. Try some today!
February 03 2010 | Tea Terms and Tea Preparation | No Comments »
The health benefits
of green tea seem to be popping up perpetually in the news these days. Just recently a published study found that drinking green tea increases the effectiveness of antibiotics. Good news for those suffering this flu and cold season! Another well-vetted remedy for these ailments is a humble bowl of chicken soup. Why not combine the two to give your immune system an additional boost? Yes, green tea can be incorporated into the broth of the soup, but did you consider for an extra-added health benefit that the steeped leaves could also be eaten—as a vegetable? Go ahead; incorporate some of the unfurled tea leaves within the soup instead of discarding them in the compost bin.
In developing this recipe, I played quite a bit with the ratio of green tea to chicken broth. The tea adds subtle notes of astringency as its smooth, light-bodied flavor competes with the aromatic celery, parsley and peppercorns on the palate. Be it your goal to boldly bring forward the tea’s flavor or to creatively incorporate more green tea in your diet, try playing with the ratios yourself to suit your taste preferences. A good starting point is 1 teaspoon of loose tea per 1 cup of chicken stock. Interestingly, the noodles absorb the green tea flavor and color as they cook in the soup, providing yet another vehicle with which to consume the tea. As for any soup or stew, homemade stock makes all the difference in this recipe, adding a level of clarity and richness to the flavor. It is well worth the extra time it entails.
Wishing you wellness this winter. Hope you enjoy this Cooking with Tea Recipe From the Kitchen of Olivia!
Dragon Well (Green Tea) Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 4-6
1 whole roasting chicken, rinsed well
1 large onion, quartered
6 carrots, divided
4 celery stalks, divided
One bunch of parsley, stems and leaves separated
6 ounces pappardelle (or other wide style) egg noodles
About 3 TBS loose, organic green tea such as Dragonwell (Lung Ching)
1 TBS (or to taste) salt
1 TBS (or to taste) whole peppercorns
In a large stockpot, combine the chicken with onion, 3 carrots and 2 celery stalks cut into two or three pieces, parsley stems, salt and peppercorns. Add 8 cups water (or just enough to cover chicken) to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Skim and discard impurities from the top frequently.
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January 21 2010 | Cooking with Tea and Tea and Health | No Comments »
It is flu and cold season again! And if my son returning from day care with the sniffles and a cough wasn’t enough to inspire me, my own sore throat prompted me to read the latest edition of “Natural Health.” I was excited to read an article written by Daniel Mazori that reported taking antibiotics while drinking green tea can make antibiotics nearly twice as effective and even weakens drug-resistant bacteria (December/January 2010). 
What great news not only for us here at Arbor Teas, but also for the entire tea drinking community! This article was most likely referring to a study released in 2008 by researchers at Alexandria University in Egypt in which green tea was tested in combination with antibiotics against 28 disease-causing microorganisms. Dr Mervat Kaseem, of the University’s Pharmacy faculty, said “In every single case, green tea enhanced the bacteria-killing activity of the antibiotics. For example, the killing effect of chloramphenicol was 99.99 percent better when taken with green tea than when taken on its own in some circumstances.” Kaseem and colleagues found in almost every case and for all types of antibiotics they tested that drinking green tea at the same time as taking the antibiotics appeared to increase the action of the antibiotics and reduce drug resistance in bacteria.
Yet, another reason to drink green tea this winter!
January 19 2010 | Tea and Health | 1 Comment »
Wondering what’s happening in the Fair Trade Certified tea estates that supply Arbor Teas with its exceptional organic teas? Here is an update on the Singampatti Oothu Estate which supplies Arbor Teas with an organic, Fair Trade Certified black tea that is full-bodied, smooth, and subtly sweet with light to medium astringency. It is one of our favorites!
The Oothu Singampatti Tea Estates cover the rolling hills of Tirunelveli in the Nilgiris district of southern India. The group of estates are surrounded by the tropical evergreen forests of the Kalakkad and Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. Situated at the southern end of the Western Ghat mountain range, the Oothu Tea Garden is surrounded on all sides by rainforest that hosts a rich diversity of unique wildlife. Jungle corridors among the tea fields have been carefully preserved in order to maintain this rare natural ecosystem. A pioneer in sustainable tea production, Oothu was the first tea garden in India to adopt biodynamic principles and among the first in the country to become certified organic. Fair Trade Certified since 1995, Oothu Singampatti continues to make a significant social impact on the community
The Fair Trade price has enabled workers at Singampatti Group to establish various programs, including:
1) Education — The Oothu Singampatti Estates provide scholarships, focusing on deserving children and those from the most impoverished families within the organization.
2) Health — Health programs, implemented with Fair Trade revenue, contribute to primary care and also allow for specialized treatment that was previously unavailable to estate families. Additionally, life insurance now covers all workers and their families, and funeral expenses are provided.
“Fair Trade has reduced my burden by providing me the finances, which help me put my son in special care. I am thankful to the consumers who pay the extra premium, which reaches people like me and makes a difference.” — Sita, Oothu worker with a son diagnosed with cerebral palsy
December 30 2009 | Sustainability and Fair Trade | No Comments »
Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, is credited with the origination of afternoon tea in the early 1800s in Great Britian. In Anna’s day, lunch was served at noon, with dinner often put off until well into the evening. As the story goes, Anna decided that a light meal over tea in the late afternoon would be the perfect solution to her between-meal hunger pangs. Given Anna’s social stature, the concept took off among the upper class, proving to be an excellent social venue. The term “high tea” is actually owed to England’s working class, who transformed the afternoon tea into their primary evening meal, serving much heartier fare such as meats, cakes, bread and pies. “High” tea is a reference to the table the working class sat at while taking their tea - tall in comparison to the low, delicate tables at which the gentry took their lighter, more formal tea. Queen Victoria introduced the English to the Russian custom of adding lemon to their tea after visiting one of her daughters in Russia - before that, the English took only milk with their tea.
Try Arbor Teas’ Afternoon Blend Black Tea to have your own Afternoon Tea!
December 20 2009 | Tea Terms | No Comments »
Imagine buttery sweet combined with salt and smoke. These are the flavor components that form quite possibly the most divine confection to come from my kitchen to date. Boutique caramels, flavored salts and smoked anything are all making headlines as current food trends. Here I combine them together into one sweet indulgence. The smoke flavor is easily achieved using Arbor Teas Organic Lapsang Souchong Black Tea. If you need a holiday gift to delight your favorite foodie, this recipe might just be the perfect treat! Be sure to make enough to treat yourself as well, though. Passing a small test batch around Arbor Teas friends and staff garnered rave reviews but also generated a bit of competition as to who would keep the extras. If you know you have a propensity for hoarding, I suggest doubling the recipe. Happy holidays! Hope you enjoy this Cooking with Tea Recipe from the Kitchen of Olivia!
Smoky Lapsang Souchong Caramels
Adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich
- makes 40 (1-inch) caramels –
2 TBS organic lapsang souchong black tea
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup Lyle’s golden syrup
1 cup sugar
rounded ¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1½ TBS unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened
Smoked sea salt to garnish
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December 18 2009 | Cooking with Tea and Tea Fun | 2 Comments »
The World Tea News recently reported (11/30/09) on a study that suggests that plants producing high-quality tea cannot simply be reproduced in other regions with the same outcome. Researchers at the Kenyan institutions Maseno University, Egerton University and Moi University, conducted the study, which will appear in the April 2010 issue of the scientific journal Food Chemistry. They started from the idea: “A superior quality genotype in one location is assumed to replicate the same attributes when planted in different regions, especially when climatic variations are minimal.” To test it, they cloned 20 plants that produced high-quality tea and planted them under identical circumstances, but in three different regions. The results showed significant differences in the quality of the plain tea produced, based on certain parameters, among varying locations of production. A closer look further indicated that the changes in the tea were not systematic, because the same clone underwent different changes in different regions. The study led the team to conclude: “A genotype selected in one site for high quality may not retain the relative quality over other genotypes in new areas. It is necessary to test genotypes in new areas of production to fully evaluate their relative quality potentials.”
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December 04 2009 | Tea Facts and Tea Preparation and Miscellaneous | No Comments »
The holidays are a great time to thank those around us for all that they do to make our lives better. It is also a great time to initiate those random acts of kindness that many of us want to do, but often find ourselves too busy to execute. One of my favorite random acts of kindness is to pay for the person behind me in line (think café, movie theater, drive-through, etc.). Not something that I do every day, but certainly a surprise worth doing every so often! When writing a blog post for Arbor Teas I wondered, “What can I do with tea to celebrate the holidays?” Obviously, I can give Arbor Teas as a healthy, socially conscious gift. But what else can I do with tea during these cold months to celebrate those strangers and loved ones that fill my life?
Here are a few simple ideas that I hope to do this holiday season:
- Give a cup (or two) of hot tea to my postman, who always looks chilly on these winter days.
- Boil a mixture of water and holiday spice black tea in a pot on my stovetop to infuse my home (and family!) with its festive holiday scent.
- Use tea in one of my favorite holiday recipes to “spice it up” and then maybe bring it to work to share with my co-workers. For a great example, try From the Kitchen of Olivia’s masala chai tea scones (yum!).
- Host a holiday tea for my family and friends. A tea during the hustle and bustle of the holidays is a perfect excuse to slow down, take a breather, and enjoy the season! Because evenings are generally committed to the typical host of social gatherings at this time of year, mornings often work well for a holiday tea. I plan to keep my menu simple and fill it with items that can be prepared in advance, so I have a chance to slow down and enjoy the tea, too. Menu: Cheesy egg bake (veggie and meat options); scones (perfect timing Olivia!); bread, butter and my mom’s homemade strawberry jam; Sweet cakes and breads (lemon poppyseed is a favorite!); and of course, our Holiday Spice Black Tea.
Hope this post helps you get started celebrating the holidays with tea! I know there are plenty more ways that tea can help you celebrate – leave us a comment to add your ideas!
December 04 2009 | Tea Fun and Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Tea and scones go together like milk and cookies. One is just simply more enjoyable in the company of the other. Taking it one step further, I decided to meld the two together by flavoring my favorite scone recipe with tea. Masala chai tea offers the perfect balance of aromatic spices that can be imparted to dough through a cold infusion technique. With notes of cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper, there is absolutely no need to open the spice cabinet or fiddle with many measuring spoons for this recipe. Those holiday flavors you are trending toward this cool weather season are available, conveniently packaged in an environmentally friendly canister, in Organic Masala Chai Black Tea from Arbor Teas. While the ingredients come together quickly, you will need to plan ahead to let the cream steep. The longer the tea infuses the more pronounced the masala chai spices will be. Butter and cream make these scones rich and moist, while cake flour lends a tender, crumbly texture. Hope you enjoy this Cooking with Tea Recipe from the Kitchen of Olivia!
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December 04 2009 | Cooking with Tea and Tea Fun | 2 Comments »
Arbor Teas was delighted to join friends at a special fundraiser on November 7 to support the Clowns without Borders expedition to India, one of largest tea producing countries in the world. Clowns without Borders (a 501(c)3 nonprofit) offers laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency. It brings levity, contemporary clown/circus oriented performances and workshops into communities so that they can celebrate together and forget for a moment the tensions that darken their daily lives. This specific expedition, “Project Muskurahat” (Smile), just left for India and will be working with children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty in the slums and rural areas surrounding Mumbai. Check out their daily journal entries at http://clownswithoutborders.org/2009/11/india-2009/.
The fundraiser was a wonderful event in which a dozen Southeastern Michigan artists came together to create an informal evening of entertainment at the Wild Swan Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI. The show featured the acclaimed Srishti Dances of India, Wild Swan Theatre, Brass Tacks Ensemble, Sumkali and the Vocal Experiment (UM-Dearborn). Samosas, sweet treats, and Arbor Teas’ Indian Korakundah Estate Nilgiri Black Tea were served throughout the evening!
December 04 2009 | Tea Fun and Media | No Comments »
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