Tea For Tzu:
Fine Tea From Tzu Thé

CAPSULE REPORT: With all the science behind green tea, we’ve found one green tea with better science. Tzu Thé (thé is the French spelling of tea, pronounced “tay,” Tzu means love) is a superpremium green with higher and more stable EGCG levels—which means more health benefits. It also has an exquisite, pure green tea flavor, never bitter, astringent or weedy. That’s a double win—but there’s more.

Because the protocols to grow and process this tea were developed by “the father of EGCG,” a professor of biochemistry at the University of Chicago who has spent 47 years researching the benefits of green tea, the company has made the tea very user-friendly. There are pre-measured grab-and-go capsules and infuser mechanisms so you can have fresh-brewed green tea wherever you are. There are tea-based nutrition bars; and the tea leaves themselves are so delicious. They can be eaten on yogurt, in salads et al. So whether you’re health-focused or are just looking for a delicious green, Tzu may well be your cup of tea. Read the full review below.

• There’s also an antioxidant glossary covering the myriad of terms surrounding green tea’s health benefits. (If your e-mail client does not support anchor links, scroll down.)
• For more of our favorite teas reviewed in THE NIBBLE online magazine, click here.
• For the table of contents of the June issue of THE NIBBLE, plus the back issues archive and our most popular articles, click here.
• All prior issues of the Top Pick Of The Week newsletter are archived here.

INDEX

• Green Tea Overview
• How Much Tea Should You Drink
• Tzu Thé Products
• Tips For Maximizing EGCGs
• Glass Mugs For Tea
• Edible Tea: Leaves & Bars
• Buy Tzu Tea Online

MORE TO DISCOVER

• A Guide To High-Antioxidant Food
  (Including An Antioxidant
  Glossary)
• THE NIBBLE’s Tea Section

Tips For Maximizing EGCGs

Brewing Tea

Vessel: Prevent the loss of EGCGs by using an airtight thermos or a covered cup while making tea. Drink the tea as soon as it is brewed (see Brewing Time, below); if it is too hot, add an ice cube or cold water.

Water: If your tap water isn’t delicious, use spring water or purified water. No matter how spectacular the tea, bad water will make a bad cup of tea.

Temperature: Bring the water just to boiling. Don’t over-boil or re-boil water, as much of the oxygen will boil out, resulting in a flat brew.

Brewing Time: Steep for 20 to 30 minutes for full release of EGCG. Tzu Thé tastes perfect after a very long infusion, which extracts the maximum amount of EGCG. It is important to note that other green teas can taste bitter when steeped longer than the normal 3 to 5 minutes.

• Use 1 heaping teaspoon per cup of water.
• Add hot water to the top of the thermos or cup to exclude air.
• Cover tightly and allow to stand for 20 to 30 minutes and drink immediately.
• If it’s too hot, don’t let it cool; add a small piece of ice. Never drink scalding hot tea and never leave tea cooling before drinking.
• You may add more boiling water and re-infuse the leaves for a second cup.

Storing Tea

Since the EGCG and another important catechin, ECG, can be oxidized by air and their anti-tumorigenic activity destroyed, some care should be exercised in the storage of tea leaves and in brewing the tea. The freshness of tea is important: catechin levels diminish as the tea ages (as does flavor):

• Buy green tea picked within a year. While tea is not currently date-stamped, buy from a specialist tea merchant with good turnover.
• Store tea green tea leaves in a moisture-proof container in the refrigerator.

One of our favorite ways to brew tea is in the IngenuiTEA by Adagio—we own three. Simply fill with tea and hot water. After the tea is steeped, put the pot on top of your cup or mug and the tea flows right in, straining out the leaves. It brews 16 ounces of tea at once. Click here to purchase or for more information. For our complete product review of the IngenuiTEA, click here. For our selection of glass mugs, below, click here.

Following instructions to brew your tea in a covered vessel, this celadon covered mug fits the bill. It can be microwaved to warm the tea. Set of 2. Click here to purchase or for more information.

Zeno Stainless Steel and Glass Teapot with Infuser. Eight-cup teapot by WMF with a cone-shaped tea infuser that snaps out after brewing. Click here for more information or to purchase.

T–Bar is a whole-food nutrition bar that contains he same three grams of green tea as three cups of brewed tea. It’s an easy way to consume green tea for those who don’t like to drink it. There are three flavors, all cold-processed, made of 100 percent raw, non-GMO ingredients including sprouted whole grain brown rice, oats, buckwheat, rye, sesame tea and fructose. They taste like healthy granola bars and are a great source of fiber plus 14 minerals and 9 essential amino acids—in addition to all the EGCG.

Will you live longer by consuming appropriate amounts of green tea regularly? Quite possibly: laboratory research is strong and mounting, and for sure, it can only help. It will take years of clinical trials with control groups to quantify results between a tea-drinking group and a control group. In the interim, you can’t go wrong by drinking (and eating) delicious, EGCG-rich Tzu Thé.

Tzu ThÉ

Green Tea, Nutrition Bars and Accoutrements

• Canister of Whole Leaf Green Tea
  150 grams
  $25.99
• T-PODs
  Box Of 24 Pods
  $25.99
• T-Buddy Bottle With Strap
  20-Ounce, $22.99
  25-Ounce, $24.99
• T2Go
  Infusing Mechanism, T-POD and Tumbler
  8 Sets (photo at lower right)
  $14.00
• T-Bar
  12 Bars, Assorted Flavors
  $23.95

Purchase online at TzuThe.com

Read more about Tea
in THE NIBBLE Online Magazine:

• Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea
• Glossary of Tea Terms
• History of Tea
• Tea Facts
• Reviews Of More Of Our Favorite Teas

Continue BELOW for:

• Antioxidant Glossary

Antioxidant Glossary

One cup of green tea provides 10 to 40 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant effects greater than a serving of broccoli, an antioxidant-rich food. The high antioxidant activity of green tea makes it beneficial for protecting the body from damage due to free radicals. Research shows that the EGCG in green tea may help the arterial wall by reducing lipids; green tea can protect against experimentally induced DNA damage, and much more. A 2006 study* showed that elderly Japanese people who drank more than 2 cups of green tea a day had a 50 percent lower chance of cognitive impairment than those who drank less green tea, or who consumed other tested beverages. The high amount of catechins in green tea are believed to be responsible.

                                                                                     *The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 83, pp. 355-361.

Antioxidants...free radicals...EGCG...catechins. What do these terms mean? We provide full definitions below. Essentially, there are many antioxidants with different degrees of strength. Green tea contains a particularly strong antioxidant, the catechin EGCG. Catechins are flavonoids, a subgroup of polyphenols, substances found in plants. Green tea has different catechins from black and oolong teas, due to processing (green and white teas are not oxidized). The hierarchy from bottom to top is:

• Antioxidant: An enzyme or other organic molecule that reduces the rate of particular oxidation reactions and can counteract the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues. Although the term technically applies to molecules reacting with oxygen, it is often applied to molecules that protect from any free radical (a molecule with unpaired electron). While new foods seem to appear every day touting higher levels of antioxidants (the latest is the açai berry from the rainforests of Brazil). On the list of general-distribution supermarket foods, those with the highest level of antioxidants are, in order of strength: undutched cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate (particularly that which is 85% or more in cocoa solids), white tea, green rooibos, green tea, red rooibos, oolong tea, black tea, blueberry (especially wild blueberry, a.k.a. bilberry) which contains more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable—when compared on the basis of equal calories. Other fruits and berries are high in antioxidants, especially: blackberry and raspberry, cranberry, cherry (especially sour cherry), dried plum (prune), dark grapes (including raisins, purple grape juice and red wine), crowberry (a North American berry that looks similar to a blueberry), kiwi, pomegranate, papaya (a source of vitamin E, lycopene and beta-carotene, three very powerful antioxidants), citrus fruit such as orange and grapefruit (the highest concentration of antioxidants are in the pulp, where its pectin is found); and leafy, dark green cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, daikon radish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard/chard greens, parsnip, rutabaga, turnip and watercress). For a more extensive list, click here.
• Catechin: Biochemically, catechins are monomers (molecules that can be chemically bound as a unit of a polymer) of flavanol, a subclass of flavonoids, which are themselves a subclass of polyphenols. Catechins make up some 25 percent of the dry weight of fresh tea leaf. The concentration of catechins is higher in green and white tea†; in black and oolong teas the oxidation process allows polyphenol oxidase to oxidize the polyphenols, which inactivates the catechins. Tea contains four main catechin substances: EC, ECg, EGC and EGCg, all of which are inclusively called “catechin.” Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the one most abundant in tea. EGCG as an antioxidant is about 25 to 100 times more potent than antioxidant vitamins C and E. (Tea flavor, color and astringency is in part due to the condensation of the catechins to form the bright orange-red pigment theaflavin.) Researchers believe that catechin is effective because it easily sticks to proteins, blocking bacteria from adhering to cell walls and disrupting their ability to destroy them. Viruses have hooks on their surfaces and can attach to cell walls. The catechin in green tea prevents viruses from adhering and causing harm. Catechin reacts with toxins created by harmful bacteria and metals such as lead, mercury, chrome and cadmium.
  †White tea is substantially more expensive than green tea, and has a few more catechins per serving.

• EGCG: Epigallocatechin gallate, a specific antioxidant compound found in green tea and elsewhere, is a key biological and biochemical driver for many health benefits, for reasons noted in the preceding paragraph. It can reduce cancers and tumors, prevent cancer cells from growing, lower cholesterol, help digest excess fat and even protect against the common cold virus. Worldwide studies are ongoing and reported regularly that discover new health benefits.
• Flavonoids: A large group of water-soluble plant pigments commonly referred to as bioflavonoids in the media. All flavonoids are biological in origin, so the two terms are interchangeable. Flavonoids are most commonly known as powerful antioxidants, protecting against oxidative and free radical damage. They have been referred to as “nature’s biological response modifiers” because of strong experimental evidence of their ability to modify the body’s reaction to allergens, viruses and carcinogens: they show anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity. As a result, consumers and food manufacturers have become interested in flavonoids for their medicinal properties, especially their potential role in the prevention of cancers and cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effects of fruit, vegetables, tea and red wine have been attributed to flavonoid compounds. Cocoa is loaded with the flavonoid epicatechin; cocoa has been found to have nearly twice the antioxidant content of red wine and up to three times that of green tea (dark chocolate should be consumed with a cocoa content of seventy percent or greater). Other good sources of flavonoids include all citrus fruits, berries, onions, parsley and legumes, plus green tea and red wine.
• Free Radicals: Highly unstable and reactive molecules that attack, infiltrate and injure vital cell structures. They are constantly formed as a natural by-product of body chemistry. Free radicals are highly toxic and can damage important cellular molecules such as DNA, lipids or other parts of the cell, impairing the brain and other tissue. They are believed to accelerate the progression of age-related and other diseases.
• Green Tea: All tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant (referred to as the tea tree, tea plant or tea bush); the difference in the many varieties of tea lies in the processing and the terroir (the difference in Indian versus Chinese versus Japanese growing environments, and different regional environments within countries, e.g.). Unlike black and oolong teas, green tea is made from leaves that are not fermented before they are dried. Thus, green tea’s antioxidants are five times higher than black tea. Green tea is also high in vitamin C. Green tea is produced by panning freshly picked tea leaves at a high temperature for a short period of time to stop oxidation before it starts, which also preserves most of the polyphenols. (Note: See also White Tea. White tea is also not fermented and is even higher in antioxidants.)
• Polyphenols: Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants. Research indicates that the flavonoids, a class of polyphenols, has antioxidant characteristics with potential health benefits that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Polyphenols are potent antioxidant compounds that have demonstrated greater antioxidant protection than vitamins C and E. Green tea may also increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Green tea polyphenols may inhibit cancer by blocking the formation of cancer-causing compounds and suppressing the activation of carcinogens. The major polyphenols in green tea are flavonoids: catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and proanthocyanidins. Though both green tea and black tea are derived from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), they possess different antioxidants. In producing black tea the leaves are allowed to oxidize, during which enzymes present in the tea convert many polyphenols to larger molecules with different biological effects. However, green tea is produced by lightly steaming the fresh-cut leaf, which inactivates these enzymes, and oxidation does not occur. Sources of polyphenols include peanuts, green tea, white tea, red wine, olive oil, dark chocolate, pomegranates, and other fruits and vegetables. Chocolate or cocoa that has been processed with alkali (dutched cocoa) will not contain any polyphenols or antioxidants.
• White Tea: White tea is made mostly from the buds of the tea plant. White tea is not oxidized: the tea remains in its natural state, subject only to withering and firing. The buds are withered or wilted in the shade while subjected to cool circulating air, to allow the moisture to evaporate; then are gently dried in natural sunlight. The most delicate tasting of teas, it also has the highest concentration of antioxidants. The color of dried tea is actually light green; the curled-up white tea buds have a silvery/white appearance due to fine, silvery white hairs or down that cover the buds and young leaves. The taste is similar to the green tea but sweeter and milder.

Information courtesy of Wikipedia and Tzu Thé.