THEINE or CAFFEINE
One day I was asked a simple question about tea from one of my customers: “I`m trying avoid caffeine should I switch to
herbal tea?”
Customer awareness increases from year to year. They not only looking just for tea but they start looking for tea that give them some nutrition and healthy benefit.
And so, dear reader, if that is where you find yourself you’ve come to the right place.
The simple answer about CAFFEINE in tea.
If you google it, you’ll be informed that indeed tea contain caffeine.
Let`s solve this whole mystery.
Amazingly THEINE and CAFFEINE are the same alaloid. Recognized in 1838 as being identical to the caffeine in coffee. the caffeine in tea is, nonetheless, distinguished from the caffeine in coffee because it forms different bonds with other substances, which changes how it affects the body. When tea leaves are infused, the caffeine combines with tannins, which attenuate and stabilize its effect. Tannins prevent caffeine from being released rapidly, so it is absorbed over a longer period of time. The effect, therefore, lasts longer and is more regular. In tea, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system by enlarging the diameter of the vessels in the cerebral cortex. When ingested in coffee, caffeine has a direct effect on blood circulation through the coronary system, stimulating an acceleration of the heart rate, In other words, tea is a more of a stimulant than an excitant. It sharpens the mind, increases concentration, eliminates fatigue and enhances intellectual acuity.*
MYSTERY SOLVED… here's some actual facts:
You can drink white, oolong or green tea to reduce consumption of tannins. This types of tea contain much less tannins.
You can rinse you tea leaves for 30 seconds with a little water before you brew your tea. This way you will get rid of most of the tannins.
You can reused your loose leave tea a few times. Every next brew contain less and less tannins.
You can try to get decaffeinated tea. There a little more expensive but not impossible to get hold of.
And yes, you can switch on herbal tea it will not kill you :). There are so many different fantastic tasting herbal teas, you just have to find the right one for you. Who knows, maybe you will discover something new about yourself...
Final conclusion, tea sharpens the mind, increases concentration, eliminates fatigue and enhances intellectual alertness, what more could you want!?
*Tea. History Terroirs Varieties. Kevin Gascoyne, Francois Marchand, Jasmin Desharnais and Hugo Americi
