Camellia sinensis

For those of you who know me you are probably saying it's about time.  I love tea and after drinking fine tea for twenty five years I am just beginning to understand how complex and beneficial this pleasurable beverage is.   Tea consists of three components: amino acids (especially in green tea), tannins and aroma compounds.  People have been imbibing this liquid since the fourth century and the culture, agricultural practices and terroir of this beverage are as vast and deep as those of wine.     

Studies have revealed that caffeine can improve performance in both short term and long endurance exercising.  The biochemistry of why this is remains uncertain.  One theory is that caffeine makes fat more readily available for the muscles to use, which allows glycogen to be saved for future use.

Would you prefer coffee or tea with your workout?  Ask anybody what beverage they drink to administer their self prescribed dose of caffeine and they will respond with a definitive and often passionate response.  "Oh my God!  I can't drink coffee - it's too strong.  I much prefer tea." or "Don't even talk to me until I have had my first two cups of joe."  Much like the long overdue micro brew renaissance the coffee culture in this country has boomed.  Now it's tea's time.

There are hundreds of different kinds of tea.  There are numerous infusions as well but the two are not the same.  Infusions are herbal and rarely contain caffeine.  Tea comes in bags or sachets or it can be loose and it contains caffeine.  Tea contains more caffeine by weight than coffee but less tea is required to make a cup of tea than coffee is used to make a cup of coffee.  In other words a cup of tea generally contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee. There are some decent teas in bags but most bagged tea, especially dark tea, is usually taken from what is swept from the floor in a processing plant.  If you have limited yourself to one of the commercial brands whose names I can not mention and decided you don't like tea, that is a kin to you drinking Night Train and deciding you don't like wine.  If, however, you like these teas, keep on sipping because the chemical composition is almost identical to loose tea that cost as much as marijuana purchased legally in Pottsylvania (thank you Colbert Report)...I mean Colorado.

If you have never given tea a chance, buy some decent loose tea.  Sample some greens and some blacks or meet in the middle by trying various oolongs.  The world of tea is beautiful.  The ritual of drinking tea is meditative, contemplative, and an olfactory feast that is sensual.  Try it you'll like it!  And much like Alkaseltzer it will help your digestion.