"Drinking a daily cup of tea will surely starve the apothecary."
~ Chinese Proverb
Originating in China and spreading to Japan as early as the 9th century, green tea has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Here in the West, we are beginning to catch up. Google it and you’ll find numerous studies boasting its many health benefits. This is partly due to the three-step process consisting of steaming the freshly picked leaves, rolling and then firing them. Unlike black tea, they are not allowed to wither and oxidize, thus they retain a higher level of antioxidants and contain roughly half the caffeine as black tea. Health benefits aside, we drink it because it’s delicious. Flavor profiles range from vegetal and grassy, to earthy and toasty, to sweet and buttery.
