Category: Blog Posts

Read an article today online regarding the health benefits of turmeric and it reminded me of an article I once wrote about turmeric tea.  I have been aware of turmeric tea for quite some time.  It is very popular in certain parts of Japan where it is regularly brewed and served though it is a little difficult to find here in Australia, even online!

Studies cited in the article mentioned that elderly people in India have a far less chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease because of the active ingredient, curcumin, present in turmeric.  Indian Ayurvedic medicines often use turmeric in the preparations they make, where it is reputed to not only be beneficial for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease but it is also used as an anti-inflammatory agent, and it is said to be helpful as an anti-depressant and alleviates anxiety as well.  There are some cautions when it comes to turmeric though: drinking excessive amounts of turmeric tea is not recommended for anyone with liver problems, circulatory problems or those taking blood thinning medication.

As mentioned above, people from Okinawa, Japan have been apparently imbibing turmeric tea for centuries.  While it is readily available in Japan, it can be difficult to find here (though there are quite a few capsules and supplements available.)   Not to worry, you can actually make tea using the dried turmeric you buy from the spice section of the supermarket.  

Here are some different recipes that I have tried:

• Measure 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric into three cups of water.  Simmer gently for 7-10 minutes and it’s ready to drink.  You may want to add a little honey and even a squeeze of lemon to make it more palatable.
• You can also make a tea using milk instead of water, although in this case you should heat up the milk gently, making sure it does not actually boil.
• Make a paste out of turmeric and honey – this can be kept in the fridge for a few days without spoiling.  Use 1/3 cup of honey and 3 teaspoons of dried turmeric powder.  Then, when you want a cup of turmeric tea just put a teaspoon of the mixture into a cup and pour boiling water onto it.
• If you are prepared to spend a bit more time on your tea you can actually buy fresh turmeric root, grate it and use that as the base for your tea.

Spice up your tea:  As well as adding honey you can also spice up the tea by adding a touch of freshly ground black pepper , squeezing a lemon or lime into it, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, or some grated ginger to the cup.  Adding a cinnamon stick to the brewing tea also makes for a nice variation–especially if you are making it with a milk base.

Incidentally, apparently a paste made from turmeric and honey works wonders when applied as a face mask 🙂

10 Health Benefits and Uses for Turmeric

Update: We apologize that we no longer sell Turmeric tea online here. We do however have our popular Turmeric and Ginger Herbal Tea as well as some other Robyn Lee Teas available on Amazon Australia. Feel free to take a look at our teas and order directly from our Amazon Australia Tea Store Free shipping available when you start an Amazon Prime membership

US and Canada customers can buy our teas here: Zi Chun Teas

I know I have.

How do you “nitrodize” (made up word, please note) rather than oxidize tea leaves.  After a little research I finally discovered just how it’s done.

As mentioned in a previous article on GABA tea, it was discovered more than 20 years ago when Japanese scientists were experimenting with ways to better preserve food–presumably with the use of nitrogen.  Surprisingly, when tea leaves were exposed to nitrogen, GABA levels rose enormously.

I will not reiterate the amazing benefits of GABA here, as I have already done so in previous articles. Let’s just say it’s REALLY good for you, it occurs naturally in the human body and has great anti-stress properties. It also lowers blood pressure and improves the clarity of your mental processes. It is also becoming the beverage of choice the morning after as a Hangover cure and support to hangover recovery.

Buy Organic GABA Oolong tea Online here

Here’s How It’s Made

The tea leaves are harvested normally.  The GABA tea we sell is made from Alishan Jinxuan Oolong tea.  I have read that it can also be made from green tea and presumably from any type of tea–which will, no doubt, slightly alter the taste of the tea. I have not yet experimented with GABA made from different types of tea, but I presume the type of tea used would affect the actual taste of the tea as each tea has subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) flavour and aroma differences.  Most sources agree that using higher grade tea is best as there are naturally higher levels of glutamic acid–the base ingredient that GABA is formed from–in better quality tea.

Also, tea grown at higher elevations benefits from warm days and cool nights — again something that is supposed to enhance natural glutamic acid levels in tea leaves.

The tea is shaded prior to being picked, which apparently increases glutamic acid levels even further. Once the leaves are picked they are placed in vacuumed drums, all oxygen is removed and is replaced with nitrogen. The length of time the leaves are exposed to nitrogen is a fairly well kept secret–though probably somewhere around 8 hours or so.  After that, the tea is processed as normal.

GABA tea is enjoying quite a bit of popularity now.  Some of the best GABA teas, in my opinion, are made in Taiwan where the Taiwanese produce it for export to Japan. In order to qualify as genuine GABA tea by Japanese standards the GABA levels must be measurable at 150mg of GABA per 100ml of tea. Most of  the GABA tea exported to Japan from Taiwan exceeds these levels, with the average being closer to 240ml per 100ml of tea.

As mentioned above, our GABA tea is made from Jinxuan Oolong tea–naturally grown at a fairly high altitude. It is all organically grown and hand picked. You can purchase it in either 50 gm or 100 gm packs. To brew, use around one teaspoon per 250ml teapot and steep for three minutes or according to taste. You can use the leaves for re-steeping at least three more times.  If you prefer a darker tea, similar to a black tea, you may want to steep for a little longer.

For US and Canada regions we now sell our Organic GABA Oolong on our Zi Chun Tea Online Shop and also on Amazon.

Took some time over the last few days to set up my mini “home photo studio” — well, it’s really just a 60cm cube, lighting, backdrops and a stand for my camera but it will hopefully make it much easier to photograph new items as they are stocked, including new teas and tea ware, and “Fairy Flowers Spreading” flowering tea pictured here to the left.

I used to find it very difficult to successfully photograph glass ware, however now with my new setup, after spending hours reading up on how to properly photograph glass and having spent as many hours (or more) experimenting, I am now happy with how my photos are coming out.  I am certainly not a professional photographer. In fact, I am not even an amateur or hobby photographer. But at least I think the glass tea ware photos look fine. They do not have large areas of glare or reflected light and you can fairly clearly see not only the shape of the tea pot but also the infuser unit inside.

One key was getting the lighting right. I tried photographing some tea pots in the cube with a white and a dark blue background but the reflection of the cube was clearly seen in the tea pots — looked like they were filled with white fluffy balloons…  Others had large areas of glare reflecting off, or yours truly with camera shining right back at me!

Finally, the combination I settled with was to set up the cube behind the item with one of the lights sitting inside the cube, shining through the wall onto the item through a double white layer.  I placed a white sheet on a glass table, lit from underneath, and a grey gradient sheet of paper on top of that.  Using a tripod made all the difference — I manually set the aperture as wide as possible and the result was photos that I am at least not embarrassed with 🙂

I have added a few more glass tea ware products to my online store — please feel free to check out what is available here.  If you have any questions regarding the teapots just drop me a note via email or add to the comments section, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Happy tea drinking!

Chamomile tea is well known as a herbal tea that is very beneficial to drink prior to heading off to bed at night — as an aid to gaining a restful night’s sleep. Aside from that one property, there are actually quite a few other benefits gained from regularly drinking Chamomile tea, some of which are less well known than others.

Chamomile Flower

While there are two main types of Chamomile plant, the main type used to make Chamomile tea is the German Chamomile. German Chamomile is an annual plant which needs to be re-planted each year. The other kind, Roman Chamomile, is a perennial plant and while it is sometimes used for tea it is also often used to make other herbal aids. Fortunately, for those who enjoy growing their own herbs and plants, both types of chamomile are easy to grow though the fact that Roman Chamomile is a perennial plant often makes it the one chosen. Both plants have beneficial properties though I have heard that many herbalists feel the German variety is more potent. Our Chamomile tea is made from the German Chamomile plant.

Harvesting and Drying the Flowers

Tea is made from the whole Chamomile flowers, which are clipped off the plant once they are in full bloom. Do not use the stems or leaves from the plant–just the flowers. The flowers are actually quite easy to use your fingers as a “rake”, pulling them through the plant to harvest the flowers. While you can use the flowers as soon as they are harvested, most people opt to dry the flowers so they can be used all year round. Most of the teas you buy are made using dried Chamomile flowers.

Air drying the flowers works quite well. Simply lay them outside on clean screens till they are dried–no need to wash the flowers first as it’s unlikely that there would be any dirt on th em. Of course, watch out for any summer rain storms! Once they are dry, store them in an air tight container, small Mason jars work well. Most recommend storing herbs for a year only.

Making Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is relatively easy to make. If using fresh flowers the ratio is one cup of flowers to a pint of water. Most people find using dried chamomile is more convenient. For dried chamomile, two tablespoons per cup of water is usually all that’s needed. If you find the tea is too strong or too weak, you can vary the ratio of chamomile to water till you find the right one.

I like to brew my herb teas using a tea infuser. Usually I’ll pop the leaves into the infuser unit of a teapot, pour on boiling water and let it sit for a while. You can also use the small ball infusers that you dunk into a cup of freshly boiled water although you would have to use a fairly large infuser in order to use the right amount of chamomile.

Chamomile Tea Benefits

As with many herbal teas and infusions, there are limits on how much you should drink each day in order to reap optimum benefits. Normally, adults should not drink more than two or three cups each day. You can get plenty of benefit from just drinking one cup before bed. Young children do not drink this tea — unless you are giving a little to calm an upset tummy. Normally, I recommend one cup a day.

Sedative Properties: This is perhaps the best known property of chamomile tea, and the reason many people drink it before bed. Studies have shown that Chamomile does have sedative properties and it is also a great help in soothing nerves.

Settling Upset Stomachs: You will often find chamomile one of the ingredients used, along with peppermint, to help calm an upset tummy. It has a soothing effect on the stomach muscles and lining, and is particularly useful for those suffering from any type of irritable bowel syndrome. A word of caution, it should not be used for morning sickness as chamomile is not recommended to drink while pregnant.

Antibacterial Properties: Some of the lesser known properties are its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. Gargling with chamomile tea is great if you have a sore throat or use it as a mouth wash if you have mouth sores. Externally, a poultice can be made from chamomile flowers and placed on skin infections — though the mix of flowers to water would need to be about three times stronger if you are using it externally.

Side Effects-Chamomile Tea and Pregnancy, Other Precautions

Unlike green, oolong and black teas, there is a limit to how much you should drink each day. One cup per day (or night, before bed) will often prove beneficial — certainly no more than three cups a day should be consumed.

There are a few known side-effects. First of all, do not drink the tea if you are allergic to flowers such as daisies, ragweed, asters, chrysanthemums or marigolds you as it could cause an allergic reaction. It can interact with certain medicines, including blood thinning medication, so it should not be used if you are taking any kind of blood thinning medicine (including aspirin), nor should pregnant women or those with blood related disorders drink it. If you are using birth control pills you may want to check with your doctor to ensure it is safe to drink chamomile tea.

The Best Type of Chamomile Tea to Buy

It is relatively easy to find chamomile tea and other chamomile products online and in health stores. You can even find chamomile teabags in supermarkets. To gain the best results from this tea, I’d suggest purchasing the actual dried chamomile flowers. The powdered form of chamomile tea and chamomile tea bags do not have the same benefits as those derived from making tea using the whole flowers.

We have a selection of chamomile tea available for purchasing here.

One of the things I enjoy the most about having a stall at the market is being able to talk and interact with my customers.  On average, only about one in every twenty people visiting my stall are knowledgeable about loose leaf teas, so consequently I end up fielding a lot of questions about teas in general and about the tea ware I sell.  I enjoy the opportunity of talking with customers, explaining the differences between tea types and showing them how to properly brew tea and I love answering the myriad of questions I am asked.

I hear many of the same questions over again so I am listing the more common questions I am asked about our glass teapots and glass candle warmers along with the answer I usually give below.  If you have any questions about glass tea ware that is not answered below, please feel free to drop me a line or add a comment below the post and I’ll do my best to answer.

Glass Teapots

“Are they glass or plastic?”
“They are made from glass.”  (Often, at this point, the person will give the tea pot a little flick with their finger, or tap it with their fingernail, to verify my statement.)  “In fact, they’re made from a glass that is similar in properties to Pyrex. It’s called borosilicate glass and is designed specifically to be able to withstand high temperatures. It is the same type of glass that is used for laboratory glassware.”

“What’s that thing inside (infuser unit) for?”
I take off the lid and lift the infuser unit out to show them. “It’s the infuser unit. That’s where you put the loose leaf tea, see it has small slits in the bottom so the water can infuse the tea leaves.  Once you have brewed your tea you can actually take the infuser unit out and set it aside if you like. Or, if you are going to pour all the tea you can leave it in the teapot — it keeps the tea leaves from ending up in your cup, or getting stuck in the spout.”

“How much tea do you put in the infuser?”
“That depends on how much tea you are making, and which teapot you are using. For the smaller 600ml teapots, usually one teaspoon of most teas is sufficient.  For the 800ml teapot you may want to put in a heaped teaspoon and for the 1200ml teapot, you would probably want to put a couple of teaspoons of tea in the infuser.  Most people end up experimenting a bit with how much tea to use, it depends on the type of tea and how strong or weak they like their tea.  But those amounts are usually a good starting point.”

“Why is the infuser so big, if you only put one teaspoon of tea inside it?”
“Loose leaf tea is very different from most of the teas you buy from the supermarket.  See this one little teaspoon of tea?”  (They  nod. I scamper over to our tea sampling section and take out the infuser from one of our teapots that has already been used to brew tea.)  “This is what it looks like once it has been steeped in water — see how much it expands?

“Hmm, “Made in China” — the quality probably isn’t that great!”
(Usually said, as an aside, to the person they are with.)

“Let me ask you a question, where did tea first come from?”
“China?”
“Yes, that’s right. Did you know that China has been growing tea and making tea pots for hundreds and hundreds of years. In fact, they have perfected the art of making teapots and tea accessories to such a degree that most of the best (and oldest) teapots come from China — in 2010 a teapot was auctioned and sold for the equivalent of  $1,602,107.00.  These glass tea pots are hand blown, made from high quality glass and are very well designed. See the spout, it is made so the tea will not dribble out when you pour.  The shape of the teapots and design of the infuser unit are balanced to allow the water to freely mingle with the tea leaves, producing the best tasting tea. When it comes to teapots, I always buy those made in China.

“Can I put them on top of the stove burner? I want to make Chai Tea.”
No, these particular teapots are not suitable for sitting on top of the stove, although you can pour boiling water into them.

“Are you sure I can put boiling water in it? Won’t it break?”
No, it won’t break. I use this type of teapot all the time for brewing my tea. The type of glass it is made from is specifically designed to withstand very high temperatures.

“Does the handle get hot?”
“No, again due to the quality design the handle never gets hot.”

“Does the teapot fit on top of the warmers you are selling?”
“Yes, the 600ml, 800ml and 1200ml teapots all sit nicely on top of the warmers, see?” (Demonstration follows.)

“I bought a teapot from you a few weeks back, but I dropped the infuser/lid. Do you sell replacements?”
“We have an assortment of replacement pieces, so it’s likely we have something that would fit your teapot.  We don’t sell replacement pieces, but if you buy a pack of  tea we’ll be happy to give you the piece you need at no extra cost.” (Please note: If you are looking for a replacement piece, we will need to know the type and size of teapot you have–infuser and lid sizes vary.)

Candle Warmers

“Do the candle warmers work? How do they work?”
“Yes, the candle warmers do a great job of keeping tea warm.  You light the small candle, place it inside the warmer and set your brewed tea on top of the warmer. It will keep your tea warm for quite a while.  I recommend taking the infuser unit out while keeping your tea warm, as the might end up over-steeping.”

“How long will it keep the tea warm?”
“That depends on the size of the teapot and how much tea is left.  As long as the candle is burning, the tea will stay warm though I would recommend drinking it within half an hour or so.”

“Won’t the burning candle make the bottom of the tea pot black?”
“No, it does not burn the bottom of the tea pot.  We use a candle warmer to keep our sample flowering tea warm, and see, the teapot is not black at all.  The candle itself is smokeless.”

“What type of candles should I use?”
“You should use tea candles.  There are different types of candles, we have found the best to use are the small, white odourless candles.  Don’t use scented tea candles as they could alter the taste of the tea.”

“Do you sell the candles too? Where can I buy them?”
“No, we do not sell tea candles at present. They are very common, though, and easy to buy.  You can buy them from the “hot dollar” type shops, or at Kmart or other similar stores. Remember, though, look for the scentless, white candles. They come in packs and are inexpensive to buy.  One candle can usually be used several times before it needs to be changed.”