Tea Blog

Need a healthy boost of energy to help you enjoy the season? Try matcha!

Matcha is a finely pulverized green tea from Japan. This green tea powder has been enjoyed ceremoniously in Japan for almost 1000 years. A staple in Japanese culture and history, matcha was reserved for the royal family, religious dignitaries and the honored Zen Buddhist monks who used matcha to enable their constant meditation.

Today, matcha is finally being enjoyed in the West as studies and experiences are proving it important for wellness and convenience. When one makes a cup of matcha to drink, there is no steeping involved. One is essentially dissolving the tea powder into hot water with a whisk and drinking the instant tea, leaves and all. Consider adding a scoop to your smoothie for a quick antioxidant rich pick-me-up!

Even though it takes only seconds to make a cup to drink, it takes a great deal of time to make the matcha itself. Tea plants typically take 10-15 years to mature. Then, to finely grind the powder, one must go incredibly slow lest the speed of the grinding create heat and oxidize the leaves. It can take up to an hour to grind only 30 grams of matcha!

Truly superior matcha should have brilliant color, superior umami, frothability, and incredible mouthfeel. There should be crema to the very last drop. Rest assured, Zhi’s matcha always has these qualities and is always certified organic.

While many tea companies are offering ‘matcha styled’ green tea, Zhi’s matcha is the real deal: sourced by an independent organic tea company in Japan whose family has been making matcha for three generations. Here’s a video showing just how easy it is to enjoy a shot of matcha today! Do you like matcha?

As you know, it’s about to get hot.
Did you know that tea can help you keep your cool?

Join Zhi for a free tea tasting & talk on the health benefits of tea from a Chinese medical perspective.

Tiffany Smith, L.Ac will speak on tea, its function as a Chinese herb, and common medical conditions that tea might address. Various teas will be served while we explore:

What is tea?
What tea is good for your skin?
What tea moves qi?
What tea is good for metabolism?

About Zhi Tea: Zhi Tea is an independent organic tea company based in Austin Tx that strives to elevate the American tea culture while celebrating ancient traditions. Founded in 2007, Zhi specializes in artisan oolongs and hand blended original signatures.

About Tiffany: Ms. Smith is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist and a teacher of biomedical science at Texas Health & Science University. She maintains her own practice specializing in allergy treatment, pain and stress management, and wellness.

Note: Zhi is not trying to cure diseases, pretend we’re doctors, or tick off the FDA with this little event. We just love tea and are open to learning more and more about this miracle beverage. Consider this our full legal disclaimer xo

Many thanks to our friends at Tea Mag for including us on their calender.

See you soon, Austin!

The new year always brings opportunity for healthier habits and high hopes. Year after year, we continue to see diet, health and financial resolutions top the list of self-improvement projects.

What are you looking forward to improving in 2013?

“Each spring, we witness (and experience!) a strong desire to cut back on sugar, fat, dairy and gluten, as we clear the slate after an indulgent holiday season,” says Dr. Oolong, co-founder of Zhi Tea and resident cookie-lover.

“Zhi strives for balance, while never sacrificing beauty or pleasure. Fittingly, our teas are pure, healthy and indulgent. Tea helps us answer the question, “How can one have decadent food experiences without sacrificing health?” It’s easy! It’s right there in your cup.”

For everyone who is working off a wellspring of will power, Zhi would like to offer custom tea choices to support your efforts. (We can use the extra help too!)

For a sugar-free treat: try our Sweet Desert Delight. Crave cream, but want to be dairy-free? Try our Masala Chai with a drop of almond milk. Need a gluten-free drink? All of our teas are gluten-free, organic and fair trade. Want to cleanse and detox? Purify with Silver Needle. Caffeine-free morning? Let the awakening power of our Turkish Spice Mint keep you upbeat, without the jitters! Caffeine-free evening? Our Restful Blend (pictured above) is a soothing nightcap and guaranteed lullaby.

So, how do you resolve to incorporate tea into your life more?

This time of year, everyone is at risk of being stressed out. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a relaxing, healthy and natural solution that could calm, sooth and center us? Well, friend, make yourself a cup of tea: we have some great news for you!

L-theanine is a naturally occuring amino acid found exclusively in tea. Several studies at Oxford University and elsewhere demonstrate a significant link between improved mental alertness and enjoying 2-3 cups of tea a day. Not only does tea increase mental sharpness, but it is being proven to uplift mood and create a state of relaxed alertness. So, what makes tea so special?

L-theanine appears to be one major reason for the calming, yet uplifting, effects of tea. It has been shown in early studies that 50mg L-theanine naturally stimulates alpha-waves in the brain. This are the same activity in the brain that is enhanced through meditation!

Gail Owen, a bio psychologist and Lead Scientist at the Beverages Global Technology Centre in the United Kingdom says, “Research is showing that the alertness felt by drinking tea throughout the day has always been attributed to the existence of caffeine. We now believe that there is another component in tea which is responsible for the unique effect that people feel from tea and that is L-theanine.”

Two to three cups a day will provide about 50-60mg of L-theanine, safely and naturally. With a relaxed yet alert state of mind, a desirable state for thinking and operating is created. No wonder tea is the most popular beverage on the planet!

What tea will you drink today to celebrate this important information? We’re sipping on Zhi’s Pink Grapefruit Sencha. Happy Holidays to you!

With Love from Zhi Tea

pause…reflect…connect

Pu-erh is one of the oldest types of tea in China with a history of over 1700 years, tracing back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. During its height of popularity, the tea was freely traded even used as money for the bartering of goods. Pu-erh gets its name from the city of Pu-erh in south-western China where the trade for Pu-erh was conducted. Not far from Pu-erh are the areas of Xishuangbanna and Simou, where cultivation and processing of the tea is carried out today.

Unlike other teas, the processing of pu-erh is carefully guarded. In the past, trespassers mistaken as spies on pu-erh tea farms were known to be killed. To this day, the secrets of processing pu-erh remains ruthlessly guarded and it is only in China where genuine Pu-erh tea can be produced. The most basic processing methods include roasting the leaves right after they’re picked. After being roasted, theleaves are sun-dried before being steamed slightly and allowed to ferment. Some pu-erh manufacturers ferment the tea twice, making the flavor more intense.

Pu-Erh tea is known for being a great tea to drink for digestion, especially after a heavy meal. It also helps lower cholesterol which has been confirmed by several customers who drink a lot of it. Dr. Oz likes this tea for it’s fat shrinking ability.

Pu-erh’s post-fermentation process is similar to wine, cheese and saurkraut. The aging process allows the tea to develop added complexity in character. Some would say the tea has an earthy, moss like character. With active microbes living within the tea, pu-erh evolves with each passing year.

Pu-erh is traditionally compressed and packed into tea cakes or bricks to age. This originated from the natural aging process that happened in the storerooms of tea drinkers and merchants, as well as on horseback caravans on the Silk Road. This method made it easy to transport the tea by horseback and reduced the damage to the tea during travel.

Two antioxidant compounds, theabrownin and gallic acid, activate enzymes in our body responsible for fat metabolism. These antioxidants shrink fat tissue and help the body keep fat off weeks after ingestion. Plus, the caffeine in pu-erh helps speed metabolism, making the body more efficient at digesting a meal. Enjoy some today!

A study published in the journal Nanomedicine offers more proof to the medicinal benefits of green tea.

Scientists from The University of Strathclyde injected cancerous tumors with a concentrated green tea extract that had been studied before. This was the first time researchers have managed to get positive results from such an experiment.

By using targeted therapy, researchers were able to deliver the green tea compound direct to the tumor. One type of human skin cancer showed 40 percent of tumors disappeared after a month of treatment!

Not only is green tea completely delicious, but it’s clear that all the hype has some real science behind it: green tea really can be a life saver.

Read the entire amazing article here!