And so begins the fall of soda...

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


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Oct 19th, '07, 02:47
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by ABx » Oct 19th, '07, 02:47

skywarrior wrote:
ABx wrote:
I do still add a teaspoon of sugar to some of my teas because I like the taste, but I drink most tea without sugar and I think a single teaspoon is relatively negligible, and solely out of a desire for the taste rather than a craving for sugar.
Yeah, I find this as well. I still will add a teaspoon of sugar if the tea doesn't taste quite right. Sometimes the sugar will bring out a delightful taste I didn't catch with it being unsweetened. Does that even make sense?
Sugar is a flavor enhancer, so it absolutely makes sense - that's what it does :)

I too notice the same, and sometimes that's why I use sugar. Many times I will also drink half the cup without sugar, and then the second half with. I do this especially when I am taking notes about a tea and wish to make sure that I can taste all the flavors in the tea.

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Nov 1st, '07, 19:14
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Re: And so begins the fall of soda...

by DMikeS4321 » Nov 1st, '07, 19:14

shadedream wrote:Hello all,

Im pretty new here and quite new to tea in general as well. I've had a bad habit of drinking a lot of soda for quite a long time, and have developed an interest in the health benefits of green tea lately.

-Nick
First of all, good for you on your good judgement!

Lots of good advice here. Just mind the main factors in brewing:

1. Water Temperature

2. Time

3. Amount of leaf you are using

Experiment and brew to taste. When I started, I didn't have a clue. I seldom use a thermometer now, but I get it right most of the time. A new variety, a new batch; sometimes I over or underbrew, but that is part of the romance and fascination, particularly with Chinese teas.

I was talking to a tea shop owner last week and he explained some of this well. He told me that he actually prefers Chinese to Japanese teas because Chinese teas are produced and processed more along the lines of fine wines. Whereas Japanese teas are typically harvested mechanically and processed in a more or less automated fashion, most Chinese teas are harvested by hand, withered and fired (when applicable) by hand. That is why the Chinese varieties can be so different, even from batch to batch. Chinese teas are "artisan" teas, Japanese producers try to make their varieties EXACTLY the same, from batch to batch, year to year.

As you gain experience, I believe you may find it much more satisfying to learn the "art" of brewing as opposed to the "science". It has been that way for me. I find Chinese teas to be much more interesting for just this reason.

Best Regards

P.S. I often joke that, in Japan, if you spill the tea when brewing, you must cut off your hands. In China, they use tea to wash the dishes!

Nov 25th, '07, 02:43
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Re: And so begins the fall of soda...

by Jindrovi » Nov 25th, '07, 02:43

augie wrote:
Try some white tea too. Silver needle is my favorite.
Did you buy the Silver Needle tea sometimes from Adagio???

THANKS FOR ANSWER!!

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Nov 27th, '07, 22:39
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Re: And so begins the fall of soda...

by augie » Nov 27th, '07, 22:39

Jindrovi wrote:
augie wrote:
Try some white tea too. Silver needle is my favorite.
Did you buy the Silver Needle tea sometimes from Adagio???

THANKS FOR ANSWER!!
I have bought adagio silver needle. it's Ok I usually order silver needle from rishi.

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Nov 27th, '07, 23:12
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Re: And so begins the fall of soda...

by Space Samurai » Nov 27th, '07, 23:12

augie wrote:I have bought adagio silver needle. it's Ok I usually order silver needle from rishi.
Hell yeah.

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Nov 27th, '07, 23:14
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by Wesli » Nov 27th, '07, 23:14

Yeah, Rishi's is awesome stuff.

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Dec 18th, '07, 13:47
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by forkyfork » Dec 18th, '07, 13:47

I - too - have cut out soda and replaced it with heavy amounts of tea. Actually, about 6 months ago I refined my whole eating regiment. I didn't expect to lose any weight - I just wanted to eat healthier. But, I ended up losing about 20 pounds!

The best thing you can do for your body is limit the amount of sugar you take in, especially high fructose corn syrup. There is HFCS is EVERYTHING, and you don't realize it until you start really reading the labels. I had to basically go through my whole pantry and throw out a lot of stuff because of the HFCS in it. I was really sad to find out my beloved Arizona teas has HFCS, but since I've discovered real tea, I don't miss those much anymore ;)

I remember being in the supermarket and trying to find 100% Whole wheat bread without HFCS.. it's almost impossible.

In America, everything is so "sugar-ized" and we're so accustomed to things being sweet. 6 months ago I couldn't drink any tea without some sort of flavoring (usually sugar) in it. Nowadays, I prefer my teas as natural as possible.

I used to have at least one soda everyday, and when I quit cold turkey, I didn't miss it as much as I thought I did. Occasionally I get cravings, but I'll have a little bit, and realize that it's not really as great as I remember. Now, I only reserve soda for special occasions. I have about one a month, and I usually try to make is HFCS-free, if possible.

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Dec 18th, '07, 14:04
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by Chip » Dec 18th, '07, 14:04

Reading labels in the food store will change your life forever. HFCS is everywhere as you said. I might have a soda once or twice a year...

But my other nemisis is hydrogenated oil. The food industry knew about the problems with this stuff for many many years, yet did nothing until trans fat had to be displayed on the fat index of food labels. Then they act like they some kind of heroes by cutting back on it. They sound too much like the tobacco industry.

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Dec 18th, '07, 14:06
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by Mary R » Dec 18th, '07, 14:06

You know, since I've become such a tea junkie, I hardly have any soda--and when I do, it tastes far too sweet! So when I'm in the mood for carbonation, I've taken to drinking club soda with a squeeze of lemon or lime. People may give me odd looks, but I'm much, much happier.

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Dec 18th, '07, 14:52
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by scruffmcgruff » Dec 18th, '07, 14:52

*raises hand, lowers it shyly* I still like soda... :oops:

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Dec 18th, '07, 15:07
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by Space Samurai » Dec 18th, '07, 15:07

mmmm, good stuff

Image

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Dec 18th, '07, 16:13
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by skywarrior » Dec 18th, '07, 16:13

Space Samurai wrote:mmmm, good stuff
Texan :roll:

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Dec 18th, '07, 16:13
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by LavenderPekoe » Dec 18th, '07, 16:13

Hah, I just finished a DDP! I still drink some soda, but not as much as I did.
Teas for trade:

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Dec 18th, '07, 16:45
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by forkyfork » Dec 18th, '07, 16:45

Chip wrote:Reading labels in the food store will change your life forever. HFCS is everywhere as you said. I might have a soda once or twice a year...

But my other nemisis is hydrogenated oil. The food industry knew about the problems with this stuff for many many years, yet did nothing until trans fat had to be displayed on the fat index of food labels. Then they act like they some kind of heroes by cutting back on it. They sound too much like the tobacco industry.
Definitely.

And the worst part is that 0g of trans-fat doesn't always mean that.

As long as a serving size has under .5g of trans fat, they can put "0" on the label. So, what do the food companies do? Make the serving sizes smaller! Genius.

As sad as this sounds, the MAJOR food companies do not care about your health. They care about food looking good in the packaging, lasting a long time, and tasting good enough to keep you coming back for more. Just look at the long list of ingredients, and you'll see this.

Oh man, I sound like such a radical, but the more you learn about food .. the more you become so disgusted with the big corporations.

And to those that drink soda, a little bit in moderation is fine. But how many people do you know that drink soda that have it occasionally, and how many have it usually every day (and in excessive amounts?). There is NO nutritional value in soda and there are so many bad things with it. An average can of soda has 40g of sugar. An average packet of table sugar has 5g of sugar. That's approximately 8 packets in one can. And that's not including bottles or two-liters.

And unfortunately, diet soda is no better.

The best thing you can do is cut soda out of your diet completely. It's not easy. I failed many times, but the most effective way to do it is just quit cold turkey. Find other things to replace it with (like tea!) You will most likely lose weight and have more energy.

And for those that want a scare about soda, just look up "soda" on wikipedia. That was my personal wake-up call. I knew it wasn't good for me, but when I saw ALL the potential side effects of consuming it, I knew I had to quit.

Dec 25th, '07, 14:25
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by Tiantai » Dec 25th, '07, 14:25

I have absolutely kicked soda out of my life. If I go to a restaurant I will with have water or 'unsweet' tea. I usually scoff at the quality of the tea though so I usually stick with water. I never realized how much soda brought me down during the day. The caffeine in the soda usually gave me a crashing feeling later on in the day. Also gave me a sugar crash. Carbonation is just something that doesn't feel right ingesting. I usually drink 8-10 cups of tea throughout the day and I have never felt better. Just say no! :D

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