Decaffeination

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Oct 13th, '07, 21:29
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Decaffeination

by jrmurch » Oct 13th, '07, 21:29

I just bought whole leaf tea for the first time. We drink green tea to help my son with his allergies. I read that to remove the caffeine you just let it soak for 30 seconds remove the water and refill. Is this correct?. Thanks

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Oct 13th, '07, 21:52
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by Chip » Oct 13th, '07, 21:52

Unfortuanately, it is not quite that easy, but most of the caffeine leaches out in the first minute. I hear it is less than earlier reported, but not certain.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!

Oct 13th, '07, 22:08
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by jashnew » Oct 13th, '07, 22:08

JRMurch- I have read that after the first 45 seconds 90% percent of the caffeine is released. You'll never get it caffeine free but eliminating 90 percent of the caffeine is pretty good. I don't recommend buying decaffeinated tea. The caffeine is eliminated with chemicals.

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Oct 13th, '07, 23:13
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by Chip » Oct 13th, '07, 23:13

90% is a high number, I am hearing a lower % now, like 50-75%.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!

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Oct 13th, '07, 23:56
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by bambooforest » Oct 13th, '07, 23:56

Is that right Chip? I have never heard such low numbers. I have always heard 80%

Oct 14th, '07, 10:24
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Thanks

by jrmurch » Oct 14th, '07, 10:24

Thank you all for the answers. We like to give him his tea before bed because it helps with his asthma. My wife and I want him to have all the benefits of real green tea, but we also don't want him to stay up night!!. :D

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Oct 15th, '07, 01:15
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Re: Thanks

by skywarrior » Oct 15th, '07, 01:15

jrmurch wrote:Thank you all for the answers. We like to give him his tea before bed because it helps with his asthma. My wife and I want him to have all the benefits of real green tea, but we also don't want him to stay up night!!. :D
One of the things you must remember is that even decaffeinated tea will have some caffeine in it. Green tea is pretty low on the caffeine chart, so making a weak 2nd infusion may not cause much concern. You don't say how old he is. That may make a difference.

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Oct 15th, '07, 16:36
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Re: Thanks

by skywarrior » Oct 15th, '07, 16:36

amanojakumo wrote: Tea might offer an 'enhancement' to those things, but I wouldn't put too much faith in it myself. I've got asthma/allergy problems and there's been no significant change as a result of me drinking tons of tea all day. I've been drinking tea for the enjoyment and it's nice to think there might be some 'slight' side benefits. But I haven't experienced much in the way of allergy/asthma relief.
I sort of got the impression that it was helping with allergies and asthma, not necessarily the only thing they were doing.

I have both and I drink a fair amount of tea, and it does help. A friend of mine used to drink hot water all the time to help with his asthma and allergies, so I think that the warmth has much to do with the medicinal effects.

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Oct 15th, '07, 23:56
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by ABx » Oct 15th, '07, 23:56

Looking around it appears that the scientific basis for this is in the caffeine, but herbal remedy type people are reporting that decaffeinated green works as well. They also talk about adding chamomile and/or other herbs as well; of course they claim great results.

Some of these might be worth looking into, however I would personally think it extremely irresponsible to try them on a child based solely on personal recommendations from anonymous people on the internet, or homeopath type people with no medical training - check with a doctor before doing anything, find out what the herbs are, what they do, how they work, and if there's any kind of side effects or interactions.

Tea (real tea, Camellia sinensis) on it's own, however, is probably a good thing to give anyway, particularly if your doctor is already aware of it.

As far as the caffeine, remember that L-Theanine can counteract the negative aspects of tea. You might actually try some of the green oolongs that are thick and sweet. That thick, sweet, veggie-protein taste that makes the tea viscous and gives it a meaty texture that makes you want to chew is the L-Theanine, which is an amino acid. This is not only good for you, but it will relax you enough that it should prevent the caffeine from keeping you awake. I bet he'd also like the flavor better, too ;) I've drank large amounts of this before bed without being kept awake, but then it should probably be kept in mind that my caffeine tolerance is most likely much higher than a child's or someone that isn't accustomed to taking in much/any caffeine. It's worth a try, anyway, as it's not going to be much different from green tea in any significant way.

Oct 16th, '07, 14:33
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by tea knitter » Oct 16th, '07, 14:33

Being asthmatic myself, and having come from an asthmatic mother who had none of the modern medical miracles available to her, I would hope that the parents above are only ameliorating their child's medical treatments with tea and not trying to self-treat. My mom is of an age that tea was all she had to help her get through the long, breathless nights as a child. Her sleep habits have never been right (still up and down all night, I think, just because she never learned how to sleep for any lenghth of time), though with some medical intervention and careful housekeeping, her asthma is finally under control. People are still not taking asthma seriously and the number of asthma deaths each year is increasing because of it. This is ridiculous when you consider the rather low cost (both physically and financially) of the necessary drugs. The manufacturers even send out large cash checks to fill the prescriptions. I can't remember the last time I even paid a full copay for mine! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don't try to self-medicate where this disease is present - it can be fatal!!! Tea is not enough - it is a wonderful drink and I am as huge a fan as the next person, but it should not be considered a medical intervention.

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Oct 16th, '07, 19:42
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by Eastree » Oct 16th, '07, 19:42

This may help with the decaffeination issue. Their sources are cited.

http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/side-e ... n-tea.html

Though I agree with Tea Knitter. Tea might help, but medical attention to maintain treatment is better.

Oct 17th, '07, 06:48

by Ed » Oct 17th, '07, 06:48

It's great to see that people are realizing that the quick-soak "decaffination method" doesn't work the way some like to claim it does. You're basically just throwing good tea down the drain and the second infusion will have plenty of caffeine anyway.

Cheap decaffination is done with chemicals but there is a better method that uses CO2 (carbon dioxide). It leaves most of the beneficial nutrients intact and there is no chemical residue. It does have a major impact on the flavor of the tea, though. It's never going to taste the same as regular tea. But if you get a flavored tea, you might not notice the taste difference as much. I am about to try some decaf black tea. But I wouldn't even bother trying decaf sencha - I know it's not going to taste right. Green tea is delicate.

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Oct 17th, '07, 10:21
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by Chip » Oct 17th, '07, 10:21

Thanx for the reference Eastree. That is a very interesting breakdown. I notced that each steeping was 5 minutes. The 45 second steep is not a practical method to remove caffeine.
Eastree wrote:This may help with the decaffeination issue. Their sources are cited.

http://www.amazing-green-tea.com/side-e ... n-tea.html

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