Wednesday TeaDay 6/03/09 Alternate universe decaf?

[davidlhsl]

Tea isn't about caffeine for me personally, but it is about more than merely taste.

First, I love the variety in tea. I'm relatively new to loose leaf, but there are still many types of tea I have yet to explore.

I love the smell of tea and the appearance of the leaves before, during, and after infusion. I love the teaware and various brewing methods.

But the biggest draw tea has for me is the ritual. Preparing and drinking tea is a focused activity that takes me, albeit for a brief moment, away from the demands of the everyday world. Well, that is, until I realize I can't put it off any longer and I have to go pee.

[spot52]

... the appeal to the vast majority of tea drinkers is some of the hidden components, one being caffeine.

... keeps many of us coming back

OK, now you may feel free to disagree with me.

You are wrong. You do not speak for me sir.
Blanket statements are risky and often fatal. I do not need to caffeine in tea and am quite happy without it.

But hey, I am not here to say that you do not think or speak for yourself. But don't lump me into your theories. It's ok that you are wrong.

Thank you for your response. However please read that I neither make a blanket statement nor include everyone in my observation. My statement is hardly dangerous nor fatal, however sticking one's head in the sand and not being open to other ideas, theories, observations clearly is dangerous and at times fatal.

I presented an opposing hypothesis that one can either embrace or not, but please keep it in the context and wording presented. Stating I am wrong is also very close minded, you dismissed my post in seconds ... you can express that you disagree, but then you need to prove I am actually wrong.

I am neither a scientist nor a physiologist, etc. I simply base my observations on my 10+ years experience of the study of tea.

I will apologize for stating comments about blanket statements. I did misread that comment.

But disagreeing with you does not make me close minded or a person with my head stuck in the sand. I'm sorry that your perspective is that myopic about people who disagree with you. But I guess you also missed the laughing smiley that showed the joking tone I was taking. I guess smileys do not always convey the emotion to the reader. I guess that theory has exceptions too!

[Dresden]

As a coffee convert who goes to work very early I really want the caffeine...

But I won't sacrifice quality to do it...

Someone find me a Morris-Thorne wormhole... I gotta get out!

Sencha Fuka-Midori in the cup this afternoon...

Cheers,
Mike

[Chip]

Spot52, dismissing my comment as "wrong" is close minded, "myopic." I repeatedly stated you can disagree with me, by all means. Just do not dismiss my comments as "wrong" in seconds which IMHO is being close minded, "myopic."

I posted originally to invite opposing views, hardly myopic!!!!! Unfortunately some times this invites others to cast judgemental viewpoints.

There is a huge difference in disagreeing and declaring someone is wrong repeatedly without proof. Smileys are nice, but words are words. Perhaps choosing your words more wisely would be advisable as you interact on this forum.

[spot52]

Spot52, dismissing my comment as "wrong" is close minded, "myopic." I repeatedly stated you can disagree with me, by all means. Just do not dismiss my comments as "wrong" in seconds which IMHO is being close minded, "myopic."

I posted originally to invite opposing views, hardly myopic!!!!! Unfortunately some times this invites others to cast judgemental viewpoints.

There is a huge difference in disagreeing and declaring someone is wrong repeatedly without proof. Smileys are nice, but words are words. Perhaps choosing your words more wisely would be advisable as you interact on this forum.

Chip, twas a joke...thats all I can say. I am sorry that you did not get it. I don't know why you are taking it so personally.

[Chip]

OK.

Because you never said it "twas" a joke. A lot of thought went into my post, which I thought you dissed in a few minutes, my mistake.

I will laugh as I drink my caffeine, er tea, in a few minutes.

[Herb_Master]

Well, I have to agree with Chip's thesis, but as I have always shunned caffeine free products {just as I have always shunned vegetarian products mimicking meat products, even though I love Nuts, Beans, Pulses and certain Soy Products} I am not well placed to make a comment. Finding no sympathy with any of the answers, I declined to vote at all. Now, the little spice that Chip has added, will, I hope spur some answers thay may enlighten me

[spot52]

As an individual, I can say that caffeine is not important. I could wake up and drink roobois and/or honeybush and not crave true tea. It may easily just be the warm drink and sharing in the ritual at work/home. I do not suffer from withdrawal.

Just a thought, it is also argued that we cannot taste the caffeine in soda, according to a Johns Hopkins research study (2000)... http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/1100web/health.html#pop They claim that caffeine is added purely for it's addictive qualities.

I think, the biggest issue in the American society is sugar and/or salt laden products. Teas and tisanes help me to detox against my cultural food and beverage preferences.

[cha cha cha]

I'm really sensitive to caffeine and not a big fan of herbal tea, but I'd love to be able to drink a cup of tea right before bed. This alternate universe would be the answer to my tea dilemma!

[Intuit]

>Now, the little spice that Chip has added, will, I hope spur some answers thay may enlighten me

Technical expansion of my previous post.

Caffeine works synergistically with theanine to induce calmness and clarity of thought - predominantly in the forebrain, while counteracting other effects (blood pressure, body temperature, water balance) at the hypothalamus.

This reduces the anxiety reaction component (of caffeine) due to excess ACTH stimulation of norepinephrine (release and action) in the brain - the primary issue with those of us who are 'sensitive' to excess caffeine and have chronically elevated levels of norepinephrine release from years of poor stress tolerance under chronic stress load.

One of the more undesirable aspects of norepinephrine excess is depletion of dopamine and serotonin due to local depletion of the methyl donor pool necessary to synthesize all three (that is, dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are made within the same pathway - reaction sequence - the end product being norepinephrine).

Additionally, theanine helps to regulate and induce normalized dopamine and serotonin release from 'storage' in brain cells.

Tiger Hill OP in my cup.

[shogun89]

grab as much tea as possible and BOOK IT!!!!

[kymidwife]

Hmmm... I love tea. And for the most part, I quite enjoy caffeine, though it can be inconvenient at night.

So, I'd drink the tea that tasted best, no question about it. But, truth be told, I'd probably also start drinking considerably more coffee to get my caffeine fix... and probably a bit less tea than I drink now.

Lets just keep things as they are, please.

Sarah

[jazz88]

Not a fan of anything decaf but then again I don't have any problems with Caffeine.
Also don't eat/drink anything low fat

Just had a cup of Sencha Premier, so nice ....

[Chip]

Just a thought, it is also argued that we cannot taste the caffeine in soda, according to a Johns Hopkins research study (2000)... http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/1100web/health.html#pop They claim that caffeine is added purely for it's addictive qualities.

Coke and tea are completely different of course. I would feel w/o anything to back it up, that one could taste the caffeine in tea or its absence. Even if it is very subtle ...

Had a really nice session of Kirameki earlier. For an asamushi, it has quite a full mouth feel surprisingly.

[spot52]

Just a thought, it is also argued that we cannot taste the caffeine in soda, according to a Johns Hopkins research study (2000)... http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/1100web/health.html#pop They claim that caffeine is added purely for it's addictive qualities.

Coke and tea are completely different of course. I would feel w/o anything to back it up, that one could taste the caffeine in tea or its absence. Even if it is very subtle ...

Had a really nice session of Kirameki earlier. For an asamushi, it has quite a full mouth feel surprisingly.

I do not disagree that soda and tea are different. It was just an interesting article on the subject.

It doesn't change the fact that I could care less if caffeine was in tea or not.