Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Gaga Over Green Tea





An uncle who lives abroad returns home for a visit. The Balikbayan box we got includes a pair of expensive loafers, (I forgot the brand but it was for me) a huge tin can of biscuits (which my mom shared with a bachelor uncle who lives in our old house) and a box full of Green Tea bags for the whole family. The box is actually for my mom. Being a self-confessed coffee person, her brothers and sisters urged to switch to tea instead.

A week after the box of tea bags lay unnoticed beside the tin can of biscuits, I decided to bring two sachets of it to work. One challenge I face every morning is how to rev my head without depending on too much high-energy drink. You see, I had a missed date with Throatie and I suspect the consumption of sugar water before the signs appeared was the culprit. I was warned by a colleague before of the dangers of drinking Cobra, but stubbornness prevailed. Who wouldn't choose a packaged product - conveniently affordable and easy to bring around - over a bunch of dried leaves sealed inside a paper? The trouble of bringing your own mug to work already is a turn-off.

Yet, I decided to try substituting the processed with something more organic. I set the time of drinking just when my eyes become droopy and my focus on the verge of sailing away. Steam from hot water was still rising when I had my first sip. It triggered a panic response from my taste buds.

It hurts.

But the millions of nerve endings stimulated by caffeine kicks me back to blissful wakefulness. The state of alertness was immediately felt, and I was left smiling at the bits of tea leaves floating on the surface of hot water. The perky effects of tea stirred me to research about the beverage. C2 Green Tea had never attained this kind of effect nor its other incarnations easily available in convenience stores.

Research showed that drinking tea is a very ancient tradition. Its roots can be found in China, Japan and India, where different tea ceremonies sprouted from serving the drink. The leaves used to process tea is called Camellia Sinensis. Its exotic name suggests fragrant tea gardens surrounded by rolling hills and vast evergreens.

What caught my fancy was not the tea's proud history or how it was discovered by Kings and Queens of Europe through conquest and exploitation. What I found important was its health benefits long ignored by ordinary people. We know tea because of its derivatives such as Iced Tea. I confess that it used to be my favorite drink. However, the tea I drank was in its purer form. Closer to its essence, I may have found something that could reverse the abuses I did to my body.

Lets ignore tea having anti-cancer properties. Lets also forget that it can reduce the risk of heart disease or it can increase the metabolic rate of a person (yeah baby! Its a fatburner!!) It says it destroys bacteria around the gums preventing halitosis and boosts the immune system of the body. These claims will take effect once tea drinking becomes a habit. What I felt - almost immediately - without the aid of Wikipedia - was a decrease in fatigue which often takes a toll on my personal life after work is done. It must be the thought of going organic. But these days, I feel less grumpy and my attitude towards other people has become more serene.

Tomorrow is the third day of the tea-drinking habit. It will go alongside the workout program to see if the metabolic increase hastens my weight loss target. The box of sachets will last for over a month. After the tea bags run out, we will be on our own. No new supply will be coming from abroad - unless the favorite aunt gets converted to this new religion. In case I would be forced to search the alleys of Binondo, confident that in this brief moment of optimism, new discoveries sparking my interest will emerge.



Photo




15 comments:

♥ ruby ♥ said...

I love green tea! Sobrang soothing! :D Sabi nila, mixing it with honey will help increase your metabolism. Pero di effective sakin! Baka sayo pwede! Haha!

I always purchase tea leaves whenever I'm in Japan. Let me know if your supply has run out. I have tons! :D

Unknown said...

Ahhhh... yun pala yun.

Thanks for sharing this information. I saw a keyword. :D

dr magsasaka said...

Tea has the active ingredient theophylline, one of the three most famous xanthine compounds, the other two being caffeine from coffee, and theobromine from chocolate.

They have weakly stimulant properties.

wanderingcommuter said...

earl grey pa din! nyahahaha!

tara! mag afternoon tea tayo minsan! hahaha

MANDAYA MOORE: Ang bayot sa bukid said...

padalhan mo ako, iinumin ko yan.


samantala, sa cobra energy drink na muna ako.

totoo, adik ako sa cobra


hehehe

Anonymous said...

i'm both a coffee and tea drinker. Coffee I drink to perk myself up and tea I drink to relax.

Mugen said...

Eon:

Now I understand why I felt perky when I drank tea.

I was relaxed at the same time. Hahaha.

Mandaya:

Sige pag nakahanap ako ng supply dito, padalhan rin kita diyan.

Nakakaadik talaga ang cobra. Not to mention na popular rin siya with the boys.

Wiwik:

Sure, set the place. Dapat English Style tea party ang gawin natin.

Mugen said...

Dr. Magsasaka:

I see, so it wasn't being stimulated but a reverse pala. :) Thought the effect was something different.

Manech:

You're welcome. :)

Ruby:

I drank it without adding anything. Next time I will try it with honey.

Thank you for the offer. I'd tell you when my supply runs out.

domjullian said...

May mga negative effects din cya acoording to some researches pag naka inom ng marami. 1 or 2 cups a day ay ok na. After lunch and dinner ako umiinom.

Anonymous said...

5 cups a day would be nice. it also has l-theanine. an amino acid only found in tea leaves. it does help keep your immune system healthy. ^_^

Yj said...

dumating kapatid ko last week from Japan, at isang box din ng black tea ang pasalubong ng kapatid ko sakin... alam niyang sobra kong namiss eh... nakakita naman ako ng ganun na supermarket dito pero medyo may kamahalan... kaya naghihintay nalang ako na may magbigay hehehehe...

i've read somewhere na yang green tea ay nakakatulong na pigilan ang HIV para maging full blown AIDS... powerful!

Mugen said...

YJ:

Bakit lahat ng Tea niyo eh galing sa Japan. Nako baka wala akong makita niyan sa Binondo. Hahaha.

That's what I've read to. It protects the body from infection.

Anon:

Thanks dude. I'm on my fourth mug na as of this writing.

Domjullian:

The carcinogen from the tea bag is harmful to the body daw. That's what they said.

Chip said...

Hay kelan ba ako iinom ng mainit na inumin? Miski kape, kung hindi iced or frappe, pinapalamig ko muna bago ko inumin.

Gusto ko yung pang-increase ng metabolic rate. Kahapon kasi sinabihan na ako ng teammate kong lumalaki na daw tiyan ko. Che! Bastos!

Haha!

Mugen said...

Padsi:

Sapakin natin yung officemate mo dali! Pakita mong hotness ka pa rin kahit laki na tummy mo. :P

Dhon said...

Ma try nga! :)