Green tea with jasmine: what is useful and how to brew it correctly?
Tea is a favorite invigorating drink for many. Its different varieties have a unique taste and aroma. But how often do you want to improve or add something in order to try something new. This is what happened with tea. Various cooking methods, all kinds of flavorings and additives have been invented. One of the popular types of such tea is green with jasmine. Some even believe that this is the only supplement worthy of a noble drink.
Aromatization methods
It should be noted that not all types that we consider tea with additives are. Let us consider in more detail the methods of flavoring a tea drink that are taking place.
- Adding natural herbs, flowers or fruits to tea leaves. With this method, the tea itself is not subjected to additional processing. The drink obtained from such a mixture acquires not only the aroma, but also some of the properties of the added plants.
- Perfuming - a method in which raw materials are dried during the preparation process along with various colors. A dryer with several circles is used, on which tea leaves and aromatic plants are laid out in layers (after one).
- Aromatization. With this method, tea leaves are simply treated with different flavors.
We will talk about jasmine tea obtained by the first method.
How to choose?
When buying, you should pay attention to the fact that the composition contains noticeable pieces of petals, then you can be sure that this is tea with additives, and not flavored or perfumed. Often, for the convenience of brewing, tea bags are purchased. In this case, it is almost impossible to determine what is inside. Not only jasmine, but also the tea itself may not be there.
Meanwhile, properly brewed real tea with jasmine is not only tasty, but also a healthy drink.
Compound
Most often, the drink is used as a tonic. This property is due to the presence of caffeine in the composition of tea. Indeed, a cup of aromatic drink can replace coffee in the morning, having an invigorating, but milder effect.
Green tea is obtained by preventing leaf oxidation during the drying process, while retaining a large amount of natural substances, including vitamins. The B vitamins present in its composition provide the most beneficial effect on the nervous system. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which is even more in green tea than in lemon, helps to strengthen blood vessels. PP - nicotinic acid - prevents the occurrence of allergies. Tea also contains vitamin K, which is involved in the process of hematopoiesis and blood clotting.
The mineral composition of the drink is also rich. In particular, it contains iodine, fluorine and zinc necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
Tannins, preserved in green tea in large quantities, determine the astringency of taste, astringent properties, promote digestion and cleanse the intestines.
In tea, there are up to 17 amino acids and more than 10 types of enzymes that are directly involved in metabolism.
Properties
Many people call jasmine the king of flowers because of its wonderful smell. The aroma of jasmine has a mild calming effect, reduces anxiety, irritability, and helps with insomnia. At the same time, it gives an emotional lift, harmonizes the sexual sphere in both women and men. It is an excellent antidepressant, relieves apathy and can even help with bulimia.
When added to tea, jasmine slightly softens its effect and has beneficial effects on the body:
- perfectly tones and energizes for the whole day;
- is a prophylactic agent for hypovitaminosis;
- improves blood circulation and stimulates metabolic processes, contributing to weight loss;
- having an antiseptic effect, it is able to suppress pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract, therefore it can be used as a concomitant remedy in the treatment of intestinal infections;
- has a vasodilating effect, can help with spasmodic headaches;
- promotes emotional arousal, is considered an aphrodisiac.
In order for tea drinking to bring only benefit and pleasure, it is necessary to observe the measure both in the strength of brewing and in the amount of use. It is also desirable to know the features of your health.
Contraindications
It is not recommended to drink green tea for people with hypotension, because after a short jump in pressure, caffeine is quickly neutralized and the antagonist alkaloids contained in tea cause vasodilation and an even greater decrease in blood pressure.
The drink can be harmful to pregnant women, as the rapid removal of water from the body can aggravate toxicosis, although weak jasmine tea can reduce nausea. In this case, it is better to consult a doctor.
It is also better for a nursing mother not to abuse this drink, because the extractive substances from it with milk will be transferred to the child and can cause insomnia.
People with heart disease also need to be careful: green tea can cause arrhythmias.
Also, this drink is not recommended for those who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and liver diseases.
But as practice shows, weak tea, if you drink it no more than 2-3 cups a day, does no harm to anyone. And in order to really get all the useful properties, it is important to brew it correctly.
Brewing methods
In this process, two main components must be present: tea and water. It is assumed that we will brew natural green tea with jasmine. What kind of water is needed?
First of all, it should not contain any foreign tastes and odors that can spoil the taste of the drink. So there should be no impurities. If only chlorinated tap water is available, it should be allowed to stand for several hours in an open container. Unsuitable is hard (with a high content of calcium and magnesium salts).
Great if you can use the water from the spring. The Chinese brought specially soft spring water from distant mountainous regions to make tea.
A good option is bottled water from the store. But when buying, you need to pay attention to the information indicated on the label to make sure that it is not poured from a regular faucet.
When brewing, do not use boiling water. In order for tea to retain all its properties and aroma, it must be boiled once and not hotter than 85 degrees.
Different cultures have their own tea drinking traditions.The most ancient, from where tea with jasmine came from, is Chinese.
The Chinese drink tea without sugar and without any additives at all, believing that this will spoil the taste of the drink. When brewing for guests, they use a faience, porcelain or clay teapot with a strainer, and for themselves - a gaiwan bowl with a lid slightly smaller in diameter than the top of the bowl. With this method of brewing, tea is infused for a short time, about 4 minutes, then poured or drunk directly from the brew vessel if a gaiwan was used.
Tea with jasmine can be poured a second time. To do this, about a third of the water should remain in the kettle. In this case, you need to withstand it for about 7 minutes.
The Russian tradition is characterized by tea drinking with two teapots. For green tea with jasmine is also quite a suitable way:
- a porcelain teapot is poured with boiling water for heating (you can cover it with a napkin and wait a few minutes);
- boiling water is drained and 5-6 teaspoons of tea leaves are put in the teapot;
- hot water is poured to about half, and infused for about 5 minutes;
- now the water is poured to the top, immediately poured into cups and diluted with boiling water to everyone's taste.
You should not cover the kettle with any heating pads - this will spoil the drink: the tea will overheat and, as they say, will acquire the taste of a broom.
To feel all the nuances of fragrant jasmine tea, the drink needs to be slightly cooled - to a temperature of about 75 degrees.
High-quality tea can also be added a second time, but immediately. If the tea left for another day, it is not worth pouring it again: there will be no benefit, but harm can be done. Tea should be brewed fresh every day. Permanent tea leaves can be used externally as an antiseptic and decongestant.
When is the best time to drink?
We must say right away that you should not drink at night, especially for those who suffer from insomnia. The most suitable time will be about half an hour after eating. Then it will be possible to fully feel the tonic effect of fragrant jasmine tea without harming your stomach.
Storage
It should be noted that tea, especially with additives, needs special storage conditions, as it easily absorbs odors and moisture. To avoid this, you need to store it in a dry place separately from other products, especially smelly ones, in a tightly closed porcelain or glass container. It is better if it is of a small volume in order to pour fresh tea there more often.
One important point: some sources recommend adding jasmine petals to tea yourself. Unfortunately, this delicate plant in mid-latitudes can only be found as a room culture and not so often. And the well-known shrub, which is often confused with jasmine, is called mock orange, and it was not at all about him.
If, of course, real jasmine flaunts on your windowsill, then add its petals to green tea for health, not even dried, but, as always, in moderation.
For information on how to brew green tea with jasmine, see the following video.