What Is Black Tea?

[Guest guest]

Free-Reprint Article Written by: Marcus Stout

See Terms of Reprint Below.

*****************************************************************

*

* This email is being delivered directly to members of the group:

*

*

*

*****************************************************************

We have moved our TERMS OF REPRINT to the end of the article.

Be certain to read our TERMS OF REPRINT and honor our TERMS

OF REPRINT when you use this article. Thank you.

This article has been distributed by:

http://Article-Distribution.com

Helpful Link:

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Overview

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/dmca1.htm

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Article Title:

==============

What Is Black Tea?

Article Description:

====================

In recent years, new emphasis has been placed on the therapeutic

benefits of drinking tea. Of course, there are many different

varieties of tea that a consumer can choose from. As a result,

unless you've really studied the issue, you may not know one

kind of tea from another.

Additional Article Information:

===============================

804 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2007-05-07 11:00:00

Written By: Marcus Stout

Copyright: 2007

Contact Email: mailto:Marcus.Stout@...

For more free-reprint articles by Marcus Stout, please visit:

http://www.thePhantomWriters.com/recent/author/marcus-stout.html

=============================================

Special Notice For Publishers and Webmasters:

=============================================

If you use this article on your website or in your ezine,

We Want To Know About It. Use the following URL to let

us know where you have used this article, and we will

include a link to your website on thePhantomWriters.com:

http://thephantomwriters.com/notify.php?id=4785 & p=load

HTML Copy-and-Paste and TEXT Copy-and-Paste

Versions Of Article Are Available at:

http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/s/what-is-black-tea.shtml#get_code

---------------------------------------------------------------------

What Is Black Tea?

Copyright © 2007 Marcus Stout

Golden Moon Tea

http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com

In recent years, new emphasis has been placed on the therapeutic

benefits of drinking tea. Of course, there are many different

varieties of tea that a consumer can choose from. As a result,

unless you've really studied the issue, you may not know one

kind of tea from another.

If you're in the dark about black tea, you're certainly not

alone. A number of people are unfamiliar with this unique,

soothing beverage. However, once you learn about black tea, you

may be tempted to trade in your daily cup of java for a mug of

tea. Let's take a closer look at what makes black tea so

special.

A Geography Lesson

To truly understand the black tea phenomenon, you must first know

a little geography. Black tea flourishes at high altitudes, such

as those found in the Himalayan Blue Mountains. Assam, which

boasts more than 800 estates specifically geared toward the

cultivation of tea, constitutes one of the world's largest tea

producers. This black tea can be mixed with African teas or

Ceylon teas in order to produce English or Irish tea. This

blending often occurs in European cities such as Hamburg or

Amsterdam. However, unblended teas are also quite popular-such

teas are known by the term " single estate teas. "

The tea leaves are sorted, then go through natural fermentation.

Through this oxidation process, the tea leaves change from green

to black. The next step of the process involves the packaging of

the tea, which is then given a brand name. In recent years, black

tea has become the world's most popular beverage, whether served

hot or cold.

The Phenomenal Effects of Black Tea

One of the key reasons for the phenomenal popularity of black tea

is its soothing nature. Anecdotally, tea drinkers have been

saying for years that black tea can help calm unsteady nerves-but

now there's scientific research to prove the point.

Scientists at the University College London, in a study published

in the journal Psychopharmacology, discovered that black tea can

reduce the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the

bloodstream. The study showed that black tea-drinkers were able

to cut their stress levels faster than individuals who consumed a

tea substitute.

The study examined 75 young men were divided into two groups and

monitored for a period of six weeks. One group drank a

caffeinated tea mixture that was fruit-flavored and made up of

the components found in black tea. The second group received a

placebo that contained caffeine and that tasted like tea, but

that did not actually contain tea.

In addition, the two groups were subjected to stressful

situations-the possibility of joblessness, an accusation of

shoplifting, or a nursing home incident. Group members then had

to prepare an oral response and state their case before a camera.

As they were subjected to the stressful incident, researchers

measured their cortisol, blood pressure, and blood platelet

levels.

The scientists found that these situations resulted in

significant increases in blood pressure and heart rates for both

groups. Nevertheless, nearly an hour after the situation had died

down, the tea-drinkers experienced a nearly 50 percent drop in

their cortisol levels. The group that had taken placebos saw only

a 27 percent decrease in their cortisol count. The tea drinkers

also reported being more relaxed than the non-tea drinkers did.

As researcher Steptoe told the news media, " Drinking tea

has traditionally been associated with stress relief, and many

people believe that drinking tea helps them relax after facing

the stresses of everyday life... Although it does not appear to

reduce the actual levels of stress we experience, tea does seem

to have a greater effect in bringing stress hormone levels back

to normal. "

Steptoe added, " This has important health implications because

slow recovery following acute stress has been associated with a

greater risk of chronic illnesses such as coronary heart

disease. "

Meanwhile, according to a USDA study, consumption of black tea

can lower bad cholesterol levels and can cut the incidence of

heart disease for individuals who are at risk. In addition, a

number of studies have indicated that consistent consumption of

black tea can protect the body against numerous human cancers.

Some Final Thoughts

It would be wrong to call black tea a miracle cure. Drinking the

beverage does not guarantee that an individual will be protected

for life against serious illness. However, there is a vast amount

of research to suggest that black tea has numerous therapeutic

benefits for those who consume it regularly. Making black tea a

habit can provide a protective effect against heart disease,

cancer, and stress-related illness.

As a result, you might consider giving black tea a try. There

seem to be no significant negative side-effects associated with

drinking it, and there's plenty of evidence to suggest that it

can be a healthy alternative to other beverages.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon

Tea Company. For more information about tea,

(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea)

green tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea)

and black tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com