What is Darjeeling?

I was recently discussing tea with a friend. I mentioned how I really liked this first-flush darjeeling and she replied with "What is darjeeling? And what does first-flush mean?"
I realized I know many people who don't even know what darjeeling is.

"It's a Chinese tea that grows in India with flavors of French grapes and Himalayan mountain air."

(http://drinks.seriouseats.com)

Let's start with some facts

Origin: West Bengal, India 

Name: Darjeeling is named after the district in which it was first grown - the Darjeeling District 

Leaves: small-leaved Chinese variety (Camellia sinensis) 

Distinctive Features: Delicate, fruity, and muscatel 

There are 4 main kinds of Darjeeling that are referred to as flushes. Each flush is picked during a certain season or month. The earlier the Darjeeling is harvested, the lighter, more delicate the flavors. 

First Flush

-harvested Mid-March

- gentle and light

Second Flush

-harvested in June

-full-bodied and muscatel 

Monsoon Flush

-harvested during rainy season

-bold and mature

Autumnal Flush 

 -harvested in autumn

-full-bodied and spicy 

Though Darjeeling is rolled and oxidized like black tea, the oxidization process tends to be shorter. Being less oxidized than other teas, Darjeeling has some very delicate and fruity notes. Many say this fruity aroma reminds them of grapes. This distinct feature makes Darjeeling stand out as the Champagne of Teas. 

Darjeeling contains antioxidants and is said to help prevent 

-cancer

-obesity 

-ulcers 

-cell damage

Darjeeling is also said to promote

-heart health

-dental health

-skin health 

-bone density 

In Conclusion....

Darjeeling is a Chinese tea grown in India. Darjeeling can be light  like a green tea or more full-bodied like a black tea, depending on the season in which it is picked. Darjeeling stands out due to it's grape-like aroma and floral, muscatel flavors. It also has an impressive list of health benefits. 

5 Reasons to Avoid Bagged Tea

 Let's be honest- tea bags are convenient and easy. So why should you even try to switch? Here are five reasons. 

1) Paper tea bags contain pesticides

Yeah. You heard me right. You could be drinking pesticides. Paper tea bags often contain Epichlorohydrin, a compound used as a pesticide. This pesticide is known to cause infertility and can harm your immune system. This pesticide also causes cancer in animals. So....why are we drinking tea made in little pesticide bags? 

2) Plastic tea bags can leak toxins 

There is a certain point where, if put in hot enough water, plastic tea bags will begin to break down. When this happens, toxins are released into the tea. Though one cup of bagged tea won't do any harm, consistently drinking this could cause health issues. The more you drink tea in plastic tea bags, the more chemicals you put in your body - especially if you choose to re-steep the same tea bag. 

3) Some tea bags are chlorine-bleached

Chlorine-bleached. That just sounds bad. Why would I drink something in a chlorine-bleached bag? Drinking tea in a chlorine-bleached bag causes us to be exposed to dioxin which can be a health risk. Like I said before, drinking tea in a chlorine-bleached bag once won't really do anything - but doing it consistently could cause health issues. Dioxin is especially harmful to fetuses and infants. Dioxin also causes cancer. 

4) Most tea is not washed before put into tea bags

Most tea is sprayed with pesticides. So if the tea wasn't washed, this means all the pesticides go directly into your cup of tea. Great. Pesticides in the tea bag AND pesticides on the actual tea. Unless you are buying an organic, pesticide-free bagged tea, you are essentially drinking a cup full of cancer causing pesticides. 

If you want to go more in depth here, check out this article: http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/21/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-tea/

5) Tea bags alter the taste of your tea

It makes sense- if you put something in really hot water, it's going to break down. When a paper or plastic bag is put in hot tea, it breaks down and changes the flavor of the tea. After switching to loose leaf tea, I've realized how different bagged tea tastes. It ruins the freshness and purity of the tea. When tasting a bagged green tea next to a loose leaf green tea, I could swear I tasted the paper in the bagged one. 

Though it's fine to have a cup of bagged tea here and there, you should avoid having it on a daily basis. 

Tulsi Chai

I recently went to a place with my friend and we painted our very own teacups! I absolutely love how they turned out.

This morning I enjoyed my gluten-free lemon bars and Spicely Tulsi Chai in my new teacup.

Can I take a moment just to explain to you how amazing this Tulsi Chai tea is?
It is caffeine-free yet a very rich and smooth brew. Also, the list of health benefits is amazing.

Tulsi is stress-relieving, aids restful sleep, aids digestion, helps with headaches, helps maintain healthy eyesight, can prevent kidney stones, improves the immune system, helps prevent colds, fights gum disease, helps with bad breath, and the list goes on!

I'm going to start drinking a cup of this every day before bed. It not only has amazing health benefits but tastes lovely!