Milky oolong tea benefits
Milky Oolong tea is very different from any other oolong tea as it is indeed from any other tea. It has a very distinctive milky taste which seems almost unnatural even though it's not obtained using any artificial flavours.
In this post, I will describe:
- what is oolong tea
- what is the Milky Oolong tea
- the health benefits of the Milky Oolong tea
- the impact of the Milky Oolong tea on weight loss
What is oolong tea
Oolong tea originates from the Fujian region in China where it has been grown for more than three centuries. Today it is mainly grown in the Fujian region and in Taiwan.
People often ask me if oolong tea is black or green tea. The answer is - it's neither! The Chinese tradition recognises six types if tea:
* white - not oxidized, not transformed, the tender young buds are just withered
* yellow - prepared in a very specific way, this tea is slightly fermented
* green - not oxidized, the leaves are heated up after having been withered
* red - what we know as black tea in the Western culture, this tea is fully oxidized
* blue - oolong tea, partially oxidized
* black - the fermented tea, such as pu erh
Before the mass production of black tea was launched in India by the British colonisers, oolong teas from the Fujian region were the most popular teas in the world. When we think of British aristocrats having their five o'clock tea, for many centuries this would actually be oolong tea, not mass-produced black tea that the Brits drink today.
Read on for more information on oolong tea.
What is the Milky Oolong tea
Milky oolong tea is mainly produced in Taiwan where the Milky oolong cultivar has been first invented. (Cultivar is a variety of tea plant used to produce a tea.)
The tea made from this cultivar, also called Milky Oolong. Read on to find out more about Milky Oolong tea.
What are the health benefits of the Milky Oolong tea?
In his excellent book on healthy eating, How not to die Dr. Michael Greger outlines many health benefits of tea. While his main focus is green tea, these benefits also apply to oolong tea.
According to the research cited in the book, tea can prevent breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It can also lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and body fat.
Tea can prevent your brain from cognitive decline and stroke. Moreover, drinking tea is related with a lower risk of diabetes, tooth loss (tea contains fluor) and even dying from pneumonia.
The impact of tea on the mental state
My favourite tea benefit is its impact on our mental state. Scientists discovered that humans can be in four mental states, two asleep and two awake. The two waking states are alpha and beta. The alpha state of full relaxation can be achieved during meditation... and while drinking tea!
The impact of the Milky Oolong tea on weight loss
In his other excellent book, How not to diet, the same Dr. Michael Greger points out the impact of drinking tea on weight loss.
The book's chapter on tea starts with these powerful words: "Simply drink a cup of tea, and, within an hour, you may be burning up to 10 percent more calories." Dr. Greger then goes on providing example of different studies which proved that simply consuming green or oolong tea led to burning more calories - around 25 calories per cup.
This miraculous impact of tea seems to be related to a group of antioxidants called catechins which boost our metabolism. What's particularly impressive about it is that tea can boost metabolism without raising heart rate - it actually reduces blood pressure.
Milky oolong - a tea you need to taste
Regardless of its many health benefits and the impact it can have on weight loss, Milky Oolong tea is a tea you simply have to try.
Its milky taste is so much unlike anything else that every tea lover should drink it at least once in his or her life.
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