http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ Seven Cups Tea Forum: Last 35 Posts en Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:05:12 +0000 http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/42#post-162 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:53:57 +0000 admin 162@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Nicholas<br /> It is true that oolong tea is being used in research in relationship to obesity. I think it is also true that there are website that try to capitalize on this fact by over hyping Wuyi Oolongs, and selling poor quality teas for high prices on their sites. It is true that the are a lot of Wuyi oolongs that sell at pretty high prices, but it is not the case in the quality of tea being sold for weight loss.</p> <p>Tea in general is good for weight loss in that it helps to keep blood sugar stable. It is thought that oolongs help by binding to some fats, the Chinese believe that the more a tea is oxidized the more warming and thus the bigger the aid to digestion.</p> <p>It is probably good to drink 4 cups a day or more. The Chinese usually drink tea after a meal, though they will be sipping tea through out. You will notice that if you have a cup of tea after a meal it will take away any bloated feelings you have from the meal.</p> <p>I hope this is helpful.</p> <p>Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/42#post-161 Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:19:49 +0000 Nick603 161@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hello. I've been reading alot on the web about Wu-Yi Tea haveing great weight loss benefits, and was wandering if this is true or not?!<br /> If this is true, what regimine would i exercise in using this Tea to benefit weight loss?<br /> For instance....how often daily would i drink it?<br /> What quantity would i drink at one time?<br /> And finally, what would be a good way to incorporate it into a daily routine of exercise and meals?</p> <p>Thank you so much,</p> <p>Nicholas </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/41#post-160 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:45:52 +0000 admin 160@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Andres<br /> As you say more, it has caused me to wonder whether or your problem rests in the tea you are buying rather than your storage technique. Good jasmine tea holds it's smell well for quite a while no matter how it is stored. Let me explain. </p> <p>The very best jasmine to is expensive and time consuming to make. Good green tea comes is the spring, but jasmine comes in the summer. Good jasmine maocha is produced in the spring but the moisture is not completely removed and the tea is stored with care so that it will not yellow while it awaits the jasmine. When the jasmine blooms the tea is infused with the blossoms and then slightly roasted. This is done five or 6 times until the tea is infused with jasmine "to the bone". This process can take as long as twenty days.</p> <p>Most common jasmine tea comes from summer harvested green still the quality is still determined by how many time the tea is infused with jasmine. Of course jasmine is expensive so there are short cuts taken, the most common is using magnolias or chemicals, or combinations of both.</p> <p>The way to judge jasmine is not too difficult. One first sniff of the dry tea should not be sharp, it should draw you in, rather than cause you to back up from the intensity. Brew you tea multiple times paying close attention to the smell. Good jasmine will hold a consistent fragrance for 6 or more infusions. Jasmine tea that has been scented by chemicals will lose it's fragrance after a few infusions. Jasmine that has used magnolias will reveal itself by the fragrance changing in it's floral character as it is infused, you should be able to detect the fragrance of to different flowers. The blossoms are removed from the tea, but if you find a dried blossom the is red in the tea, it began as a white magnolia flower. The blending of flowers is quite common, and some blossom blends are tightly guarded secrets and there are well known tea houses in Beijing that specialize in such blends.</p> <p>Jasmine tea in China is primarily consumed in the north of China away from the tea producing areas of China. Part of the reason for it's popularity in the north is the ability of jasmine tea to maintain it's character under difficult conditions, where the freshness of tea becomes less of issue.</p> <p>Of course what you are saying about storage is very true, but the sensitive of good jasmine is not as volatile as green tea and some lightly oxidized oolongs.</p> <p>These are just some more considerations to think about as a jasmine aficionado.</p> <p>Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/41#post-159 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:20:40 +0000 andres 159@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>I was writing about preserving jasmine teas in general. Jasmine teas from SevenCups have not been a problem in the bags that you mail them in. However, I have also tried other jasmine teas from other local sellers here and not all of them preserve that well.</p> <p>In that respect, I have found one specific tea here that seems to be my favourite (very strong and fresh jasmine flavour/fragrance) and that is somewhat similar to your jasmine pearls (but has even stronger jasmine flavour). I would gladly purchase a tea like that also from you but I checked all the jasmine teas you offered and did not find that specific one (called here "Tai Mu Long", source unknown but claimed to be direct from China, and seems to be of good quality, except for the preservation problems). There are many similar jasmine teas (called mostly "Dragon Pearls") available here locally but they are of inferior quality, and I have found only one source (out of the many) which can be compared with the quality offered by Seven Cups.</p> <p>The most similar one you offer is jasmine pearls, which is very good too but has a little less jasmine flavour/fragrance. If you could expand the selection of jasmine teas you offer, I'd be glad to try the new ones out.</p> <p>Otherwise, I hope to remain a loyal customer of Seven Cups since the Meng Ding snow drops tea is really very good, and your jasmine pearls are very good too.</p> <p>As for some more discoveries, it still seems that an airtight silicon-sealed glass container kept in *dark* and cool may be the best option. I experimented with it and in such a container, the fragrance/flavour loss of jasmine teas seemed to be minimal compared with other containers I tried. </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/41#post-158 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:11:26 +0000 admin 158@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Andres<br /> I am reading this en-route coming back from China, so I will not try to go into to much detail. The enemies, as you seem to have discovered, are light, humidity, air, and other smells. Please tell which jasmine tea you are referring to. Some or less stable then others. I am assuming that you are talking about one of our teas. Jasmine tea stores by in large well compared to greens, that is why they are so popular in the north of China where fresh tea is harder to get.<br /> I hope you are well.<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/41#post-157 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:31:03 +0000 andres 157@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Proper tea storage seems to be a problem which has not been paid enough attention.</p> <p>I have experimented a little and found out that jasmine tea is particularly vulnerable to changes in aroma and flavour: oxygen seems to be the worst enemy. Unfortunately, I am a little addicted to a certain aroma- and flavour-related aspect of some jasmine teas, and it is this very aspect that tends to get lost quite soon upon improper storage.</p> <p>As for tea I have purchased from Seven Cups, the coated bags you use seem to be one of the best options for efficient preservation of the original aroma and flavour. (And your teas really have it right when I purchase them!) However, these bags have just one little minus: when I re-close the bag, I have to be extra careful and check that the bag is really closed indeed, otherwise the tea would go bad. Of course I can do (and am doing) that but I am interested in keeping my everyday tea in a more solid container, especially one with a more solid closing mechanism, so that I won't have to worry about whether I closed the container properly or not. For longer-term storage I find these bags to be the best option indeed.</p> <p>I have experimented only with jasmine teas as I do not drink other teas very much. In a non-airtight container, a good jasmine tea will obtain an excessively sweet aroma (unwanted, although some people may even like it) or a specific extraneous scent (unwanted) just in days.</p> <p>I also experimented with a stainless-steel container closed airtight with a silicon-sealed lid (the lid itself is unfortunately made of transparent plastic, so I had to cover it to prevent exposure to light - but it is still plastic). Even with this container it seems that tea somehow loses some of its original aroma in a matter of days (even though in such a container, tea does not obtain any unwanted aroma -- just loses a little of the original). Maybe it is the plastic lid that does this? I suspect that stainless steel could be guilty too.</p> <p>Hence, I have found out that the usual metal tea boxes (non-airtight) sold everywhere are out of question for jasmine tea (and probably for other teas). Anything other non-airtight is very bad. Any rubber sealings are bad too (only silicon sealings seem to be OK). Wood seems to be bad. Plastic seems to be bad. Any other porous material seems to be bad. </p> <p>Glass is reported to be bad because letting light in. (But otherwise the best tea I can buy locally in my country has been kept in a glass jar not exposed to light, with a silicon sealing and a stainless-steel lid, and this tea definitely has the right aroma and flavour when I buy it.)</p> <p>This has led me to the conclusion that glazed ceramics (plus silicon sealings) may be one of the best options for storing jasmine tea. Another good option seems to be glass+silicon (and possibly stainless steel lid) if kept away from light. Opaque glass (airtight with a silicon lid) could be even the most efficient method but I have not seen such containers anywhere. Coated bags (as also used by Seven Cups) seem another great option but they have the minus I mentioned above.</p> <p>I have not finished my search yet, therefore, I thought that it could be most welcome if Seven Cups could share the expert experience about various options for properly storing delicate teas (especially jasmine tea) -- maybe in a video or here at the forum. </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-155 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:21:08 +0000 admin 155@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>HI Cornelia<br /> Sorry it has taken me a while to answer. I have had trouble with my internet connection here in China. One more week and I will be home after two long months. It seems when I am here I have to work everyday.</p> <p>I'm afraid that you have stumped me. There are some large leaf tea that are popular, but somethings don't match. Surely from the color it was a fried tea, which is very common. It is hard to match the tea with the area, and the nutty taste is uncommon. I would guess that it was just a local common tea. Don't think that it is uncommon for tea not to become bitter. Bitterness come from the leaves being broken. Unbroken leaves will almost never become bitter, and the astringency of green tea is less likely using a small amount of leaves. Covering the cup will cause the tea to brew longer so less leaves will be needed. Tea leaves that do not have air caught inside will sink faster. Tea buds almost always have air trapped in the bud, and if there are only buds, it will cause the effect of the buds standing on end. is not true of the smallest bud, but it is easy to trap air in the processing and shaping of the leaves.<br /> I know that this doesn't help, but there are so many local teas that never get tasted except by living in the area as you did. Frying tea is the most common way to produce tea in the countryside, everyone has a wok and can make their own tea in tea growing areas. I which I could be of more help. The Chinese say that you can study tea for a lifetime and never learn all the names.<br /> Best wishes<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-154 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:05:47 +0000 Cornelia 154@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Austin, </p> <p>Hi, I recieved the wonderful Long Jing tea. It has a really beautiful taste and the aftertaste really does linger in a delightful way, but it is not the tea I have been looking for. sigh. However, I am really glad to have a new tea to add to my pallete. </p> <p>The one we had in China was a bigger leaf, whole, and the dragon well seems to be buds and greener. Also the taste is different. I am still at a loss, perhaps that was a tea that they don't make anymore, it was a kind of long time ago. </p> <p>I was looking more at other types of tea, and it could be a yellow or white ( but I remember the leaves before brewing were more yellow-green, not white and downy). </p> <p>Perhaps it was just an ordinary common tea? I recall them always being very clear about letting the leaves stay in the cup with the top on, until they went to the bottom, and they didn't hang. Once they were at the bottom, we drank the tea and it was not bitter tasting at all, and they never put lots of leaves in, just a few, which always surprised me how little leaf they put in the cup- maybe 3-5 leaves, maybe a little more, and that was in a full size large covered cup. Perhaps, they just didn't have a lot of tea at the time, but the taste was memorable... </p> <p>still puzzled....if you have any ideas or know anyone who might, other wise, I will stop being a bug.<br /> best, and thank you for all of your sincere help, I do appreciate it.<br /> Cornelia </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-153 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:37:08 +0000 admin 153@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Cornelia<br /> It sounds like you are buying shen puer. All of our shen cakes are good choices. We have a good range from Mengku to Yiwu. I'm sure you will find something you like. We offer a pretty detailed description. I never buy anything that I don't like so I am a ban person to ask for recommendations.<br /> Take care<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-152 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:50:15 +0000 Cornelia 152@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Austin, </p> <p>thank you for taking the time to respond. I found a website that showed the brewed tea leaves,and it did look like Long Jing, and I haven't tried that one yet. </p> <p>Thank you so much, and I will order some from seven cups and let you know. </p> <p>Any tips on a good puer from your website, (since you are in Yunnan). I tend to buy cakes that from the old trees and organic if possible. I really like the Haiwan 2006 #4032 ancient tree, the Powen tea factory 2006 #4010 wild arbor organic, and the Mengku 2006 Arbor king. </p> <p>Thank you again for your support and help, and take good care.<br /> Cornelia </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-151 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:00:29 +0000 admin 151@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Cornelia<br /> Thanks for your thoughts. It is truly a major disaster, but the Chinese are mobilized to help as only the Chinese can mobilize and the rest of the world has been very giving. The are some encouraging things happening that are very moving.</p> <p>The only tea that think of that matches the nutty taste you are talking about is Long JIng. The color is consistent, and the shape, but the Long Jing that being made now is not as large as a paper clip. It could be that in those days the tea was not as expensive or famous as now, and they may have waited until the leaves were bigger to get more tea. I'm just guessing about that. You would have been more likely to have had that tea in Hongzhou or Shanghai. Certainly it is a fried tea. Long Jing does have a nutty taste though, and smells a bit like fried soy beans. I hope this helps.<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-150 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:23:31 +0000 Cornelia 150@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Austin, </p> <p>I hope all is well in China and I am sorry for all the devistation there, prayers and speedy recovery to all there. </p> <p>We went to several places in China with communes,one was Canton I'm pretty sure we had the tea there, the commune name was Dali ( I have an old journal I am refering to) </p> <p>We also went to Bejing, Shanghia, Xian, and Honchou. </p> <p>The leaves were flat, and hole, rounded at the ends, and about the size of a paper clip or large one. I really can't find anything like this and I have ordered some green with young whole leaves, but the taste is fruity, not nutty. </p> <p>thanks for helping,<br /> Cornelia </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-149 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:25:14 +0000 admin 149@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Cornelia<br /> I'm sorry to have taken so long to answer. I have been out in the backwoods of Yunnan with very limited internet access and have not check the forum lately. It is hard to say which tea you were drinking, but if you will tell me where you were, I can make a guess. Chinese tea is very localized and I can research it better if I know where you were. Hopefully you were in a tea growing area.<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/40#post-148 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:22:19 +0000 Cornelia 148@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>I was in China in 1981 and we were served a green tea primarily at the communes. Generally, the leaves were presented in a large covered cup, and I recall they then poured the water on top. The leaves were whole, about the size of a large paper clip. There were not many used in the cup, and they went to the bottom, they did not hang like some greens. The brew was a greenish yellow brown-not too dark ( sorry it's vague- I think more yellow) it was a long time ago. The taste was nutty, green and quenching. Any idea what it was? I am an avid tea drinker, mostly drinking, puer, black, oolong, and I am expanding into green, I have become bent on finding that tea, and it was delicous, but I havn't been able to.<br /> any comments welcome,<br /> Cornelia </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-147 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:27:17 +0000 andres 147@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Thanks! The Meng Ding 2006 is exquisite! I have usually preferred stronger and more robust jasmine flavour but I changed my mind on this one. Although you recommend 1 minute of brewing for the 1st infusion, I found out that 1.5-2 min of brewing produces absolutely the best flavour to my taste. </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/35#post-146 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:43:26 +0000 HerbMaster 146@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>I have just returned from KL laden with tea, and teaware purchased on my holidy.Tea from 2 Tea shops in Chinatown, 1 teashop in the Giant superstore in Kelana Jaya and the Teashop in Pangkor town on Pangkor Laut. All teas are drinking well. </p> <p>I also bought tea books at Borders in Times Square - BUT<br /> all brewing recommendations in those books and books I have bought from Amazon on my return conflict with local practice - namely that everywhere in the books they either give a long brewing time (several minutes) or if they are quoting for a Yixing teapot and several infusions Gongfu style 60-70 seconds for the first, increasing the time for successive infusions.,</p> <p>AND in Wisdom Arts - I noticed they were only allowing a couple of seconds for each infusion.</p> <p>On a return visit I queried this and they said no it must be "Instant". In Pangkor and Kelana Jaya I asked for confirmation and on both occasions I was told it must be "Instant, Instant No waiting"</p> <p>Can you explain this? Do they put more tea in the Pot?</p> <p>H </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/21#post-145 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:31:21 +0000 HerbMaster 145@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>I was there 2 weeks ago - It is called "Wisdom Arts" </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-144 Mon, 19 May 2008 07:26:38 +0000 admin 144@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Andres<br /> Thanks for your kind words, and also for your concern for the people affected by the terrible earthquake. I am in China now and the outpouring of care is really remarkable. Here hundreds of thousand of people have volunteered, images of the area is on every tv channel, all of the time. China has declared three days of morning. All entertainment has been suspended. Every business that I talk too has donated money. 153 rescuers were killed today by a landslide. It terrible, still it's humanity at is best coming from the people helping. I was here last year when there was a quake in Yunnan, and the place was rebuild at breakneck speed. It is always to see the miracle of service and hope in the middle of such heart breaking tragedy.<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-143 Sun, 18 May 2008 19:27:22 +0000 andres 143@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Austin,<br /> Absolutely no reason to be sorry. You have the best (and most educative) tea site I have seen on the web. I particularly like that you have specific precise preparation instructions for each tea -- and of course that you sell teas that you have checked out on the spot.</p> <p>I am glad that you liked my country. You are always welcome back. </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-142 Sun, 18 May 2008 17:57:05 +0000 admin 142@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Sorry, Andres<br /> We will audit our information and find the places where have only used ounces and Fahrenheit. I don't know why the US still hangs on to these measurements. </p> <p>I am proud to say that I have visited Estonia and liked it very much. It seems like it has become an epicenter for global communications.<br /> Thanks for your support.<br /> Best wishes<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-141 Sun, 18 May 2008 17:08:08 +0000 andres 141@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Thanks for the quick answer! I purchased some jasmine tea by mail and hope to purchase more in the future.</p> <p>And just a suggestion for your webshop: many European buyers are probably not very familiar with ounces and Fahrenheit degrees, therefore providing instructions both in ounces/grams and Fahrenheit/Centigrade degrees would be most helpful (and maybe attract more European buyers).</p> <p>It is not so difficult to recalculate and I have done it myself but if many people do it many times, doing it just once for everybody would take less time overall :) </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-140 Sun, 18 May 2008 07:19:26 +0000 admin 140@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Thank you for your concern. </p> <p>Without question the best jasmine tea that we carry is...http://sevencups.com/tea_shop/product.php?productid=16471&#38;cat=272&#38;page=2</p> <p>This is a Sichuan tea from Ya'an county, deeply affected by the earthquake in the tea producing areas.<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/39#post-139 Fri, 16 May 2008 16:30:51 +0000 andres 139@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Sorry to hear about the catastrophe in Sichuan. I would like to buy some tea to help. Please can you recommend which of your scented teas has the strongest jasmine flavour? </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/38#post-138 Tue, 06 May 2008 09:36:06 +0000 gkeszthelyi 138@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Austin:</p> <p>Thank you for your thorough reply. I guess since the claims in the article sounded too good to be true, therefore...</p> <p>Meanwhile I'll keep enjoying the Oolongs I got from Seven Cups (so far the Rock Oolong is my favorite)...</p> <p>Thanks again,</p> <p>Julius </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/38#post-137 Sun, 04 May 2008 15:05:29 +0000 admin 137@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hi Julius<br /> Although tea has many beneficial anti-oxidants that are helpful, there has not been any credible research that I am aware of the substantiates Daniel Reid's article. Lung cancer is a problem in Asia where there are some many smokers. My wife uncle died of lung cancer last year. As an ex-heavy smoker myself, I can urge you to stop smoking. It's tough I know, but there is no magic in my experience. I went cold turkey after many attempts and faddish techniques, and suffered for a few months, but nothing compared the he suffering that my uncle when through. Drinking tea will certainly help you maintain your health and there is research being published daily it seems to support the healing and preventive power of the anti-oxidants in tea, but I would be cautious of miraculous claims made by anyone trying to sell you a product. I can tell you that if I can stop smoking, surely you can as well, because I was about as bad as you can imagine. I'm almost 60 now and hoping to live a bit longer. I haven't had a smoke since 1985.<br /> Best wishes<br /> Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/38#post-136 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:02:25 +0000 gkeszthelyi 136@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hello:</p> <p>I recently read an article about the benefits of high-mountain Oolong regarding lung cancer prevention and lung cleansing properties at<br /> (http://www.oolong-tea.org/danielReidArticle.htm).</p> <p>Could you tell me which Oolong (just high-mountain or all types of Oolong, from Taiwan only or Mainland China as well) are best for this purpose?</p> <p>Is there a particular brand that works best?</p> <p>I am a heavy smoker (trying to quit) and the above article gave me great encouragement.</p> <p>Thanks,</p> <p>Julius Keszthelyi </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-134 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:03:05 +0000 fpfaff 134@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>I've bulked up my breakfast a bit and eliminated my morning snack (hobbit's second breakfast!), and that seems to be doing the trick. So I'm sure you're right.</p> <p>Thanks, Austin, for your thoughts &#38; kind words.</p> <p> - Fred </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-133 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:45:52 +0000 admin 133@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>That does sound like a light breakfast compared to the amount of tea. The Chinese think that bananas are tough to digest.</p> <p>I think that some of the older bushes can create some strong tea, certainly, but there are also bushes that have gone wild in some places in those mountains, which can have some unanticipated affects on the stomach, according to the local people. I am talking about Dan Chongs not rock oolongs.</p> <p>My hunch is that it is more you breakfast than the tea. I hope you feel better.</p> <p>Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-132 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:47:12 +0000 fpfaff 132@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>I've been eating a very light breakfast -- banana, fruit, almonds. I added some granola w/ milk to that mix this morning and felt much better. The tea was Tie Luo Han.</p> <p>I think the other aspect is heat and volume. It's actually 18 oz of hot tea I drink w/ breakfast (3 6oz gong fu pots) w/o milk. That's a harsh wakeup call to the tummy. I'm cooling the tea now by pouring it into a second, cool cup, and maybe I'll cut out the 3rd pot, but that would be unfortunate.</p> <p>I have to say, though, that aside from this stomach thing I feel much lighter and smoother than I did when drinking coffee. There's something heavy about coffee that I came to dislike.</p> <p>You mention very old tea bushes. I have to ask how that fits in -- interesting angle.</p> <p>Thanks very much for your response.</p> <p> - FP </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-131 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:44:50 +0000 admin 131@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>The general guidelines according to Chinese medicine is the more oxidized the tea the better for digestion. I think that the majority of complains about stomach issues usually come from drinking too much green tea. </p> <p>For me personally I like to drink green teas in the morning and then switch to oolongs, black tea, or puer as the days goes on and I need more help with digestion. My stomach is usually pretty good in the morning. For an acidic stomach puer is certainly the best.</p> <p>Dan Cong Oolong is pretty strong tea, a lot coming some very old tea bushes. The Chao Zhou people are big eaters, and probably most don't eat a small breakfast. I wonder what you are eating?</p> <p>Austin </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-130 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:41:28 +0000 fpfaff 130@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>The Shui Jin Gui &#38; Dan Cong oolongs seem to give me the most trouble. Tie Guan Yin has little effect, strangely. You mention astringency -- does that mean that tannins cause the problem? How? Is it the alkalinity itself that prompts excessive stomach acid producton?<br /> I drank a lot of black tea this past Saturday and had little trouble, but I love the oolongs. Maybe I'll have a strictly dark oolong week and see what happens.<br /> Thanks for you response, Kerne.</p> <p> - FP </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-129 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:00:11 +0000 kerne 129@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Teas (but not all tisanes/herbals) are actually a little alkaline. That along with the astringency of greener preparations can cause GI upset. You didn't say what kind of oolong you've been drinking, but I'd guess it's a lighter roast/oxidized one.</p> <p>If green teas and lighter roast oolongs tend bother your stomach, stick to higer roasted oolongs and black/red teas. And of course, never drink tea on an empty stomach which you said you don't. I would stick to foods with a neutral pH (non-acidic) with your morning tea. Few common foods are significantly alkaline. </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/36#post-128 Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:25:00 +0000 fpfaff 128@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>It's been 6 or 7 weeks now since I switched from coffee to oolong tea, drinking about 12 ounces with breakfast, then little to none through the rest of the day. I noticed right away that my stomach felt very acidic an hour or so after breakfast, but I figured it would just take a while to adjust to the difference. It hasn't though. When I get that level of heartburn I must either eat something or gobble antacid tablets. Of the two, I generally choose the food option, so that by now, believe it or not, I've gained about 3-4 lbs since switching to tea! Believe me, I don't need extra weight. Aside from this, though, I feel much better with tea than I did with coffee.<br /> Does this strike a cord w/ anyone? Does oolong tea cause this effect more than, say, black tea? Any remedies?<br /> I'm going to try drinking a bit of milk before the tea to see if that helps, but I'd be very grateful for any thoughts, advice or suggestions.</p> <p> - Fred Pfaff </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/35#post-127 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:37:22 +0000 angie 127@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>Hello ! I am angie frm Malaysia. I have started drinking and collecting puer er tea for the past 3 years. Here i would like to learn more and exchange experience on puer er tea . Do drop me an email at <a href="mailto:angie2sk@hotmail.com">angie2sk@hotmail.com</a> </p> http://www.sevencups.com/forum/topic/21#post-126 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:29:38 +0000 angie 126@http://www.sevencups.com/forum/ <p>hello ! david. this is angie frm malaysia. i am aslo a puer er tea drinker and collected. should you need information on the shop mentioned do drop me an email here : <a href="mailto:angie2sk@hotmail.com.">angie2sk@hotmail.com.</a> </p>