Tea Products

Coffee Products

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- Larger 200oz. tank provides back-to-back brewing capacity.
- Improved brewing system has better temperature accuracy.
- Adjusts automatically to varying water pressure.
- Quicker install saves up to 30 minutes. Pot level, cold brew lock-out and tank temperature set easily from advanced touch pad on front of machine.
- Faster field repairs and quick problem diagnostics by phone; built-in electronic sensors feed back information on brewer malfuntions.
- Insures coffee brew quality with cold brew lock out capability.
- 120/240 is a 4 wire 240 volt circuit
- SplashGard funnel deflects hot liquids away from the hand.
- Actual tank temperature may be monitored by activity touch pad display.
- Pourover models available (CDBCFP15).

Health Teas

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In General
A flurry of discoveries about tea's health benefits, plus renewed appreciation of its ancient heritage, has pushed tea to the fore. Its antioxidants appear to lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health and help guard against some cancers. And some experts believe its flavenoids may inhibit the growth of plaque on teeth.
Studies have linked a wide range of health benefits to green tea including lowering the risk of certain cancers and heart disease as well as weight loss and protection against Alzheimers. One way to measure the strength of an antioxidant is by its Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC value. The ORAC value is a measure of the capacity of the product to subdue free radicals that damage cells. Green tea has a very high ORAC value, outranking blueberries and more than two times as powerful as pomegranates.
Tea's active ingredients are caffeine in combination with the tannin that gives it its pungency and much of its aroma and flavor (which essential oils also enhance). The New York Academy of Medicine held a symposium on "Pharmacological and Physiological Effects of Tea" in 1955 and found that, for reasons they could not explain, tea, unlike coffee, does not cause nervousness, insomnia, or stomach irritation when drunk in quantity. The scientists' tests showed a cup of tea gives both an immediate and a delayed lift without secondary depressing effects later on. They agreed tea is a good agent for relieving fatigue and aids clearness of thought and digestion alike.

The Tea Cure
For years, studies in China and Japan have shown that the folklore about tea does contain some truth -- it does promote longer life. Japanese smokers have only half the lung cancer rate as American smokers. In areas of Japan where the most tea is drunk, the rate of stomach cancer is the lowest. In a study of 6,000 Japanese women, those who drank 5 cups or more of green tea per day cut their risk of strokes by 50 percent. "Drinking tea with meals in Japan and China," says a cancer researcher at the University of British Columbia, "is thought to be a major reason for low cancer rates in these countries."
Long-term consumption of black tea -- the kind that most Americans and Europeans drink -- and of other foods such as apples containing chemicals called flavonoids was associated with a much lower risk of stroke in a study of 552 Dutch men. Flavonoids are natural vitaminlike compounds. They make blood cells called platelets less prone to clotting, and act as antioxidants, countering the artery-damaging potential of highly reactive free radical chemicals.
In the study, men with a high flavonoid intake had a 73 percent lower risk of stroke during 15 years of follow-up, compared with men with a low intake of flavonoids. The men in the study got about 70 percent of their flavonoids from drinking black tea.
Men who drank more than 4.7 cups of tea a day had a 69 percent reduced risk of stroke compared with men who drank less than 2.6 cups a day, said the researchers of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
Tea also helps prevent tooth decay in several ways. It contains a solid dose of fluoride and works better than the antibiotic tetracycline. According to researchers at the Tokyo Dental College, it fights the kinds of bacteria in the mouth that cause gum disease and the eventual loss of the teeth. It also kills the greatest cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth, Streptococcus mutans.
In addition, researchers in Australia announced that a cup of tea could be the next weapon in the fight against skin cancer. A study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization revealed that mice made to sip black tea suffered 54 percent fewer cancers than those that drank water. Both sets of test animals were exposed to levels of ultraviolet rays that an average Australian receives.
Earlier studies on black tea have shown that it can be effective against some forms of cancer and may even prevent heart and liver disease. Properties in green and black tea called antioxidants are thought to be active agents against skin cancer. In the past 10 to 15 years, a growing body of research has shown that foods and vitamins with a strong anti-oxidant effect may reduce the risk of many diseases, including cancer and aging.
Human trials using black tea as a preventative against skin cancer began in Australia in 1997.

Pu-Erh Tea
Pu-erh tea (pronounced "POO-air"), from Yunnan province in China, has long been considered a special delicacy and an indispensable part of daily health care. Many give this remarkable tea credit for restoring and maintaining good health. Generations of Chinese have drunk this tea after rich meals to "cut the grease." In the 1970's Chinese doctors in Kunming reported clinical experiments in which drinking pu-erh was shown to lower cholesterol levels in the blood stream. French researchers at St. Antoine Hospital in Paris duplicated these results and found that three cups of pu-erh a day for a month brought lipids down 25 percent in 20 hyperlipidemia patients, while those on other teas showed no change. These tests showed pu-erh performed at least as well as clofibrate, the most advanced medicine for the purpose, without the drug's side effects. It has since been shown to help reduce body weight by increasing the metabolism. Many report that drinking it after meals relieves any overstuffed feelings and aids digestion. The Chinese claim that pu-erh also can lower blood alcohol after drinking, prevent dysentery, and stimulate secretions from the spleen and other organs.

Iced Teas
Iced tea works as well as hot tea in bestowing health benefits. An American invention and very rare in the rest of the world, 80 percent of the tea drunk in America is iced. Keemun is one of Holy Mountain's teas that works well over ice.

Herbal Teas
Research has shown that green tea may contain cancer-fighting agents, and certain herbal teas claim to combat or soothe many maladies.
Herbal teas, called tisanes, technically are not teas at all, but infusions of various herbs, flowers and spices instead of Camellia sinensis leaves. Many herbal teas use catchy names and packaging to enhance their appeal. Among them are: Allergy Season Tea by The Yogi Tea Co., Herbal Throat Tea by Celestial Seasonings, Steady Stomach by Herbal Comfort, and PMS Tea by Traditional Medicinals. As with anything, herbal teas should be consumed in moderation.

Healthy GreenTea Benefits

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Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

Teawares and Accessories

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Tea accessories make your tea exploration complete! From hot water dispensers to matcha whisks, Teavana has tea accessories to complete your tea sets or improve your tea drinking experience. Choose from the items below to complete your tea set.

African Health Teas

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company sources, processes and exports a range of indigenous African herbal teas and botanicals in bulk and branded form to Europe, the USA and the Pacific Rim. Established in 1996 as a joint partnership between rooibos farmers and marketers, Cape Natural Tea Products now has primary processing facilities in both the Eastern and Western Cape and a production facility situated near Cape Town.

Together with USAID, Cape Natural Tea Products has co-funded a honeybush cultivation project at the Haarlem and Ericaville communities in the Eastern Cape and will continue to support similar rural upliftment programmes in an environmentally sensitive manner. Since its inception, Cape Natural Tea Products has become one of the leading companies in South Africa in terms of service, quality and product development and has positioned itself as a major supplier of African herbal products on a worldwide scale.

Japanese green teas

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Green tea (緑茶; ryokucha) is ubiquitous in Japan and therefore is more commonly known simply as "tea" (お茶; ocha). It is even referred to as "Japanese tea" (日本茶; nihoncha) though it was first used in China during the Song Dynasty, and brought to Japan by Myōan Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest who also introduced the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used as well as how they are processed. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Yame region of Fukuoka Prefecture and the Uji region of Kyoto. Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県) produces 40% of raw tea leaf.

Green tea

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Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia from Japan to the Middle East. Recently, it has become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed. Many varieties of green tea have been created in countries where it is grown. These varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions, processing and harvesting time.

Over the last few decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence suggesting regular green tea drinkers may have lower chances of heart disease and developing certain types of cancer. Green tea has also been claimed useful for weight loss management.

white tea

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White tea is the uncured and unoxidized tea leaf. Like green, oolong and black tea, white tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Oolong and black teas are oxidized before curing.

White tea often contains buds and young tea leaves, which have been found to contain lower levels of caffeine than older leaves, suggesting that the caffeine content of some white teas may be slightly lower than that of green teas.White tea is a specialty of the Chinese province Fujian. The leaves come from a number of varieties of tea cultivars. The most popular are Da Bai (Large White), Xiao Bai (Small White), Narcissus and Chaicha bushes. According to the different standards of picking and selection, white teas can be classified into a number of grades, further described in the varieties section.

Tea Gift Sets

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Tea infuser

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A tea infuser is a device in which loose tea leaves are placed for brewing, usually in a cup; it is often called a teaball or tea maker, and sometimes a tea egg. The tea infuser gained popularity in first half the 19th century. By the time of Queen Victoria no respectable British household would be without one.

A tea infuser performs the same function as a tea bag. The infuser is generally a small mesh or perforated metal container or covered spoon that holds tea leaves, in varying sizes to brew single or multiple servings at once. Common shapes for infusers include spherical, conical and cylindrical. One style of infuser is a split sphere with tong-like handles to open its mesh container.

The infuser is placed in a cup or pot of hot or boiling water, allowing the tea to brew without loose tea leaves spilling into the pot or cup. A rod or chain is commonly attached to the container of the infuser to make retrieval from the pot or cup easier. Infusers with large holes may not catch all the leaves, requiring the use of a tea strainer to remove the remaining pieces.

When brewing tea using an infuser, it is advisable to fill it only halfway so that the wet leaves can expand and to increase the surface area of the leaves exposed to the boiling water to allow for quicker brewing.

While not common, a French press may be used as a tea infuser. However, most teas should be infused for a limited time and then removed from the water so that the drink does not become bitter, and while a tea bag or infuser allows this, a French press does not remove the leaves but merely constrains them. This allows extraction to continue after plunging, leading to less control over brewing time and a potentially more bitter brew.

Tea Storage Tins Design

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