Savor the Moment: The Art of Tea

(Page 4 of 4)

September/October 2002
By Heather Grimshaw 
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Storing tea

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Teas, which vary in delicacy, must be stored in airtight, opaque containers and enjoyed within specific time frames, which is why tea professionals suggest buying four-ounce quantities (sixty cups) of tea at a time. Black teas can be stored for one year, whereas green teas should be drunk within three to four months and oolong in six.

To your health

Studies show that tea consumption can prevent heart disease and cancer and prolong the lives of heart attack sufferers. New research from a doctor at Harvard Medical School shows that heart attack survivors who drink fourteen or more cups of green or black tea weekly prolong their long-term health. Patients who drank fourteen or more cups of tea per week had a 44 percent lower death rate. The health benefits of tea have largely been attributed to its antioxidant properties.

Twice as nice

Once you’ve enjoyed a pot of tea, consider using infused tea leaves—which have been dried on paper towels or drying racks—in the following ways.

Cooking: You can use dried tea leaves in cooking just as you would any herb, says Tomislav Podreka, author of Serendipitea: A Guide to the Varieties, Origins, and Rituals of Tea (William Morrow, 1998). Used in reductions, infusions, and dough, tea leaves deliver flavor or help establish a platform to bring out other flavors, he explains.

Cleaning: Sprinkle semidry tea leaves onto carpets and vacuum to absorb odors. While the leaves are still damp, sprinkle onto hardwood floors to collect dust balls. Semidry tea leaves can also be used in this capacity in the refrigerator or sprinkled into kitty litter to diminish odors. In China, bags of dried tea leaves are put into shoes overnight to absorb odors, and many people chew on damp and dried tea leaves as a breath freshener.

Bath: For sunburned skin, soak in a tub filled with tea leaves to prevent mutation of the skin’s DNA and protect the skin’s elasticity, says Podreka.

Garden: Most plants—with the exception of tropical plants—like the acidity they absorb from tea leaves. Apply wet or dried tea leaves to potted plants or on top of garden soil.

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