Did you know tea is made off a plant? Yes really, it is in fact the Camellia Sinensis. This bush is originally from China, therefore the name sinensis which means Chinese in Latin. The young shoots of the plant are used to produce tea. So are white tea, green tea, oolong-tea and black tea all made of the same plant.
Theine
The tea leaves who are being used for the production of tea contain caffeine. It was first discovered in 1827, which is a really long time ago. It was called theine, but the name soon became unnecessary when it was proved it is identical to caffeine. But there is a difference in the way we, as true tea drinkers, experience drinking a cup of coffee. (But how? I here you think). It is because of three important factors:
-The amount of caffeine. There is a lot less caffeine in a cup of tea than there is in a cup of coffee. This is especially the case with white and green tea. This is because there is a different process involved with these types of tea compared to the other types. They are brewed in a shorter time and a cooler temperature.
-L-theanine. It is a difficult word for amino acid. This only occurs in tea and has a relaxing effect which counteracts the nervousness of caffeine.
-Absorption. The high levels of antioxidants in tea slow the absorption rate. Although tea has a less strong effect as coffee, it works longer and it prevents a caffeine dip.
You can compare the caffeine in coffee and tea with the sugar rate in your blood. There are fast sugars, which let your blood sugar rise. You also have slow sugars that are less quickly absorbed in your blood, ensure your blood sugar spikes do not happen.
Caffeine free
There are also caffeine free types of tea. This is generally herbal tea. Herbal tea is not made from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis. These types of tea, like rooibos tea or chamomile tea are made of plants who are not related to the tea plant and are therefore naturally caffeine free. So, you can easily drink these all day long!
Tea Cultures also has caffeine free options. “African Rooibos”, “Ginger Lemongrass” en “Vervain” are from the Tea Leaves Collection. And from the Pure Tea Collection there are “Vervain”, “Suid Afrika Rooibos”, “Mint Leaves”, “Herbal Blend with Anis” and “Chamomile Blossom”.
“Royal China Keemun Congue” is not entirely caffeine free but does has a really low caffeine rate.
