What Exactly Is Organic Tea?
People have been consuming tea for thousands of years…
…long before there was any need for organic manufacturing. It was before the land was contaminated and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were developed. According to legend, tea was developed some 5000 years ago by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor and the father of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A tea leaf slipped into his cup of boiling water by mistake. He drank it since he was naturally intrigued about herbs. Because his skin was transparent, he could see the effect it had on his body right away.
The earliest tea was made from wild tea trees rather than cultivated tea plants. As a result, all tea was initially organic. Throughout reality, some old tea plants may still be seen growing freely in China. They still have a lot to give after a few hundred years, and they are as near to organic production as you can get. They will, however, never be branded as organic. Organic tea is tea that has been cultivated in accordance with the organic standards established by the USDA in the United States, IFOAM in Europe, or other organizations in their respective nations.
What Is the Distinction Between Organic and Conventional Tea?
Organic teas are grown and processed without the use of chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers. Farmers, on the other hand, employ natural processes to produce a sustainable tea harvest, such as the solar-powered or sticky insect catchers seen below.
Conventional (non-organic) tea producers, on the other hand, may employ a variety of pesticides to increase their tea crop. Drinking tea produced with pesticides and processed with additional chemicals can result in a slew of health problems. We know you’re interested in if you’re reading this.
Can You Identify Organic Tea Based on Its Flavor?
Because various fertilizers affect the flavor, color, and fragrance of tea, some organic tea may have less flavor than non-organic tea. Non-organic shaded Japanese tea, for example, is frequently thought to be more flavorful than organic shaded Japanese tea. In reality, only around 5% of all tea produced in Japan is organic. This, however, is not a general rule. Because all teas differ in flavor, it is hard to tell which are organic and which are not. However, the flavor of tea can reveal its quality, and whether organic or non-organic, it should be delicious and fresh.
Why Should You Choose Organic?
- Health Advantages
- Farmers will be safer.
- Environmentally friendly
- It safeguards wildlife.
Organic Tea’s Health Advantages
After water, tea is the most common beverage in the world. Maybe you drink tea because you enjoy the taste, the scent, the health advantages, or simply the feel-good sentiments that come with that first sip of the day. We enjoy drinking organic green tea since it helps to boost our immunity and neutralize free radicals.
So, why would you ever consider drinking ordinary non-organic teas in the first place, therefore negating all of your efforts to consume healthy tea? Did you know that pesticides and herbicides can contain high quantities of hazardous metals? These same chemicals might be employed in the cultivation of traditional non-organic tea. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the toxicity of these heavy metals has been linked to cancer, insulin resistance, nervous system degradation, and a variety of immune-related health problems. We’re not sure about you, but we don’t want heavy metals, chemicals, or anything else we can’t pronounce in our teacup.
Is Organic Tea Better For You?
According to a study conducted by Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, organic food items had 18-69 percent more antioxidants than non-organic food. When it comes to tea, though, things become a little murkier. To begin, the amount of antioxidants in each tea varies. Some green teas contain as little as 16 mg of EGCg per gram of dried leaves, while others may contain as much as 203 mg per gram. Even if the kind with 16 mg is produced organically, it will still be less than the non-organic type with 203 mg by 69 percent. Antioxidants in tea are affected by a variety of factors, including tea varietal, terroir, and growing and processing processes.
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