With all the hustle and bustle during this time of the year, it’s easy to feel stressed out, overwhelmed and anxious about the holidays looming ahead. It’s necessary to remember to take deep breaths, relax, and take some time to pamper yourself. You deserve it. Here are a few remedies infused with the perfect touch of tea blends by Art of Tea.

*Green Tea Face Mask

To replenish and repair damaged or dry skin, use this mask nightly. This also helps remove redness on your face.

You Will Need:

- ½ of a Ripe Avocado

- 2 Tbsp of Powdered Green Tea such as Art of Tea’s Matcha- Grade A

- 1 Tsp of Green Tea such as: Art of Tea’s Sencha, Uji Gyokuro, or Moroccan Mint,

Lightly Steeped (about 20-30 seconds)

- Mixing Bowl

- Fork

- Mask Applicator (Optional)

Instructions:

First, ball the avocado into your mixing bowl. Use the fork to mash into a clumpy consistency. Add in your powdered green tea and lightly-steeped green tea leaves. Mix well. Carefully use an applicator or your hands to apply an even, thin layer of the mixture on your face, avoiding your eyes. After 10 minutes, rinse off with warm water. You can store the leftovers in a container in the refrigerator. Apply to a cleansed face and use nightly as needed. Enjoy your new youthful and silky-smooth skin!

*Tea Bag Eye Relaxer

Save your cucumbers for eating, and recycle your used tea bags! Reuse your tea bags to remove puffiness and under eye circles. Use daily or as needed for best results.

You Will Need:

- 2 Tea Bags like Art of Tea’s Eco-Pyramid Tea Bags. I recommend

using: Egyptian Chamomile, French Lemon Ginger, or Mint Green

- Relaxing Music (Optional)

- Scented Candles (Optional)

Instructions:

To ensure optimal relaxation, it helps to set the tone. Turn on some relaxing music. Light scented candles. Make sure the room temperature compliments your mood. Take a load off, and plant yourself in a comfortable position where you can spread out your limbs and rest your head. Gently place a tea bag over each eye, and lay still. For better results, heat the tea bags in the microwave for 5 seconds. Indulge in a slumber if you wish!

*Hand and Foot Wash

Whether you’re on your feet all day long or use your hands tirelessly typing away, this calming remedy is a treat to reducing redness or inflammation on your hands and feet.

You will need:

- ½ Cup of Art of Tea’s Welcome

- ½ Cup of Sage, Finely Chopped

- 2 Cups of Water

- 4 Drops of Lavender Oil (Optional)

- Pot or Saucepan

- Large Basin

- Small Bowl to dip your hands in

Instructions:

First, combine the Welcome blend, sage and water in a pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Strain, so you are left with only the liquid. Add the drops of lavender oil for a more relaxing experience that will appeal to your senses. Allow the fragrant liquid to cool for 7 to 10 minutes. The liquid should be warm to your liking. Carefully distribute the liquid into the large basin and into the small bowl. Soak your feet in the large basin, and use the small bowl for your hands. Remove your hands and feet when you’re ready, and dry with a clean towel. This is the perfect precursor for a home style manicure and pedicure!

-MELISSA CHUA

The month of December seems overstuffed and overwhelming, perhaps because it really was intended to be the tenth, and last, month in a 10-month cycle. Anthropologists and other scholars agree that 10, and multiples of 10, occur easily to human reasoning, probably because we have ten digits. Ten “feels” like a perfect number to us on many intuitive levels. Twelve is overkill.

Blame it on Julius and Augustus, who expanded our modern calendar from 10 to 12 months. There’s a lot to like about the Romans (cool armor, great language), but they weren’t exactly known for their restraint. Excessive ego ruled. No surprise, since the Romans gave us the word “ego” itself!

These two emperors, the story goes, insisted on inserting months named for themselves—July and August—into the original 10-month calendar. This is why September, October, November, and December still contain the Latin prefixes for 7, 8, 9 and 10. (How February got its name is another story altogether.)

Personally, by December 1, I’ve had more than enough. In November, my freezer and pantry are packed, ready for feasts of thanksgiving. Then, as the Bears of summer, Ursus Major and Ursus Minor, depart for the season, and the belt of Orion appears in the night sky, the bones are picked clean. There is a sense of bareness at the year’s end. Austere and spare.

Those of you who love traditional shakuhachi playing will be reminded of the classic “A Bell Ringing in An Empty Sky”, and the specific feelings of the season invoked by the sound. But, in American culture, we fight these feelings.

So, December typically is a month of major consuming and indulgence in our society. We buy and binge, as cultural traditions. I find that the simplest, gentlest way out of this feeling of “too much-ness” is a pot of tea. I usually like to share, but in this instance, enjoying tea in solitude may be the most cleansing.

The Art of Tea menu really speaks to me this time of year with several purifying and tonic brews. Green teas especially seem to invite the falling-away of excess, through their purity and simplicity.

• UJI GYOKURO – The most precious and sought-after Japanese green tea, with high levels of chlorophyll and a bright green vegetal essence.

• YUN WU CLOUDS MIST FAIR TRADE GREEN TEA – Poetically called Mist and Cloud tea, harvested in a mystical environment which rarely sees beyond its cloud-cover.

• FRESH GREENS – Because we do believe in spring, lemon verbena and lemongrass are added to the green mix, suggesting sun.

• LIQUID JADE—Award-winning blend of white with green, with gorgeous sweet-notes of bergamot, honey and citrus.

• ZUISHO PINE SENCHA – Premium deep steam organic green tea, with leaves resembling pine needles, making it a fitting choice for December. Art of Tea is the first trader to bring this unique Japanese tea stateside.

• SNOW DRAGON – Clean, refreshing, breath of early spring frost, from Fujian, China.

• GUNPOWDER GREEN TEA – The distinct rolled shape of these leaves, along with the whiff of smokiness behind the grassy infusion, makes this tea ideal for those days when you’re feeling especially overwhelmed.

And, if the weeks around the Winter Solstice do involve overindulging, Art of Tea offers Pre-Tox and Post-Tox brews. Pre-Tox helps to prepare your body for an onslaught of wanton a-wassail-ing or other excess, blending green tea with Dandelion Root and other naturally cleansing botanicals. In the aftermath of partying, caffeine-free Post-Tox soothes and restores, with singular botanicals including Fennel Seed, Chicory Root and Milk Thistle.

I also follow the advice of my favorite Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners when making my tea in anticipation of a new year. I regard my stove—my fire-source—as a metaphor for my finances (another reason to never microwave water for tea!).

With this in mind, I use every burner on my stove (I happen to have a great gas-range). In other words, keep the fire moving; keep all of the burners engaged. Don’t just favor one burner. In a single day, I probably use each of the four burners at least once, which some sages say will bring more fire, meaning more prosperity, to my house in 2012. May it do the same for yours.

——–VICTORIA THOMAS

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The Neem tree is an evergreen native to India and other parts of Southeast Asia. For centuries in these countries, Neem has been called “the village pharmacy”, because its leaves, bark, seeds and oil are used as a mainstay of traditional healing and Ayurvedic treatments. More than 150 bioactive substances have been identified in different parts of the Neem plant, many of them offering antiseptic and astringent qualities.

Because Neem has long been such an important presence in the culture of India, Gandhi often held his prayer-meetings beneath the generous, spreading canopy of a Neem tree, and also ate Neem-leaf chutney daily.

Neem is still a vital part of Indian culture, used to address health concerns ranging from bad breath to preventing malaria. Today, Neem is also being discovered and embraced by modern health-enthusiasts in the west, as an ingredient in invigorating teas.

Although the clustered white flowers of the Neem tree are sweetly fragrant, the flavor of Neem tea is very, very bitter, one of the six tastes recognized in the Ayurvedic palette. In this system, taste is important in order to understand the properties and functions of an herb or botanical.

The goal of integrating Neem, whether as a tea or in another preparation, is to balance the energies for greater health. In this system, bitterness is not to be avoided, and in fact is viewed as corrective, purifying, and tonifying, or tonic, to the liver. A real-life analogy might be a craving for a salad of crisp, sharply-bitter, dark greens—dandelion and endive—after snacking on leftover Halloween candy. Too much sweet calls for correction, with a bit of the bitter.

In the Ayurvedic tradition Neem is associated with the dosha known as Vata. Vata is characterized as cooling, drying, reducing, dispersing. A traditional image for Vata is wind moving through space, offsetting the heavy moisture of the Kapha dosha, and the excessive fire or heat of Pitta. With this reasoning, many practitioners of Ayurveda use Neem tea and other Neem preparations as a digestive before meals, and as a slimming aid to reduce fat.

Neem adds a vibrant and detoxifying note to Art of Tea blends “Feel Better Blend” and “Tea For Him”. To balance out the acrid bitterness which defines Neem, “Feel Better Blend” adds Organic Chili Pepper, Cinnamon, Licorice Root, Fennel and Green Rooibos, among other choice botanicals, for a brew which releases stagnation.

Manly “Tea for Him” blends Neem with Organic Orange Peel, Vetiver Root and Assam Black Tea in a malty, yet earthy infusion with a musky-sweet finish reminiscent of sandalwood, ideal for re-energizing after intense exercise and exertion.

Considered the “coldest” of the six tastes in the Ayurvedic palette, Tikta, or bitterness, is also felt to inspire introspection. It is linked with winter, and the beginning of the new year. For any season, the instructive bitterness of Neem is an acquired taste worth acquiring.

- Victoria Thomas

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Tea is wonderful, however it’s enjoyed, and I think there is special pleasure in enjoying tea from a handmade clay cup which has been thrown on a potter’s wheel.  When you drink tea from such a cup, it’s easy to feel the revolving energy which created it. And for each of us, as with the ball of wet clay that becomes a vessel, the challenge is to become centered as the wheel whirls and spins.

The feeling of turning, turning is upon us. Fall is officially here. It is a time of harvest and celebration, and our table is heaped with ripeness and abundance. Then, there is emptiness.

If you’ve ever lived or worked on a farm, or even picked apples or grapes in an orchard or vineyard as a fun family outing, you know this feeling of stillness when all of the fruit has been gathered. The spaces which are created invite gratitude, and contemplation.

The same feeling is also in our cities and towns this time of year. Trees drop their leaves, and we see more sky, even in the middle of Seattle, London, or LA. Looking up, birds migrate in patterns across the new openings. These openings are opportunities for renewal in ourselves, as the old year releases us and a new year begins.

Speaking as someone whose life and work depends intimately upon the renewal of plants, this is just one of the many lessons that the natural world offers. By releasing old patterns, we make space for new growth. Renewal requires this letting go of the old.

With this is mind, you may find inspiration in steeping a pot of tea with a friend, and pouring out your intentions for the new cycle, the new year.

What old patterns would you like to release?

What debris can you clear, in order to make room for more prolific flowering?

What would you intend to “turn around” in your life?

Art of Tea’s “Feel Better Blend” is a customer favorite for letting go of stagnation. This signature blend brings together Ayurvedic and Western herbs. The twist of bracing, autumnal zest and spice— including Organic Fennel, Orange Peel, Licorice, Cinnamon, and even a bit of heat from Chili Pepper—may inspire you to view Fall as a time of new beginnings.

They say if you want to get something done give it to someone who is busy. Why? Because it will get done. If they are in motion and are busy then the chances are their wheels are in motion to get it done. I often hear people complain about their work. Regardless of the job they complain.  I see this woman who is an organic fair trade tea farmer within a coop. She has with her wood tools working in the rain and I wonder if her tea “lot” which is about the size of a typical small office is back breaking work or is it back building. The sense of minding your field/work  is inspiring to watch. So here she is in the rain getting it done. Checking her crop, observing the soil and using the tools shes got. This is her responsibility and what she picks she gets paid for in a fair way. Its a healthy exchange. It’s a balance of nature and of course depending on what she yields, but her time and energy are important factors here.

Does she work for herself? I often hear about people wanting to work for themselves. I am not sure there is such a thing. We work for our customers, family, status, coworkers, etc. and what Dr. Csikszentmihal calls that wonderful state of  “flow“. I also observe back in the States how often people wait to put their real efforts and time in when they can have the payoff down the line. We don’t always know when that time comes but it starts with harnessing the moment and proving to yourself what you are capable of achieving. Don’t wait to prove it later. The most successful business people and athletes I know are not competing with others rather they are competing with improving and bettering themselves.  Essentially take what you got, your “lot” so to speak and make it better. If you are given a job find the beauty in the task at hand.

The future great crops that we reap start as early as seeds and need focus, balance effort and attention every step of the way. I look at this woman and am reminded that in this world with these creations of life, it’s not just about the reward but the act of really being present and aware.

Thanks to new data from several studies, the idea that tea leaves could be decaffeinated simply by rinsing prior to brewing is now both outdated and inaccurate. At Art of Tea we are dedicated to providing our customers with accurate information and pride ourselves on being on the leading edge of research.  Here are the facts regarding home decaffeination and caffeine levels in different teas:

To begin with, it’s important to understand that decaf and caffeine-free are not the same thing. Caffeine free means that there was never any caffeine in the product to begin with, while decaf means that caffeine was removed from the product, leaving behind small amounts of residual caffeine.
According to tea experts, the “30-second decaf” theory has been officially debunked.  Noted tea technologist Nigel Melican, founder and managing director of Teacraft, Ltd. says, “You cannot (despite what some notables in the tea industry believe) you just cannot significantly decaffeinate tea by using a 30 second hot water wash (in fact 30 seconds leaves 91 percent of the caffeine in place – and removes a lot of the antioxidants).”

A 1996 study at Auburn University backs Melican up. According to the study, only nine percent of the caffeine was removed during the first 30 seconds of infusion. The researchers also found that it took approximately three minutes to remove 50 percent of the caffeine, about nine minutes of infusion to remove 80 percent, and approximately 15 minutes to remove more than 96 percent.
A 2008 study conducted by Dr. Bruce Branan, Professor of Chemistry at Asbury College, found that a three-minute infusion removes 46-70% of the caffeine from a cup of tea and that it would take a six-minute infusion to remove 80% of the caffeine.
The conclusion to be reached on the “30-second decaf” theory is thus: it doesn’t work. If you want to enjoy a cup of tea that is truly caffeine-free a Tisane (a fusion of different botanicals) or stand alone herb is your best bet. Art of Tea has an entire section dedicated to delicious caffeine-free blends.

Now, on to tackle the caffeine levels of the four major tea families; white, green, oolong, and black.  It’s a popular misconception that both white and green teas have lower caffeine levels than oolong or black teas. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University conducts micronutrient research for optimum health.  They suggest that the popular belief of low caffeine level in White Tea is misplaced: “Buds and young tea leaves have been found to contain higher levels of caffeine than older leaves, suggesting that the caffeine content of some white teas may be slightly higher than that of green teas.”

In 2008 a study at Asbury College corroborates this finding, concluding that white tea does not have less caffeine than green, oolong, or black teas. Likewise, an article in Food research International, Vol 29, 325-330 (1996), states that, “All teas have roughly similar caffeine contents, and one cannot rely on the belief that green tea has less caffeine, as asserted by many popular claims.” So now we know that the myth that both white and green teas have less caffeine than black or oolong teas is just that: a myth.

White Tea:

Not only is white tea high in antioxidants that protect your body from free radicals that accelerate aging, it also increases collagen in the skin, helping it maintain a supple, youthful glow.

Origins offers a line of Silver Needle White Tea based products called “A Perfect World.” According to the cosmetic company’s website, Chinese emperors of the Song Dynasty enjoyed white tea’s exquisite taste and fragrant, flowery aroma. This magic drink was prized for relieving fatigue, delighting the soul, strengthening the will and enhancing vision. Many claimed it was an important ingredient in the elixir of immortality. Today white tea is used in skin therapy – its antioxidant powers help skin look younger. The line includes facial treatments such as an antioxidant moisturizer and a firming moisture eye treatment as well as body moisturizers and cleansers.

Another skin care line, pūr~lisse (French for pure and smooth) allows “time-tested Chinese beauty rituals to embrace today’s French skin know-how for an inspirational marriage of nature and science.”  The line incorporates Art of Tea’s Organic White Tea, the most sought after white tea, only harvested for a few days each year in the northern district of Fujian, China. Packed with antioxidants, these silvery down-covered leaves have been prized for their medicinal properties for more than 1000 years.  Their pūr~delicate gentle soy milk cleanser and makeup remover is a blend of Soy Milk, Soy Proteins, Oatmeal and White Tea.

Treat yourself and incorporate some white tea into your beauty ritual!

The cold and flu season (both swine and the old school variety) is upon us. While the flu shot is a viable option for preventing infection, there are also simple, everyday, natural methods of avoiding using up your sick days.
Because your mouth/throat is one of the main portals of entry – the other is your nose – Dr. Vinay Goyal, an Intensivist and Thyroid specialist, recommends drinking tea and other warm liquids as much as possible. According to Dr. Goyal, drinking tea washes off proliferating viruses from the throat and into the stomach where they cannot survive.
Green tea is especially effective at preventing the flu thanks to its high catechin percentage, which helps prevent infection and inhibits viruses’ growth and reproduction.
Catechins are flavonoid compounds that appear predominantly in green tea. According to an article in WholeHealthMD.com, green tea has about 27 percent catechins, oolong tea (partially oxidized) has about 23 percent, and black tea (oxidized) clocks in at approximately four percent.
While the flu vaccine protects against that year’s most prevalent flu type, catechins can protect against many different types of the flu virus.
Gargling twice a day with warm salt water is another great, natural way to prevent swine flu. Interestingly enough, a 2006 medical study conducted at the University of Shizuoka in Shizuoka, Japan found that gargling with tea catechin extracts reduced flu infection rates by 87 percent.
The study divided 124 elderly residents into two groups; one gargled three times a day with a solution that contained tea catechin extract, the other with a catechin-free solution. The tea catechin group had a 1.3 percent infection rate while the control group had a 10.0 percent infection rate.
Harness the power of tea! Don’t underestimate these simple, inexpensive, and natural preventative methods – your body will thank you for it.

Researchers have reviewed new findings on the possible health benefits of tea. Now, the caffeine in tea known as theanine is linked to improve human attention and focus.

Dr John Foxe, Ph.D., Professor of Neuro Science, Biology and Psychology at City College of New York has presented results of his experiment in which he made human trials to study the effect of theanine on the alpha brain-wave activity. Theanine is an amino acid which is almost exclusively found in the tea plant. The alpha brain rhythm is known to induce a calmer, yet more alert, state of mind.
During the experiment, the participants are made to drink solutions containing either 250mg theanine or placebo and later their brain activity was monitored using electrophysiological measures. Speaking about the observations during the study Dr. Foxe says, “Our results showed that after having theanine, individuals showed significant improvements in tests for attention and that activity in cortical regions responsible for attention functions was enhanced.”
Having mentioned that theanine is almost exclusively found in the tea plant, it is interesting to note that the studies do have a basis, looking at the fact that variants of tea such as herbal tea and the advantages of tea in terms of being rich in antioxidants are being stressed upon and are being promoted as health drinks across the globe.
Moving further on the research conducted by Dr. Foxe, his new research in the Cognitive Neuropsychology Laboratory at Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, NY, additionally proposes that the effect of theanine is far greater in combination with caffeine than the effect that caffeine and theanine have individually. The combination promises higher improvement in attention than that would be induced by either alone. They say that theanine may work synergistically with caffeine to help induce a calmer, relaxed state but also one that allows the mind to concentrate and focus on tasks better. A regular cup of tea contains approximately 20 – 25mg of theanine.
Dr. Foxe concludes, “We have seen that just 20 minutes after consuming theanine, the blood concentrations increase and the brain’s alpha waves are impacted. It lasts about three to four hours, which we have speculated may be why people tend to drink a cup of tea every three-to-four hours during the day.”

In 2008 Professor Lizette Joubert of the Agricultural Research Council and Professor Wentzel Gelderblom of the Medical Research Council, along with two more collaborators published an overview of existing knowledge about the history, cultivation, traditional uses, composition and biological activity of Rooibos and other South African herbal teas.

Here, in a nutshell are the top 10 reasons to enjoy a cup of Organic Fair Trade Rooibos, sans scientific jargon (well, maybe just a little jargon, it helps us sound credible):

1. Rooibos (or Aspalathus linearis) contains a complex mix of many flavonoids, which, contrary to the sound of their name, are not an intergalactic race of alien beings from Star Trek episode 39. These compounds widely found in plants are known to have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiallergenic effects.

2. Aspalathin, one of the major flavonoids, is often the most active antioxidant in Rooibos, helping scavenge free radicals and protect cells and lipids (fats) against oxidative damage. Of course you could always read a Weight Loss and Happiness Book.

3. Rooibos also contains the rare flavonoid glucoside nothofagin. 10 points and a digital gold star to the one who can research the amazing health properties behind that one.

4. Rooibos does not contain caffeine, which means you get to enjoy your cup of anti-bacterial/viral/tumor/inflammatory/allergy tea without getting the jitters.

5. The major flavonoids in Rooibos demonstrate anti-mutagenic properties that help prevent or slow down cancer. In some studies green (unfermented) Rooibos is a more potent antimutagenic agent, while other studies found that fermented Rooibos has a higher antimutagenic effect.

6. The antioxidants in Rooibos protect the liver against oxidative stress and could have value for liver patients.

7. Studies on Japanese quails have shown that Rooibos protects blood cells and exhibits anti-ageing properties that slow down brain degeneration and prolong fertility – if it works for quails….

8. The bronchodilatory, antispasmodic, and blood pressure lowering effects of Rooibos, and its potential to stimulate the immune system, has been shown in some studies, but needs to be further explored – we’ll do our best to keep you updated on that one.

9. Put your tube of Goldbond on the back burner and brew a cup of Rooibos instead – human studies have shown that taking Rooibos is an effective way to treat several skin conditions. It decreased the incidence of herpes simplex within a few days, helped for itching associated with dermatitis, and reduced skin inflammation and sun sensitivity.

10. Honestly, it’s just fun to say.