First of two parts
I have been looking for a tasty tea to replace the coffee that I need to give up. Perhaps my answer has been found. Elizabeth Segran submitted the following article in FastCompany.
“They say that (close to) 90% of our bodies is made of water. In my case, I’m pretty sure that I’m mostly made of tea.
“I’m half Chinese and half Indian, so my childhood was spent guzzling oolong, Assam, or masala chai every day. In both cultures, tea-making is a ritual, one that involves steeping tea leaves in hot water until the flavors have been properly infused. The last significant innovation in the world of tea was the ingenious idea of putting leaves into a little bag–and that happened a century ago. But, regardless of whether you use loose-leaf or bagged tea, the process, if done correctly, can take a lot of time, which is lovely if you’re in a pensive mood.
“But if you’re in a rush–like I am most mornings–it can be a drag.
“To that end, I have good news for the tea-drinkers of the world. A San Francisco-based startup called Pique has developed tea crystals that dissolve into water within seconds, totally eliminating the brewing process. This means that you don’t have to worry about steeping the tea too long (resulting in a bitter taste) or too short (which makes it too watery). Pique has managed to replicate this approach across every single type of tea, from green to black to herbal. I’ve sampled every tea within the range and can attest that the flavor is indistinguishable from tea steeped in a bag.
“Pique was founded two years ago by Simon Cheng, who studied Chinese history as an undergrad at Harvard University. He spent many years traveling throughout China and the rest of Asia, where tea was readily available. ‘Tea-drinking was fairly effortless because it was brewed for you,” he said. ‘Even in offices, there’s usually a tea lady or gentleman who comes to fill everyone’s cup in the morning and throughout the day.’
“Cheng was fascinated by the health benefits of tea. Tea is rich in antioxidants, which protect the body from the effects of pollution. Scientific studies have shown that it may reduce the risk of heart disease and bone loss, while helping to boost immunity and battle cancer. However, you need to drink large quantities of tea to experience any of these benefits.
‘“In Asia, I saw that people were drinking tea at such frequency, and it was of such good quality that they were able to reap the benefits of it,’ Cheng said. ‘Most tea drinkers in the United States and in some parts of Europe don’t drink enough of it for it to truly be helpful.’
“Cheng graduated, went to work in a VC firm, then got a Stanford MBA, and then, one day, he got sick. Between his 20s and 30s, he was working so hard to get into top schools and thrive at his job that the stress began to wear him out. Eventually, both his lungs collapsed and he had to undergo three surgeries. He experienced sleep apnea, a condition that affects your breathing during sleep. Cheng was on a constant cocktail of antibiotics.
‘“I decided that I was done with this lifestyle, and I wanted to take a completely different approach to my health and well-being,’ he said.
“This brought him back to tea. After the trauma of being hospitalized, he spent two years in Asia to learn about non-Western approaches to health. In the Yunan Province in China, he came across a local doctor who used tea as a medicine by creating crystals that could be dissolved into water. ‘I had overcome several technological challenges to creating these crystals,’ Cheng explained.”
Continued next week