On a recent trip to my favorite whole-food-plant-based place in the world—Casa de Luz in Austin, Texas—I found myself at the intersection of tea and optimal health and left wondering why it took me so long to discover Kukicha tea.
Green tea lovers should make room in the pantry for Teavivre’s Chun Ya. Whether brewed traditionally or using the gongfu (multiple steeps) method, this one’s a real treat.
You might think the strong, sweet, floral, nutty aroma would render a bitter taste, but you’d be wrong. The full body of this tea — which holds up after multiple steeps — is smooth and buttery.
You don’t expect a green tea at this price point to significantly arouse your senses. At $2.49 for 48 tea bags, you’re sacrificing the distinctiveness of a single garden estate tea for the smoothness and consistency of a blend.
Tea lovers rejoice! You may be improving your health and wellbeing with each sip. Tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant which you’ve probably consumed in the form of white tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea, or pu-erh (or pu’er) tea. Some herbal teas (also referred to as tisanes) have health benefits too, but that’s a subject for another time.
I met an old friend for taco Tuesday at a local Mexican restaurant. The conversation meandered from life in general to corporate America to politics with a few detours along the way. When he handed me two warm, slightly crumpled but sealed bags of Genmai-cha from his pocket, the conversation turned to tea.
