Tea taste and how you feel

“How tea tastes is important; more important is how you feel when the tea is gone,” said a customer from India at the tea bar this week. He said this is what his father used to say to him.

His father was absolutely correct. L-theanine has a calming effect, and can help you lower your stress level and relax. Drink more true tea to lower your stress levels. True tea from Camellia sinensis, like black tea, green tea, oolong tea and white tea, all have L-theanine. Combined with caffeine, tea can help lower stress, while simultaneously heightening your mental focus. Green tea is said to have the most L-theanine compared to other teas, but all true teas have L-theanine.

L-theanine, sometimes referred to as theanine, is an amino acid found rarely in nature—although it happens to be in tea—and was discovered in 1949. Caffeine used to be called theanine, but it has since been discovered they are not the same substances. Theanine is the reason why tea can have a calming effect, or take the edge off anxiety. It also stimulates and is known to increase memory and clarity. Sounds like a wonder drug to me!

Written by Heather Kreilick, all images borrowed.