Soft Flavors, High in EGCG Antioxidants: Samboya Green Tea.

Green Tea

Green Tea

Green Tea

Green Tea

Samboya Tea

Samboya Tea

Samboya Tea is well known for complexity and richness of flavor, always maintaining the finest collection of amazing teas throughout the seasons.  Green tea offers a significant additional benefit in terms of disease prevention:

A 2006 study published in the September 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that adults who consumed three or more cups of green tea per day had a lower risk of death due to cardiovascular disease - up to 26% lower than persons not consuming green tea.

Tea enthusiasts attribute many other health benefits to green tea, including increasing fat oxidation, raising metabolism, neutralizing the spread of free radicals (thus slowing the degradation of cell membranes in the body), and stopping certain neurodegenerative diseases.

There are a number of fine green tea products on the market today.  Samboya green teas are produced by family-owned plantations in the Assam region to the highest standard of quality. 

Green tea is produced in many regions, yet our favorite selections originate from the Assam region. 

Taste:  Varies depending on specific selection - see green tea description for details.  Generally very light, slightly sweet flavor, with tannin overtones (due to its natural **catechin content - a powerful, water soluable polyphenol and antioxidant that is easily oxidized).

Processing: Depending on the style produced, processing details vary.  In general all of our leaves are processed by hand (as is common for most high quality teas).   First the proper leaf types are selected for the desired style.  Leaves are then oxidized in temperature and humidity controlled environments, according to recipes developed and usually kept as a secret by the family.  Oxidation takes place in stages, time elapsed between processing stages significantly affects the quality of the final product.  The final element of the process involves drying the leaves, which stops the oxidation process.  Then leaves are again sorted by individual quality (whole leaves, broken leaves, fannings, and dust) and packaged - Samboya Tea is always of the highest quality leaves, as such you will never find tea dust in any of our offerings.

**Several thousand types are available in the plant world. As many as two thousand are known to have a flavon structure and are called flavonoids. Catechin is one of them.

Research aimed at finding the active compounds in green tea revealed that its protective effects are due chiefly to catechins. Tea contains four main catechin substances: EC, ECg, EGC and EGCg, all of which are inclusively called catechin. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is the most powerful of these catechins. EGCG as an antioxidant is about 25-100 times more potent than vitamins C and E. One cup of green tea provides 10-40 mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant effects greater than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots, or strawberries. The high antioxidant activity of green tea makes it beneficial for protecting the body from oxidative damage due to free radicals. Research shows that green tea may help the arterial wall by reducing lipids. Green tea can protect against experimentally induced DNA damage, and slow or halt the initiation and progression of undesirable cell colonies. Studies show evidence that green tea provides immunoprotective qualities, particularly in the case of patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy. White blood cell count appear to be maintained more effectively in patients consuming green tea compared to non-supplemented patients.

Green tea is manufactured from fresh, unfermented tea leaves; the oxidation of catechins is minimal, and hence they are able to serve as antioxidants. Researchers believe that catechin is effective because it easily sticks to proteins, blocking bacteria from adhering to cell walls and disrupting their ability to destroy them. Viruses have ‘hooks’ on their surfaces and can attach to cell walls. The catechin in green tea prevents viruses from adhering and causing harm. Catechin reacts with toxins created by harmful bacteria (many of which belong to the protein family) and harmful metals such as lead, mercury, chrome, and cadmium.

Tannin in green tea is mostly catechin and is a key component in its taste providing the astringency. The amount of catechin tends to increase as the season progresses. Spring tea (first crop) contains 12-13% catechin (13-17% as tannin) while summer tea (third crop) contains 13-14% (17-21% as tannin).