Touting the Benefits of Tea

Last Saturday, I tumbled out of bed and headed straight to the library. I had to return a book before the doors opened or I'd get a fine.

I'm not a morning person. At the library, I staggered around the parking lot, hand to brow, groaning, "Caaaaaw-feeeeeee...Caaaaaw-feeeeee," while drivers swerved to avoid hitting me.

Finally, my exasperated better half said, "Listen, you're not going to make it to the coffee shop [still a few blocks away from the library]. As a matter of public safety, you need caffeine right now, and there is a tea shop across the street. Let's go."

Too weak to resist, I stumbled to the tea shop. I love tea, but I knew that this morning required something stronger. I resigned myself and started chugging an Assam. It was surprisingly invigorating, and it tasted great.

I wound up having coffee later (force of habit), but the rightness of that morning tea got me wondering about tea, how it differs from coffee, and its health benefits.

Here's what I know so far:

1. All true tea comes from the same plant -- camellia sinensis -- which means all tea contains caffeine. BUT, tea has much less caffeine than coffee, often as much as 50% less.
2. Unlike coffee, tea contains the amino acid L-theanine, which can cross the blood-brain barrier and have calming effects on the brain.
3. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine in tea makes it the perfect non-jittery pick-me-up. The caffeine makes you more alert and awake, and the L-theanine helps you concentrate and stay focused. 
4.  If you want less caffeine in your tea, you can steep tea leaves for 30-45 seconds, then discard the water and re-steep the same leaves in new hot water. This will reduce the amount of caffeine in your cup of tea between 20 and 50%