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The Wild Tea Guide
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
I've dabbled with tea on and off for years. It wasn't until recently that I started making it a solid daily habit... and I'm so glad I did.
The Wild Foods Guide To Tea has been on our "Do list" for some time. As fate would have it, perhaps I needed to fall in love with tea before I could muster the courage to tackle the project.
Well, I did, and I did.
This guide will be constantly expanded, like all of our Wild guides.
We will cover many aspects of tea in this guide, from growing tea to brewing it to herbal teas and everything in between.
But before we get to the first part, I want to reiterate our beliefs about tea (which are pretty much the same as our beliefs about every other ingredient).
It's this: drink excellent tea and shun the rest.
Learn to savor and respect each tea; Think of yourself as a tea connoisseur, and try to decipher the flavors in each cup of tea, even the ones you don't like.
Learn the history of the respective tea you are drinking, how it was made, and the exact origin of the world in which it was grown.
Embrace the learning experience of tea. Even the most robust, bitter cup of tea has a story.
Without further ado, enjoy the Wild Foods Guide to Tea!
The History Of Tea
The tea we drink today has been evolving and changing for thousands of years.
Ancient civilizations in southeast Asia cultivated and consumed the camellia Sinensis plant (the plant you get tea from) for many generations, which is why we have a near limitless variation of tea options to choose from in our modern cultures.
Although tea originates specifically in what is today India, Burma, China, and Tibet, it was modern-day China that shows evidence of the earliest cultivation and use of tea leaves. Due to the only available historical evidence, China is considered the birthplace of tea.
Legend has it that in 2737 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shen Nung sat under a tea tree with a pot of hot water when the wind blew leaves into his water.
Deciding to try the accidental infusion, he became the first man to drink tea.
He loved the flavored liquid so much that he decided to spread it across the kingdom.
While the legend is a bit romantic, the historical evidence suggests a different timeline for tea.
According to scholars, tea was first used as a medicinal drink during the Shang Dynasty (1500 BC - 1046 BC) in modern-day Yunnan province.
Initially, tea leaves were just one ingredient of many—other leaves, tree bark, mushrooms—used to make medicinal soup-like liquids.
It wasn't until the end of the Zhou dynasty (1122 - 256 BC) when Chinese cultures started to boil tea leaves alone for consumption. The drink was stimulating and flavorful and soon caught on.
As with most discoveries, timing is everything. Luckily for tea, three great philosophical traditions started around the middle of the Zhou dynasty. Tea was quickly adopted in Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, which led to the spread of this "elixir of life" across China.
Geo-political changes in China, including the unification under the Qin emperor (221 - 210 BC), helped spread tea throughout the land. By the time the Great Wall of China was built, workers were using tea as a source of energy to complete their laborious tasks.
For almost 800 years, the Chinese had a monopoly on the tea trade and had yet to share this wonderful leaf with the outside world.
The Tang Dynasty Has Visitors
During the Tang dynasty (618 - 907 AD), a unified China brought emissaries from neighboring countries eager to increase trade and establish friendly relations.
Buddhist monks from Japan visited China and brought seeds of the tea plant home. Historical Japanese literature mentions tea as early as 815, which started as an expensive drink exclusive to nobles and monks.
In Tibet, tea came to the country in 641 through the marriage of the Chinese princess Wen Cheng and the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo.
After tea became more popular throughout the country, merchants set up regular trading caravans to fulfill demand.
Traveling outside China and spreading throughout Asia, tea became a significant source of revenue and commerce on the continent.
Typical of the politics of the time, the best quality tea was reserved for Chinese nobility. The Tang court devised a way to generate revenue by creating "border tea," compressed bricks of low-quality tea.
At the time, the Chinese were already creating tea cakes to transport high-quality tea across the country, but this new border tea used twigs and other parts of the tea plant to make the product cheaper.
While low in quality compared to the Chinese version allowed many lower classes to develop a taste for tea.
Modern Tea Development And Production
The modern production and preparation of tea originate during the Song dynasty (960 - 1279) in China before spreading to Japan, Tibet, and neighboring areas.
This new style of tea was called "loose leaf tea."
Loose leaf tea was developed to preserve the delicate flavor of the tea leaves compared to older processing methods that treated the leaves more harshly.
Initially, the Chinese roasted then crumbled tea leaves. Other production methods include gentle heat drying, tumble drying, washing, and steaming.
In addition to innovating tea processing to produce better flavor, the Chinese innovated ways of conducting tea drinking and commerce.
Tea consumption became ritualized, with a series of established formalities, as it became more ingrained in Chinese culture.
Chinese tea houses started opening up to offer a public gathering place for drinking (much like how the first coffee houses were born).
These became a place to conduct business, play games, and listen to poetry. In Japan, the practice of "Tocha" (tea competitions) became popular amongst the Samurai class. These were the early forms of tea ceremonies that we still see today.
By this time, tea had spread to neighboring regions of Japan, Tibet, Korea, and Vietnam. Each culture developed its formal process with tea and its ways of drinking, preparing, buying, and selling.
As southeast Asia was refining their relationship with tea, the rest of the world started noticing.
Tea Debuts In Europe
Although tea is recorded in western (Arabic) writing as early as 879, it wasn't until the 13th century that it entered the vocabulary of the European elite.
Famed traveler, Marco Polo, mentioned tea in 1285, but it wasn't until 1610, when the Dutch East India Company first transported leaves to Amsterdam, that tea started its ascent into European culture.
Around this time, the Japanese had developed a tea style—via growing and processing methods—of its own. European countries were buying different types of tea from it and other smaller tea-producing countries across Southeast Asia.
In 1636, tea was introduced to France and quickly became popular amongst the aristocracy.
The Russian Czar was gifted tea in 1618, and German pharmacies sold it as early as 1657. The greatest catalyst for spreading tea to the rest of the world was when the British, most specifically the Dutch East India Company, secured regular trade routes for buying tea from Asia.
Due to the sheer volume of tea this single corporation could move with its vast fleets, tea demand skyrocketed as new markets were created almost overnight.
After sending tea to the American continent and colonies, it quickly spread throughout north and south America.
Due to the relatively mild taste compared to coffee, which was pretty bad due to limited innovation in shipping, growing, and brewing methods, tea spread in popularity among the upper and middle classes.
To break Chinese domination of the tea market, the British introduced tea to the Indian subcontinent. With an ideal tea growing that could support many types of tea, India quickly became one of the world's largest tea producers.
The British then used their position in India to lower costs and ramp up tea production so it could introduce larger quantities to the rest of the world. While tea popularity was growing in India, Europe, and Asia, tea in America hit a growth roadblock. In an ironic twist, the British Tea Act enraged the British colonies in America and led to the Boston Tea Party. During this time in America, it was seen by many as unpatriotic to drink tea, which is why coffee became the more popular drink in the states.
Tea culture in America has never reached the same apex, while tea in British culture is a standard part of life.
Modern Tea Culture
As the world has become more globalized, tea culture's traditional ceremonies and formalities have spread from southeast Asia into the western world. Most countries have developed their formalities with tea, no doubt influenced by tea's Asian roots.
While not made from the camellia sinensis plant and not classified as "tea," a plethora of herbal teas are prepared, similar to traditional tea. Some of the more popular herbal teas include yerba mate, red and green rooibos, honeybush, chamomile, and hibiscus, to name a few.
We will cover these in the rest of this guide, so stay tuned because there's a lot to appreciate about herbal teas!
The psychoactive components of the camellia sinensis, which can make one feel relaxed, focused, and invigorated, have helped it become one of the most popular drinks in the world.
At Wild Foods, we are passionate about tea. It's delicious, versatile, and enjoyable. The Wild Foods Guide To Tea is the first step in our Drink More Tea campaign that we are working on!
Whether you enjoy a hot cup of tea on a cold day or an iced cold tea on a hot day, please take a moment to ponder the thousands of years and millions of workforce it took to bring that tea to your cup.
Tea Growing And Manufacturing
Tea's flavor, aroma, and health benefits start at the seed of the magical plant that gives us tea; camellia sinensis.
As with wine and coffee, the geographic location where a crop is grown plays a vital role in the final epigenetic makeup of a grown ingredient.
This is known as terroir.
Every cup of tea is unique because every crop is unique.
Each tea has a unique terroir resulting from its region, climate, and soil.
The weather leading up to a specific harvest can cause variations from one crop to another, even when grown the same way as previous crops.
The first part of tracing the growing process starts at the harvest level, also known as the "plucking."
How the tea leaves are processed after harvest plays a vital role in the final classification and quality of the tea.
For example, some teas are fermented (black tea), while others are steamed, dried, or baked.
Learning the basics of tea manufacturing will make you a more intelligent consumer and appreciative tea drinker.
Tea Cultivation and Growing
Cultivating and harvesting tea is the most critical step in determining the final tea flavor and quality.
A harvest spells the difference between a delicate tasting tea, a bold, overpowering tea, and everything in between.
The camellia sinensis plant typically grows in tropical and subtropical climates at higher altitudes.
The high-altitude coastal regions of China have a long tradition of tea cultivation, but as the plant has spread across the globe, it has found other suitable areas to thrive in.
For example, the mountainous regions in Japan are known for their tea. More recently, Indian and European climates have shown strong performance in producing quality tea.
The amount of sunlight or shade the tea plants grow in is one of the foremost considerations in producing tea leaves.
Many farmers will cover tea plants with the share for periods to stimulate the growth of certain chemicals in the leaves, thus altering their flavor and nutritional profiles.
For example, Tecnha, the tea used to make matcha, is progressively covered with shade leading up to harvest to make the leaves fight harder to continue photosynthesis. This makes the leaves tender, making them more easily ground into the fine powder you get later called matcha. The shade also boosts the chlorophyll content of the leaves while improving the amino acid content.
Typically, the shading is created using a framework of reed screens and rice straw and is continually increased to provide less and less sunlight to the tea as it gets closer to harvest.
Most shade-grown teas fall into three distinct categories of shade exposure.
The gyokuro and matcha categories are usually shaded to about 90% shading for 2-3 weeks. Gyokuro and matcha have differences during the drying, rolling, and refining process later, but for the growing process, they are the same.
The other Japanese shade-grown tea is kabusecha, which is 40 - 50% shaded for 1 - 2 weeks and undergoes similar processing as gyokuro.
Through selective breeding over hundreds of years, the gyokuro tea is even more specialized. Clonal varieties of tea plants have been developed specifically for gyokuro, which has small, sweet leaves.
Because of this meticulous selection and unique processing, gyokuro is the most expensive Japanese green tea and is highly regarded by experts.
In Japan, there is friction regarding the claim to be the "best" producer of gyokuro. Annual competitions are serious affairs, with Uji and Okabe (in Shizuoka prefecture) most often contending for the prize.
Plucking The Perfect Cup Of Tea
Most plucking happens twice a year during the early spring and early summer / late spring.
In Japan, the first harvest is known as "Ichiban-cha" or "Shincha," which denotes the highest quality tea from that year.
"First harvest" is a crucial term reserved for the highest quality green teas in the world.
Teas hand-plucked by expert pluckers prevent broken leaves and partial flushes that you get from machinery-based harvesting, both of which reduce the quality of a harvest.
For high-quality teas, such as gyokuro and ceremonial grade matcha, it's essential to hand-pick leaves.
Between competition-grade gyokuro and consumer-grade gyokuro, there are subtle differences.
As explained by a man named Maso Kono from Minamiyamashiro village, the competition-grade gyokuro is packed with just the smallest bud or shoot of the tea plant. In contrast, gyokuro for consumers is plucked one week later and includes a single whole leaf.
Similarly, strict harvesting policies are used for Silver Tip Pekoe tea, the highest quality grade amongst white tea variations; only one bud and two leaves are plucked and only if the weather is perfect for plucking—sunny days when the air is cool and dry.
After plucking, some of these leaves are left to wilt in a process by which leaves are put out in the sun or a cool breezy room to remove moisture. This process can break down the proteins, lead to higher amino acid (and caffeine) content, and change the tea taste considerably.
These plucking standards are reserved for the highest quality tea producers in the world. Much of the tea you find in the tea bags lining grocery stores across the country is not made this way.
Classifying Tea At Harvest
The first part of the manufacturing process starts when the leaves are removed from the tea trees, called plucking.
Most teas are plucked by hand, although some mass-produced tea is plucked using heavy machinery. (Hint: avoid these.)
The more experienced the tea plucker, the better the final cup of tea tastes. If a plucker picks leaves too young or too mature, the tea will have inconsistent flavors due to the differences in size and nutrition content of the leaves as they pass through the rest of the tea-manufacturing process.
Regarding the camellia sinensis plant, the different tea classes are mainly determined by what happens after the leaves are picked (except in the case of matcha, in which the quality is determined by when the leaves are plucked.)
The following six categories comprise the majority of harvested tea from the camellia sinensis plant:
White tea - wilted leaves that remain unoxidized
Yellow tea - unwilted leaves that remain unoxidized (but allowed to yellow)
Green tea - unwilted leaves that remain unoxidized
Oolong tea - wilted leaves that are bruised and partially oxidized
Black tea - wilted (sometimes crushed) leaves and fully oxidized
Post-fermented - Green tea allowed to ferment/compose (Example: Pu-erh tea)
Oxidation & Drying Tea
After tea leaves are plucked, two primary processes are used to change the chemical makeup and flavor of the tea leaves.
The first process is called oxidation, which starts during the wilting process.
The process is continued for oolong and black tea until the desired amount of time has passed. The amount of time is carefully calculated to produce the desired oxidation level.
As you probably guessed, various oxidation levels result across multiple flavor profiles.
Lighter oolong teas will oxidize to the darkness of, say, 5% - 40%, while darker variations, namely black tea and pu-erh, can range from 60% - 100%.
The oxidation adds flavor, richness, and color to the tea.
Once the oxidation process is complete, the drying process is the most common next step.
The drying process is typically the final step in most tea leaf manufacturing before it is packaged and shipped to customers.
During the drying state, the leaves are either sun-dried, air-dried, or oven-dried to remove the moisture from the leaves so they can be packed and shelf-stable.
Some teas go through an additional post-fermentation process, where they are fermented a second time. For example, green pu-erh tea must go through a second process to get the mellow flavor or end up too bitter.
Producing Tea after harvest
While the tea grower and manufacturer have done their job producing the tea, there is more for us, the tea drinker and consumer, to consider for determining the quality and final flavor of our tea.
After the tea leaves are prepared for sale, there are usually a few final steps determining what form the tea will be sold to consumers.
Most tea is cut and sifted into small particles to fit in tea bags.
This is not the tea an educated tea drinker consumes.
We want high-quality, the whole ingredient we can find, loose-leaf tea.
And a general rule we note is: that the bigger the ingredients, the better.
The smaller the tea leaves or ingredients, the more susceptible to losing flavor and nutrition and the more likely the tea can grow mold, like mycotoxins.
*Note: we are referring to loose-leaf dried teas in this case and not finely ground matcha tea, which is a different tea category altogether.
By the time the tea ends up in your infuser, it has undergone hundreds of processes, each a direct or indirect decision by the farmer, manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer.
From growing, plucking, and drying to shipping, processing, and packing, that tea has quite the story to tell.
And after that first sip, you'll know if it's a good story or a bad one.
Is tea all the same?
You'd think the farmers and manufacturers would have more say in how their tea is presented and sold to the market, but that's simply not the case.
For better or worse, tea retailers control the image of tea as it is presented to the public.
For example, according to digital trends, in January 2014, "matcha" has risen as a popular search term in the United States, showcasing the increase in demand for matcha green tea.
Unfortunately, companies like Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and Tea Leaf have made popular matcha drinks using low-grade matcha tea combined with milk and sugar.
A sugar and milk-filled matcha latte leaves little room for acquiring—and appreciating—a taste for authentic matcha.
These same companies have popularized sweetened tea in the form of brewed tea with added sugar and blends of tea with artificial flavors and sugar added to the mix.
These added flavorings mask the true beauty of tea on top of altering the palate and taste perception of the public.
But this doesn't concern you because you are an educated tea drinker, and you choose loose-leaf tea and prepare it at home with some lemon and a dash of honey!
The Health Benefits Of Tea
Tea as a brewed drink originates as an ancient Chinese medicinal drink and is still revered as such in many parts of Chinese culture.
Both traditionally brewed tea and other herbal tea blends are filled with various chemicals and micronutrients that improve the human brain and bodily function.
For generations, the health benefits of tea (from the camellia sinensis plant) have been touted by many Asian and European cultures.
It took a while, but modern research finally caught up with verified research backing some of these health claims and finding evidence to support tea as a medicinal concoction.
Antioxidants In Tea
One of the main health benefits of tea is its antioxidant content which aids the body in multiple ways.
By plucking early, young-stage tea leaves and through the fermentation process, a high number of antioxidants called polyphenols and flavonoids are formed.
These compounds help make cells cleaner by removing the toxins that form through poor environmental and dietary factors.
A 2013 study noted that antioxidants provide "Significant reductions in toxicity… so that more patients can complete prescribed chemotherapy regimens… and improve the potential for success in terms of tumor response and survival." (1)
Simply put, the antioxidants help rid the body of unhealthy chemicals responsible for inflammation which can contribute to many modern diseases and ailments.
The effect of tea can be seen in Asian cultures, such as the Japanese, who have a much lower risk of cancer and similar Western diseases.
As recently as 2014, a comprehensive study showed a significant reduction in oral cancer risk due to consuming the antioxidants in green tea. (2)
There is also documented research regarding tea's benefits for helping prevent liver, esophageal, and many other types of cancer.
While antioxidants help remove free radicals from the body, which can help prevent cancer, tea should not be considered a cure-all.
Instead, tea should be a healthy part of an already healthy lifestyle that includes a natural food diet and plenty of exercise, sleep, and sunlight.
Tea as a Health Tool
Even if your genetics preclude you from having cancer (what luck!), you might still struggle with inflammation.
Many inflammatory ingredients in our food and modern environments, such as sugar, gluten, seed oils, pollution, synthetics, mold, dust, allergens, etc., are attacking us daily.
Why not combat them all with a few delicious cups of daily tea?
Drinking tea is another tool in your "health arsenal," and you should use it often. (Proper nutrition, exercise, sleep, and sunlight are other essential tools in your fight against the inflammation monsters.)
A 1994 study in New Horizons showed that antioxidants "reduced inflammatory symptoms in inflammatory joint disease, acute and chronic pancreatitis, and adult respiratory distress syndrome." (3)
Since tea is a great way to increase antioxidants in your body, drinking tea helps fight all inflammation-causing bad guys.
In America, 48% of women and 46% of men have some form of risk for cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S.
A comprehensive analysis of green tea "...reported a 20% reduction in cardiovascular disease…." While this study notes many factors involved with heart disease, it strongly asserts that there is a robust preventative correlation to the benefits of green tea. (4)
Blood pressure is a significant marker for heart disease, and a 2014 British study found that "...long-term ingestion of tea could result in a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic BP." (5)
While antioxidants have a protective impact on your body, protecting your heart is one of the most important and scientifically verified benefits of drinking more tea.
Green Tea Catechins & Their Health Effects
Four different molecules of "catechins" are found in green tea that can improve general health.
These four may help prevent diabetes and obesity, improve blood vessel health, and assist in healthy brain function.
One of the four molecules referred to as EGCG is the most potent.
Studies point to ECGG as the wonder chemical found in green tea, which improves many markers for health and increases healthy fat burn.
That said, studies suggest combining all four catechins is better than consuming just EGCG.
And this is why drinking a cup of tea has more benefits than simply taking an EGCG supplement.
Tea and Brain Health
As we saw in the Tea Manufacturing section of this guide, the processes for harvesting tea affect the final amino acid profile of the leaves.
The longer a tea ferments, the higher the caffeine content and the more of the amino acid L-Theanine you get.
Caffeine is most commonly thought of as a stimulant, but it has other essential functions in the human body beyond keeping you awake.
Caffeine helps increase memory and is a neuroprotective aid, protecting the brain.
While caffeine is an essential ingredient, it is even more powerful when combined with the L-Theanine found in tea.
The L-Theanine amino acid increases relaxation and reduces stress. Numerous studies show that L-Theanine helps improve alpha brain waves, considered the most productive, problem-solving brain frequency the human brain can muster. (Meditation also induces this type of brain wave.)
There is exciting research regarding the combination of caffeine and L-Theanine and its effects on the human brain.
Combining these chemicals offers even more focus and attention than either individually.
In short, tea is a memory-enhancing, brain-stimulating, energy-boosting, and fat-burning super drink!
It's great for studying, reading, working, writing, exercising, or staying awake during the lecture by your professor, who likes to hear himself talk.
Depending on the growing and processing methods of the tea, the different chemical makeup.
Yellow and white teas often have more antioxidants but less L-Theanine and caffeine.
Oxidized and fermented options typically have a higher quantity of caffeine compared to antioxidants.
Herbal teas are another beast altogether, and many of them, including rooibos and honeybush, have a vast array of antioxidant properties and no caffeine. Anyone who is caffeine sensitive and is worried they cannot have the same benefits as traditional tea drinkers only need to find the right herbal option.
With these natural variations, it is possible to mix and match different tea types, herbal blends, and other spices and herbs to have a great-tasting brew and a healthy one.
It's best to learn what's in your favorite cup of tea so you can adjust the tea you drink to the time of day and goal you are after.
For instance, I love cold brew matcha before a workout. At night, I prefer a cup of warm rooibos, honeybush, or chamomile with a dash of honey and lemon.
The more you learn about tea and develop your tea palate, the more strategic you'll get with your tea drinking!
Methods Of Preparing Tea
Whether you are drinking a delicious, high-quality yellow tea or a medicinal herbal tea, preparation makes a massive difference in the flavor, aroma, and quality of your final cup of tea.
There are recommended tea preparation methods for each tea, and understanding the subtle differences can go a long way in improving the quality of your tea experience.
Traditional Tea Brewing Methods
The primary tea-making method is steeping hot water and tea leaves in a pot or bowl.
After pouring a certain amount of hot water over a certain amount of leaves, you let the wet mix steep before straining the liquid into drinking vessels.
Making good tea is an entirely other subject and the one we are concerned with in this guide.
After all, the amount of time, workforce, nature, sunlight and transportation those humble little leaves require is a profound miracle that should be appreciated by making the best cup of frickin' tea possible!
We must find the perfect cup of tea to start on the quest for the perfect cup of water.
Ok, maybe there's no "perfect" water, but you can at least get good water.
Finding quality water is the most commonly overlooked aspect of making tea. And considering water makes up 99% of the final cup of tea, it makes sense to find water free from unpleasant metallic, chlorinated, or earthy flavors that might interfere with your brew's definitive flavor.
Filtered or high-quality bottled water is best for preparing tea.
*Here is an interesting article on the differences in water for various teas.
Once you have your high-quality H20 (as Waterboy would say), it's time to get the proper teapot or tea brewing vessel.
Although it may seem redundant to the process, materials like iron are helpful for black or pu-erh tea because they require higher heat for extended periods. The iron maintains these temperatures longer and more consistently. The same reason that so many chefs swear by cast-iron pans is equally essential when brewing certain teas.
A material like glass or porcelain is beneficial for green and white teas because these materials release heat more quickly, helping avoid over-extraction of the delicate leaves.
Once you have the proper water and brewing vessel, you are almost ready to make tea. I say "almost" because you still have to get a few things just right.
These are the tea-to-water ratio, the water's temperature, and the steeping time.
Depending on who you talk to, there is much variation in recommended water temperature and steeping times. Use them as guidelines and adjust them to suit your tastes and preferences.
The longer and hotter you steep your tea, the more concentrated the flavor is due to the more extracted compounds in your cup.
Some people enjoy a strong, slightly bitter cup of tea, while the slightest hint of tannic bitterness will turn others off. Again, find what you like and stick with that.
Infusions And Quantity
The final consideration before brewing your tea is the last number of infusions you will perform with your leaves.
An infusion is another word for single steeping or brewing of your leaves.
Most teas should be infused more than once. Some teas taste better with the second or third infusion!
Here is a rough guideline for brewing green tea using multiple infusions. (If you want a strong cup and/or plan to infuse only once, double the time.)
White tea - 150° - 155° F (1 - 2 minutes)
Yellow tea - 160° - 165° F (1 - 2 minutes)
Green tea - 165° - 175° F (1 - 2 minutes)
Oolong tea - 175° - 185° F (2 - 3 minutes)
Black tea - 205°-212° F (2 - 3 minutes)
Flowering tea - 212° F (2 - 3 minutes)
Pu-erh tea - 205° - 212° F (5 - 10 minutes)
Certain teas are more delicate than others and require less temperature and a shorter brewing time.
Think of black and pu-erh teas as the "hot" end of the spectrum, needing higher temperatures and longer steeping times, while the white, yellow, and green teas as the "cooler" and more delicate side of the spectrum.
As you can see above, each type of tea calls for a different variation in temperature, time, and amount of leaves.
The younger and more frail the tea leaves, the lower temperature needed. White and yellow teas are delicate, young leaves from the tea plant plucked early in the harvest season. Water that is too hot will erode the quality of these teas, both in flavor and health.
How Much Tea To Use
It's best to measure your tea with a scale. Because tea comes in many shapes and sizes, a measuring spoon is generally not an accurate way of measuring tea leaves.
Like coffee, tea is a game of ratios. In the case of tea, it's the ratio of water to leaves coupled with the right temperature and brewing time that determines the final cup.
If you prefer a more robust cup, adding more tea instead of more time is advisable, as longer steeping will extract more of the tannins in the tea, resulting in a bitter cup.
(The same is said for temperature; avoid hotter temperatures for the same reason.)
The starting point ratio of tea to water is 2 grams for every 6-8 ounces. For most teas, this is usually a teaspoon. For more enormous teas, you should consider measuring with a tablespoon—1-2 being a good starting point.
Concerning most things, personal preference dictates the final ratios you use, and tea is no exception.
However, that being said, one thing you shouldn't veer too far from is the temperature. The recommended temperatures have been tested over thousands of years and will best produce a cup of tea that brings out the flavorful compounds over the bitter ones.
That's why it's best to experiment with everything but the temperature. Add more or less tea, water, infusions, and steeping time to produce different cups of tea.
The Chinese Tea Method
In China, tea is brewed multiple times (infusions) using the same leaves.
The first infusion is typically known as the "wash" and is discarded, while the second and subsequent infusions are the ones you drink.
This technique recommends 3 - 5 infusions as the best-tasting infusions to drink.
Tea Forms
The three most common forms of tea are:
Tea Bags - Low-quality mass-produced teas always come in tea bags. These usually contain "dust and fanning," the tea industry's term for the leftover dust particles that are a byproduct of the tea production process. We recommend buying loose-leaf tea and filling your tea bags if deciding to go this route.
Loose Leaf Tea (recommended) - Loose leaf tea is almost always the highest quality tea. Loose leaf tea allows the tea to more freely move around in the water, resulting in a better brew compared to teabags. Bigger pieces also equate to more nutrition in the final cup compared to tea bags that comprise super small cut/sifted ingredients that have dried out of their delicious—and nutritious—essential oils.
Compressed Tea - Less common. Usually black tea. More enhanced tea flavors. Often a favorite of tea connoisseurs.
Cold Brewing Tea
Cold brewing tea is a method of tea extraction using cold water instead of hot.
A benefit of cold brew tea is that you don't get the same harsh, tannic compounds in your final cup as you do with the hot method due to the gentle and slow form of extraction from cold water.
It's also straightforward... add the right amount of tea and water to a vessel and place it in the fridge for 8-24 hours.
To get the best result from cold brewed tea, use 1.5 times the amount of tea leaves you would use for a typical hot brew method. Then refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
Tea Ceremony Preparation
In many parts of the world, but primarily in Asia, tea is a ceremonial part of the culture.
The rise of tea is tied to many of the ideological and religious beliefs of those geographical areas of the world—e.g., Buddhism, Daoism, and so on.
In China and Japan, tea gardens and ceremonies are a cultural experience with traditional rote protocols. For example, one form of ceremony is called the "Gongfu tea ceremony," which uses only tiny Yixing clay teapots and oolong tea.
Another form of tea ceremony is the Japanese tea ceremony which uses matcha green tea for preparation.
While the cultural use of tea in social settings originated in China and then Japan, it eventually spread throughout Europe, especially in places with British influence.
While varied in style and tradition, Indian, Irish, and English cultures still have ceremonial-like preparation methods that have lasted for generations.
Enhancing Tea Quality
Ultimately, no matter how you prepare tea, the main factor for determining flavor is first based on the quality of the tea.
How it's grown, processed, transported, stored, and so on all play a vital role in how "good" your tea leaves are.
As technology has developed, allowing the tea industry to produce tea faster and cheaper, the quality of tea has suffered in most cases. And this is nearly always the case with mass-produced teas you find in tea bags.
Of course, craft tea farmers and artisan tea manufacturers still create excellent quality tea using traditional methods passed down through the generations.
You can still ruin a quality tea by not respecting the nuances of tea brewing.
To get the best flavor and nutrition out of each cup of tea, choose the best loose-leaf tea leaves and then prepare them using the right temperature, water, infusions, and time.
Types of Tea
In the next section of this guide, we will cover the various types of tea, both from the Camellia sinensis plant and the wide herbal varieties.
Tea From Camellia Sinensis
Typically, "tea" refers to all teas from the plant most known for producing green and black tea. Depending on the processing method and time of harvest, the following teas come from the same plant.
There is some confusion about the actual definition of "white tea," but it seems the consensus is that tea from the camellia sinensis plant that has not been dried or fermented and gone through little, if any, the processing is white tea.
White tea is also often classified as only made from the tea plant's smallest buds and young leaves.
The word white comes from the silver-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant. The final brewed liquid is a pale yellow/greenish hue similar to a light green tea.
Yellow tea is the rarest tea from the camellia sinensis family of tea.
It's also typically expensive, produced only in China, and is rarely exported from the country. But hey, at least you know it exists!
Green tea is the most talked about version of tea, but it's not the most widely consumed tea in the U.S.
Black tea accounts for about 84% of all American tea consumption according to the Tea Association of the USA.(1)
Oolong tea is characterized by its unique production process of withering in sunlight and letting it oxidize to certain levels before curling and twisting the tea.
Black tea is a green tea that has been oxidized. The oxidation process creates darker color leaves and distinct flavors. When you drink "iced tea" in the U.S., you are drinking black tea.
Pu-erh is tea taken to secondary oxidation and usually aging beyond what you find in black tea.
It is the "darkest" tea you can find. There are many varieties of Pu-erh, ranging in oxidation and aging level and providing unique tasting notes.
Matcha means "fine powder tea" in Japanese and is made by whisking tea powder into a frothy, bright green beverage.
While matcha is a green tea, quite a few properties separate it from traditionally brewed loose-leaf green tea.
First, when you consume matcha tea, you drink the entire leaf. Compare this to green tea, where you drink only water flavored with the leaves through hot or cold extraction.
This is why matcha is like drinking 10 cups of regular green tea in total nutritional content.
Matcha also has unique preparation methods, such as thick and thin matcha and the matcha ceremony.
We love matcha so much at Wild Foods, it was one of our first products, and we dedicated an entire Wild Guide to it. Check out the Wild Foods Guide To Matcha.
Other "tea" that's not really Tea
Tea not from the camellia sinensis plant is considered an herbal tea.
Some tea purists claim it's not tea because it is only derived from the camellia sinensis plant.
Any beverage that's delicious, healthy, and made by extracting flavor from whole ingredients qualifies as "tea" in our book!
The most popular herbal teas, like rooibos and mate, justified their section in this guide.
First, we'll cover the most popular herbal teas before moving to a list of other ingredients commonly used to produce yummy tea-like beverages.
Yerba Mate is a popular drink in South American culture made from the dried stems and leaves of the holly plant named llex paraguariensis.
Due to the unique combination of caffeine, theobromine and theophylline, all of which help promote alertness and concentration, mate is revered as an alternative to coffee and a more powerful drink than green tea.
While mate is referred to as a tea, it is made from the stems and leaves of the botanical plant name Ilex paraguariensis, a member of the holly family of plants.
As traditional "tea" comes from the camellia sinensis plant, the mate comes from an entirely different plant species and thus is considered an herbal tea.
Despite these semantics, mate is similar to tea in chemical composition, health benefits, and brewing methods.
Once farmed by Guarani and Tupi tribes in Brazil, mate is now a popular drink in Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, the U.S.A., and Argentina.
While elements of the traditional brewing methods are still in certain places around the world—mostly in South American countries—there are many variations of mate that have since evolved into various cultures.
Mate Cultivation And Processing
Good mate, like tea, starts at the cultivation level.
Traditionally grown across South America, Argentina is the largest producer in the world, exporting 280,000 tons annually.
Cultivation in northeastern Argentina represents over half the world's total production and dwarfs Brazil and Paraguay, the second and third largest producers, respectively.
The best mate is grown in the shade of the rainforest canopy. Mass-produced mate is grown on large farms in direct sunlight, which makes the plants grow faster but produces bitter leaves and rapid soil depletion year after year.
Once mate leaves and stems are cultivated—by experienced pruners in the case of quality mate—they undergo one of a few specific processing methods before being shipped to retailers.
Here is a flow chart describing the processing of mate tea compared to black and green camellia sinensis plant variations.
Source: Yerba Mate Tea: A Comprehensive Review on Chemistry, Health Implications, and Technological Considerations
The greatest difference in processing between mate and green tea is the blanching and drying process. With mate, the leaves are flash heated over an open flame while green tea is generally steamed or pan-fried.
Mate is also dried slowly, often with smoke, which can alter the flavor of the mate. In contrast, green tea is quickly dried by high temperature (or sunlight) to avoid flavoring from other compounds.
Mate Preparation & Brewing
In much of South America, mate is prepared by steeping yerba mate leaves in hot water.
The loose leaf mate is placed in a gourd (many are made specifically for mate), filled with hot water and enjoyed through a filtered straw called a "bombilla."
Typical recommendations call for filling the mate gourd 50% - 75% full of leaves. Like other teas, the flavor is in the ratio.
Treating the yerba mate leaves with cool water before adding hot is essential because it protects the leaves and essential nutrients that provide the desirable health benefits.
If hot water is added directly to the dry leaves, it can scald the leaves and damage the flavor and nutritional compounds in the mate.
After adding cool water to protect the mate, pour the hot water into the gourd. Instead of filtering the tea out the water and drinking it in a cup, the bombilla filters the liquid on every sip and so the leaves remain in the cup. Pretty cool.
After steeping mate, experienced practitioners use different shaking methods to enhance the experience. They may isolate leaves to a single side of the gourd, shake the leaves to remove particulates or consume them as is.
While this process might sound daunting, the drinker can get as many cups of meat as they desire from a single batch of leaves. Finally, once the flavor and effects diminish, the mate is finished.
Of course, not all cultures drink mate this way.
Yerba Mate Brewing Around The World
In Argentina, the traditional method of brewing and drinking mate is so popular that it has been written into law as the "National Infusion."
Many variations of the traditional mate method exist across South America. For example, Brazil, which accounts for over 50% of global mate production, has many unique variations of consuming mate.
Many Brazilians prefer an iced mate method, which may be sweetened with sugar or honey. This mate style has been popularized as a delicious and enticing beach drink in Rio de Janeiro, though it can also be found in other areas of the country.
A unique group consuming traditional mates is located in Lebanon and Syria. The people who adhere to the Druze faith are some of the largest mate consumers outside South America.
Introduced by Lebanese migrants in the late 19th century, mate has become a trendy drink in this part of the world.
In 2012 alone, there were 1,500 tons shipped to Lebanon. During this time, mate appeared in many photographs and video footage during the conflict of the time. (1)
While there are various geographical and cultural changes, most people will agree that the best way to brew mate (for taste and health benefits) is through loose leaves and traditional steeping.
But the only real test is to try it yourself and make up your mind!
Health Benefits of Mate
Mate is revered more for its benefits than its taste, especially if you drink unsweetened mate the traditional way.
At a basic level, mate contains chemicals called "xanthines," commonly known as caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. These chemicals are similar in their promotion of concentration and alertness.
These combined molecules make mate a perfect tool for improving mental function and cognitive abilities. Having all of these slightly varied molecules in a single food product is rare.
Best of all, mate has much less caffeine than coffee or guarana, which means it does not come with high anxiety or jitters that can come with over-consumption.
Aside from this, mate is packed with polyphenols and flavonoids, potent antioxidants that help prevent inflammation.
Studies suggest mates may have higher antioxidants and inhibit free radicals more strongly than green tea. (We say this: drink both!)
But the most extraordinary aspect of mate are chemicals called "caffeoyl derivatives," which are found almost exclusively in a mate and have unique antioxidant effects. Other plants contain these beneficial compounds, but a mate has the highest concentration of any documented thus far.
The average western diet is severely deprived of nutrients and minerals like potassium and magnesium, to name a few. Steeped mate provides additional potassium and magnesium, which support health in adults and help to replenish levels in active individuals that sweat a lot.
Just one more reason why mate is such a fantastic brew!
Get Started With Mate
A traditionally brewed mate could be the answer if you are interested in a nutrient-rich brew that will provide additional concentration and focus for your tasks.
If you want a more direct mate experience, start with our loose-leaf Wild Mate. You only need a tea strainer or reusable tea bag and hot water.
Also, consider cold brewing, mate, and keep a jug in the fridge.
Herbal Tea Varieties
In many countries, the word "tea" is reserved for tea from the camellia sinensis plant—green, black, white, yellow, oolong, and pu-erh teas are the most common.
This has led to confusion regarding what " tea is," which will vary depending on who you ask.
At Wild Foods, we consider herbal teas "tea" because it's easier and people in the west tend to associate most drinks brewed with hot water and ingredients with tea.
That said, any tea that does not come from the camellia sinensis plant is considered an herbal tea.
Ingredients for brewing herbal tea include herbs, spices, and other plants like rooibos, mate, and guayusa.
Aside from mate and guayusa, which include caffeine, one of the primary considerations when comparing regular tea to herbal tea is the lack of caffeine.
The popularity of herbal teas has led to an entire tea-drinking subset of individuals that opt to drink only these caffeine-free, ingredient-infused concoctions.
Popular Herbal Teas
There are a variety of herbal options that people enjoy, each providing a different benefit and flavor profile.
Here are some of the most popular herbal teas:
This European plant is harvested, and the flowers are used to create a brew that can prove incredibly relaxing and is known for its calming effects.
Chamomile tea has a mild and subtle flavor, which makes it the perfect candidate for added lemon and honey.
Chamomile is also used as an herbal remedy and alternative to medicine in many parts of the world. Chamomile is known to provide relaxation while reducing stress and can lead to better sleep.
It is also an herbal treatment for stomach pains and irritable bowel syndrome.
The earliest known use of human consumption of peppermint was recorded in an ancient Roman text in 79 AD.
This makes peppermint one of the oldest flavors in Europe and continues widespread use to this day due to its refreshing flavor, aroma, and health benefit.
Today, peppermint is most commonly used as an essential oil, food flavoring, and a loose-leaf tea.
Peppermint tea is excellent for soothing an upset stomach and improving digestion. It is also known to ease a sore throat and helps prevent those nagging coughs.
Peppermint leaves are often found as an added ingredient in tea blends to help add dimension and flavor to a tea. We have it in a few of our Wild Teas.
But as a stand-alone tea, peppermint is a rockstar that is often overlooked, which is why it earned a spot in the Wild Tea line as Wild Tea #16 Peppermint Soothe, one of the best peppermint teas we've found in the many we've tested.
Native to South Africa, the rooibos plant can survive some of the harshest conditions of the desert, which is why it is grown almost exclusively in certain parts of South Africa.
There are two different kinds of rooibos teas, the oxidized red version and the more expensive, and unoxidized, green rooibos.
Both rooibos options are filled with antioxidants and flavanols, which can help reduce inflammation. Rooibos also contains iron, calcium, and potassium.
Typically, rooibos is brewed and prepared similar to black tea; the leaves are steeped in hot water, then strained before adding milk and honey/sugar.
Rooibos pairs well with the flavors of ginger, coconut, and cloves. Examples: Coconut Chai
Lemon Balm Tea
A member of the mint family, this Mediterranean plant is a potent relaxant and stress reliever.
Lemon balm is a tea and essential oil to help sedate anxious individuals and improve sleep quality.
Many insomnia people use lemon balm tea as an herbal remedy before getting prescription drugs.
Lemon balm's slight sweetness and tartness make it a perfect brew after a long day of work.
Holy Basil (Tulsi)
Holy basil (often called tulsi) is an Ayurvedic plant used for thousands of years as a medicinal tea.
Brewed similarly to other herbal teas, holy basil is known for its brain-enhancing properties. The plant is so revered for health benefits that it is called the "elixir of life."
Honeybush Tea
Honeybush tea is a cousin of Rooibos and native to South Africa. It is named for the smell of its flowers, which have a sweet, honey-like aroma.
Honeybush is a newly popular tea, with global production doubling recently. This is probably due to how delicious this naturally caffeine-free tea is.
This beautiful, flowering plant makes one of the most delicious and beneficial herbal teas.
Many studies show hibiscus can help improve cardiovascular health at the level of many prescription drugs! Hibiscus has been long revered in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for its health-promoting properties.
Not bad for a naturally sweet red liquid.
Ginseng Tea
Although ginseng contains zero caffeine, it can be a powerful stimulant for the brain, stimulating brain waves and helping you focus.
A root found in colder climates, ginseng has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries.
The herb is so revered for stimulating properties it is often an added ingredient in many energy drinks.
Ginger is incredibly potent and has a strong. Some say "acquired" flavor. This is why you often see ginger as an added ingredient in tea blends.
Taking alone, ginger is known to help settle the stomach and aid in treating a cold. Instead of leaves, take fresh ginger and dice or thin slice it before steeping in hot water for the desired period—5-7 minutes should do the trick.
Native to southeast Asia, kratom tea is one of the less popular but highly effective stimulant alternatives. It can lead to tolerance problems similar to the over-consumption of caffeine.
The sensation when taking kratom is similar to morphine, which makes it practical for relieving pain but prone to abuse.
Kava Tea
Kava is a root found on tropical islands in the south Pacific.
Islands in Polynesia use kava as a relaxant and anti-anxiety compound, which has sedative and anesthetic properties.
The kava tea flavor is heavy, earthy, and challenging to consume for some. However, the health effects are considered well worth it.
Many drink kava to get a chilled-out relaxed feeling.
Herbal Tea Advantages And Disadvantages
For tea purists, herbal tea might seem like a "cute" step-child and lacking in any real tea consideration compared to a healthy green tea or a bold pu-erh.
Of course, this myopic view is unfounded as there are plenty of advantages of herbal tea you can't get with traditional tea from the camellia sinensis plant.
Most herbal teas are filled with more antioxidants and micronutrients (like magnesium and potassium) than traditional tea.
Secondly, herbal teas allow you to drink with specific (sometimes contrasting) health goals in mind.
For example, on the one hand, chamomile or lemon balm tea can promote feelings of relaxation and anxiety reduction. Conversely, a caffeine-free honeybush or red rooibos tea can provide health benefits without interfering with your sleep—which you can't say about tea from camellia sinensis.
While traditional tea drinkers appreciate subtle differences in green, white, oolong, and black tea, herbal options provide various flavors, nutrition profiles, and drink options.
Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis)
Discovered initially and harvested in China, green tea has spread to many cultures across Southeast Asia and the western world.
The term "tea" is traditionally used only for the camellia sinensis species, of which green tea is one of the primary varieties produced.
Green tea is characterized by minimal oxidation during the processing, which often gives it a subtle and mild flavor.
However, as the plant has spread across Asia and the west, different geographies, climates, and cultivation practices have created a wide range of green tea flavors and processing methods.
This makes it virtually impossible to categorize any tea completely, so most of what we cover are best practices and what's "typical" of green and other tea.
Green Tea History And Culture
When someone extols the virtues of green tea, they echo sentiment passed down for thousands of years.
As early as 600 AD, Chinese writers described green tea and its benefits in a book called "Tea Classic."
The tea culture became ingrained in the growing religions of the time, such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, which gave the drink extra significance compared to any other beverage consumed.
The special place that tea reserved in Chinese culture led to enhanced farming methods, cultivation, and processes that created various varieties that we still enjoy today.
Some examples include yellow and white tea variations, which are subtle harvest-timing and processing methods that control the final flavor of the tea leaves.
The importance of tea in Chinese culture was undoubtedly responsible for its spread throughout the rest of the world.
As green tea spread to other countries, growing, harvesting, and production methods were created, leading to new tea discoveries.
For example, green teas in Japan are often steamed instead of pan-fired, giving them a unique "leafy" flavor different from the Chinese versions.
The Japanese method of producing tea has become unique to their culture, geography, and history, and many regions of Japan are heavily influenced by tea production.
A short bullet train ride from Tokyo, in the town of Shizuoka, farmers produce tea the same way they were in the 1600s. You'll smell the freshly roasted tea leaves as soon as you leave the train.
Spread among the karaoke clubs, residential buildings, commercial property, tea factories, tea shops, and warehouses are all prominent staples in the town's real estate.
Venture a bit more into the Japanese countryside and discover rows of tea bushes lining roads.
Farmers, many old and seasoned tea veterans use modest barns as their factories from which they produce some of the highest quality teas in the world.
It's not just China and Japan that produces great tea, although they are the most well-known.
The camellia sinensis plant has recently made it to Europe and other far-flung regions.
On the Portuguese Azores islands, for example, tea was introduced as recently as 1874 by experts in southeast Asia.
The Azores remain one of the few places in Europe to grow high-quality tea because the island has high-altitude terrain, mineral-rich soil, and hundreds of miles from industrial pollution.
Tea in the Azores has become so popular that Chinese companies are buying the tea for sale at home!
How Green Tea is Grown and Cultivated
Depending on who you talk to, you'll have conflicting opinions on the "correct" way of cultivating, processing, and brewing green tea.
Nearly all methods have their supporters, but in general, there are the traditionalists who like to stick to the old ways of doing things, and there are the modernists that want to try to find newer, better ways.
In general, green tea grows best at higher altitudes.
For tea cultivation, regions above 6,900 feet (2,100 meters) are chosen in Sri Lanka. The country has a history of different tea plantations giving plenty of regional flavors in China, so it's hard to say "higher is better than lower." However, many tea connoisseurs might disagree with that distinction.
In the Fujian province, the high-altitude mountains are known for growing organic green tea and other variations, such as white tea and oolong tea. Because Fujian is near the coast and has a high altitude, it provides an ideal environment for growing tea and produces some exceptional teas.
While the Chinese categorize their green tea by regions, which often come with connotations of flavor and quality, the Japanese categorize it strictly by quality. Additionally, Japanese green tea is usually steamed, offering a different flavor than the Chinese pan-fired or oven-roasted variations.
Some people like the "earthy" taste of Chinese green tea versus Japan's "leafy" counterparts.
Either way, other elements of the growing and processing methods of Chinese and Japanese tea prove instrumental in determining the final quality and flavor.
White tea is a variation of green tea, often made from flower buds and young leaves without fermentation or further processing.
Harvested chiefly from the famous coastal Fujian province of China, white tea is a rare and delicate tea.
Cultivation is done without panning, rolling, or shaking to produce a high-quality white tea. Furthermore, only the most delicate young leaves are harvested to make white tea.
Another rare and expensive form of tea cultivation produces yellow tea, which has an additional preparation step compared to green tea.
After the oxidation process, a damp cloth is placed over the tea as it is steamed. Not only does this impart a yellow color (hence the name), but it also provides a mellow and less grassy flavor than green tea.
Yellow tea was often served to members of the Chinese Imperial court. To this day, it rarely leaves China. If you ever try some, let us know how it tastes!
Other Forms Of Green Tea
Within the category of green tea, there are further subcategories of green tea based on processing methods.
In Japan, the most common tea is "sencha," green tea made with direct sun exposure and is usually lightly steamed.
The more expensive "gyokuro" is grown in the shade, which increases specific chemical contents such as amino acids and l-theanine. The gyokuro is usually produced with 90% shading for two weeks (similar to matcha) leading up to harvest, while "kabusecha" is only shaded 40 - 50% for 1 - 2 weeks.
These subtle differences in growing and processing create vast flavor differences.
Brewing Green Tea
Even though there are dozens of different green tea cultivation and preparation styles, only a few brewing methods are most used and recommended.
Most cultures use a steeping method, which utilizes hot water to extract green tea's flavor and chemical compounds. While some high-quality teas require brewing variations—such as steeping multiple times or short durations—in general, brewing green tea is pretty straightforward.
Use 2 grams (~1 teaspoon) for every 6-8 ounces of water. Larger tea sizes might need to be measured in tablespoons. A scale is always best for getting the precise ratio, which increases the chances of producing a delicious cup of tea.
Aim for water between 160° - 175° degrees and infuse for 2 - 3 minutes. Invest 2-5 times using this method and enjoy the subtle flavor differences with each subsequent infusion.
It will vary based on the green tea you use, but these are general guidelines.
Health Benefits Of Green Tea
Chinese and Japanese scholars have long documented the benefits of green tea. Since then, modern health research has tested green tea against the rigors of scientific analysis and found many positive findings.
Green tea contains enzymes, polyphenols, flavanols, and amino acids that improve health.
One popular amino acid, theanine, is a compound known to reduce anxiety and mental stress. Theanine is often used as a supplement to promote concentration and focus while reducing anxiety and nervousness, two byproducts of caffeine.
Theanine improves alpha brain waves in the brain, which are associated with the highest form of cognitive performance capable in human beings.
Besides theanine, which varies depending on the processing of green tea, there are phytochemicals such as quercetin and EGCG, which have high antioxidant contents.
All green tea includes these antioxidants, but white tea has the most.
While scientific research is encouraging, there are always biases and confounding variables in research that makes for "best guesses" rather than hard truths.
It is essential to use tea as part of your cancer prevention plan rather than as a cure-all.
Which Green Tea is Best?
A common question we get is, what's the best green tea?
Of course, this is impossible to answer since each person will have a preference for flavor.
The earthy flavor of Chinese tea appeal to many, while in Japan, the most widely consumed green tea is Sencha, a steamed leaf tea that is milder than Chinese green tea.
Figuring out the best green tea for you is an enjoyable—and healthy—endeavor!
Guayusa: The Amazonian Superleaf Tea
I remember the first time I read about guayusa.
I experienced shock, wonder, and a frantic search to find 'the catch.'
Of course, I couldn't find a catch, so my shock and wonder grew.
At that point, I knew I had to find a supplier of guayusa to bring under the Wild Foods brand and share this fantastic super-leaf with the world.
After a month of contacting various suppliers, I found a company I trust that supplies organic guayusa direct from the Ecuadorian rainforests.
A unique thing about guayusa compared to other crops harvested out of the rainforests is that it promotes the rainforest's protection due to the unique way it is grown in 'forest gardens' that require natural forest shade and biodiverse jungle life to thrive.
This means that the more guayusa that is produced, the more rainforest that is protected.
And I haven't even gotten to the real selling points of guayusa.
Guayusa is a new crop to the global tea market. In fact, in just 2008, global production of guayusa was zero pounds. Nowadays, there are more than a million pounds of guayusa exported out of the Ecuadorian rainforests by indigenous forest farmers.
Guayusa is growing for a reason or a couple of reasons, I should say.
These reasons are what floored me when I first read about guayusa.
Guayusa contains nearly double the antioxidants of green tea.
Guayusa contains almost as much caffeine per cup as a cup of coffee
Guayusa contains no tannins—the compounds that can make tea and coffee bitter—and is a naturally smooth and sweet beverage.
*Guayusa = 66mg caffeine per 8oz cup
*Espresso = 77mg caffeine per 1.5oz shot
*Black coffee = 95mg caffeine per 8oz cup
So what you're telling me is this...
Guayusa has double the antioxidants as green tea, no bitterness, almost as much caffeine as coffee, and contains theobromine—an ingredient in chocolate responsible for inducing muscular relaxation and balancing out the jittery effects of caffeine.
Yup! No wonder production has gone from 0 pounds in 2008 to over a million pounds in less than ten years!
Guayusa FAQ
How much caffeine does guayusa have?
~66mg per 8oz cup
How do I brew guayusa?
Use 3g (~1-2 tsp) guayusa with 8oz 185° water and steep for 4-7 minutes
Is guayusa like yerba mate?
It is a close-cousin of mate. Both are members of the holly tree family and contain similar antioxidant and polyphenol levels, although yerba mate has a stronger, more bitter flavor and is more prone to over steeping than guayusa.
Where is guayusa grown?
Guayusa is grown in Amazonian rainforests in Ecuador by local farmers. Guayusa requires shade and the biodiverse environment of the rainforest to grow, which promotes rainforest preservation.
What does guayusa taste like?
Guayusa has a mild, slightly sweet earthy flavor that takes up other flavors well.
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"
— Hippocrates


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In September 2015 at the tender age of 22 Bami moved from Toronto to Dublin to work at The Google EMEA Headquarters. Although thrilled at the chance to work for the #1 Company in the world something just didn't feel right. She felt out of shape and out of place in the corporate world. Itching to not only make a change in her environment but to also do more that just go to work she decided to start going to the Gym. This is where she first noticed the lack of diversity and inclusion in the fitness industry, she felt uncomfortable in a space where she knew she belonged.
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Members of these groups will collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations from fans at each ballpark entrance from the time gates open until the middle of the second inning during games this weekend.
All food and funds collected go to the Maryland Food Bank. Von Paris Moving and Storage will pick up and deliver all items donated to the Maryland Food Bank. Fans who cannot attend the games can donate food online at: www.mdfoodbank.org/orioles.
During last year's Orioles Food Drive, more than more than 4,000 pounds of food and $20,000 in cash donations were collected.
For more information, fans can call 888-848-BIRD or visit: www.oriolesreach.com.


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text:
Shock start for Bobby Zamora
FABIO CAPELLO is ready to give a shock first England start to Bobby Zamora in tomorrow's crunch clash with Montenegro in Podgorica.
The England boss believes the Fulham star's ability to hold the ball up could be key factor in the Group G showdown.
Capello sprang a surprise when he named Bolton's Kevin Davies in his squad for the home tie against Montenegro a year ago.
Davies replaced Peter Crouch for the last 20 minutes as England were frustrated in a goalless draw. It remains the only occasion Davies, 34, has played for his country.
Zamora, 30, also has just one cap after coming on as a half-time sub in the 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary in 2010.
A source close to Capello said last night: "Wayne Rooney will play with somebody else, for sure. "Fabio is always really careful about the weakest point of the opponent.
"If he thinks the weakest point is behind the shoulder of their central defender, we will play with Danny Welbeck or Darren Bent.
"But if he's convinced that the weakness is playing in the hole between the lines, then he will play Zamora, because he will be able to hold the ball, keep it and deliver it into space for somebody."
It is understood Capello has decided to keep faith with Frank Lampard after leaving the Chelsea midfielder out of England's last Group G trip, the 3-0 win in Bulgaria.
ENGLAND could be playing on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays, UEFA have revealed. International qualifiers will be played between Thursdays and Tuesdays from 2014 to boost TV coverage and income.
Teams will have just a two-day break between matches in World Cup and European Championship double-headers.
They will play either Thursdays and Sundays, Fridays and Mondays, or Saturdays and Tuesdays.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


(1) The intricate figures that seem to dance in endless concentric circles and the white motifs in yellow and red are splendid.(2) More than a hundred young men organised in ten concentric circles around seven to nine young men and a woman from the Kefaya demonstration.(3) The Egyptian sand smooths behind him into vast concentric circles.(4) Society had become a series of concentric circles drawn of thick, unbroken lines.(5) Excavations in the interior revealed traces of a circular wooden building represented by six concentric circles of postholes.(6) The cultural context of a map might be compared to a pattern of concentric circles surrounding the map.(7) For so long I have been taught the concentric circles of Rick Warren and the process of moving people from community to core.(8) Applause travelled in weird concentric circles around Soho Square with laughing and whistling and much moving about.(9) One painting is dense with cell-like concentric circles of rust against a flat gold surface.(10) A fringe of short parallel lines ran around the edge, and then a pair of concentric circles nearer the centre.(11) The fish and bugs make concentric circles on its surface that are beautiful.(12) The authors provide a model comprising four concentric circles to explain newspaper change.(13) This chart consisted of a series of concentric circles with the interviewee located at the centre spot.(14) You'll see the concentric circle in very many of the religious paintings, and also engravings further inland.(15) The mat is charged with odd symbols and glyphs arranged in a circle between two concentric rings.(16) It is Quaranth's misfortune to be a town that lies on one of three concentric circles that surround the tower.
Meaning and definitions of concentric, translation in Urdu language for concentric with similar and opposite words. Also find spoken pronunciation of concentric in Urdu and in English language.
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What concentric means in Urdu, concentric meaning in Urdu, concentric definition, examples and pronunciation of concentric in Urdu language.


text:
Pollution and waste management
Managing and reducing waste
Overview of extended producer responsibility in Canada
Introduction to extended producer responsibility
What is extended producer responsibility?
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach in which a producer's responsibility, physical and/or financial, for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product's life cycle. EPR shifts responsibility upstream in the product life cycle to the producer (i.e. brand owners, first importers or manufacturers) and away from municipalities and general taxpayers.
EPR programs are commonly made mandatory through legislation, but can also be adopted voluntarily (i.e. retail take-back programs) or even take the form of negotiated agreements between governments and industry. Legislated EPR programs are often adopted by jurisdictions when a designated waste stream is too costly or not profitable enough for producers or recyclers to voluntarily recover at the end of its useful life. Governments may adopt producer responsibility to achieve a greater recovery of secondary materials or as a means to divert materials from disposal. Legislated producer responsibility programs reflect the "polluter-pays-principle," since producers are made responsible for the waste management costs of their products.
To date, the concept of EPR has been used to ensure the proper end-of-life management of a broad and growing range of post-consumer products such as batteries, electronic equipment, ozone-depleting substances, paints, pesticide containers, pharmaceuticals, used oil, and used tires. Since its inception in Europe in the early 1990s, EPR and product stewardship initiatives have gained popularity rapidly, with programs in place throughout Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, the United States and Canada.
What does extended producer responsibility involve?
Many products such as electronics, appliances, paint and engine oil need to be properly managed at the end of their useful life. Under the terms of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, collection is a responsibility of the producer and collection sites are established allowing for the recovery of end-of-life products. Consumers can then return their products at the designated collection sites, after which the product will be recycled or properly disposed of.
In order to create a harmonized approach to EPR, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) has prepared a Canada-wide Action Plan for Extended Producer Responsibility with common coordinated policies and commitments for government action and common key elements for building producer responsibility for priority products. Many provinces already have a number of EPR programs up and running and many more will become operational in the coming years. For a list of EPR programs in Canada, see the Recycling program inventory.
What are the benefits of extended producer responsibility?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) supports waste reduction, reuse and recycling activities, and reduces the burden on municipalities for the physical and/or financial requirements of waste management by providing a non-tax base funding for the programs. Considering that municipalities have limited ability to affect the generation of waste, EPR as a concept aims to shift waste management costs onto producers, who have the ability to incorporate changes in product and packaging design to reduce waste.
Who does what?
In cases where responsibility is assigned to individual producers, the regulated producers proceed to either collect the end-of-life products through their own private schemes or to form a collective organization, also referred to as a producer responsibility organization (PRO). Commonly, a PRO is designated by producers or through legislation, after which the organization becomes responsible for meeting the recovery and recycling obligations of the individual producers.
The PRO arranges for the collection, transportation, and environmentally sound recycling or disposal of end-of-life products at different collection sites across the jurisdiction. Municipalities may participate in the collection of end-of-life products as a service provider. Consumers participate in the programs by returning the end-of-life products to the designated collection sites and in some cases, by providing funding through a unit-fee charged at the point of sale that is collected by the PRO.
In Canada, some of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs use a visible fee at the point of sale while others are integrated into the price of the product - depending on the product and the province. Government involvement may range from the development of regulations, performance standards, developing and implementing monitoring protocols and enforcing the regulations.
At the federal level, Environment Canada has identified EPR as a risk management option for products containing substances that are considered toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). EPR can reduce the risks associated with the disposal of products containing toxic substances by promoting environmentally sound end-of-life management.
Who do I contact if I have any questions?
Please visit the Recycling program inventory for links to extended producer responsibility (EPR) and product stewardship programs in Canada.
Deposit/refund
Deposit/refund systems require consumers to pay a monetary deposit for a purchased product which is partially or fully reimbursed when the product is returned for re-use or recycling at the end-of-life. Some programs in Canada also use a discretionary recycling fee, charged by industry stewards at the point of sale, in addition to the deposit.
Environmental fees
In order to fund legislated extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs, affected producers (brand-owners, manufacturers or first importers) may charge consumers an "environmental fee", visible on receipts and invoices. The fee may be designated as an "eco-fee", an "environmental handling charge or fee", a "recycling fee" or a "surcharge", depending on the region and program. In the case of legislated EPR programs, fees are commonly managed by not-for-profit organizations or industry associations, whereas under product stewardship initiatives, these are managed by government agencies. Governments may approve the fees through the stewardship plan or may set the fees for product stewardship programs. Legislated EPR and product stewardship programs are usually required (i.e. via regulation and/or government approved stewardship plans) to submit annual statements of program revenues and expenditures to governments. These may be available on the program websites or on request.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach in which a producer's responsibility, physical and/or financial, for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product's life cycle.
Industry stewards
Commonly refers to brand owners, first importers and manufacturers of designated materials under extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs, destined for collection and reuse, recycling or environmentally sound management.
The term "producer" is used to refer to brand owners, first importers and manufacturers of products and packaging. "Producers" are referred to as "industry stewards" when they are legally obligated to recover and recycle their products and/or packaging at end-of-life.
Producer responsibility organization (PRO)
A "producer responsibility organization" (PRO), usually a not-for-profit organization or an industry association, is the entity designated by a producer or producers to act on their behalf to administer an extended producer responsibility or product stewardship program. In Canada, a PRO may also be referred to as a "stewardship organization," an "industry funding organization" or a "delegated administrative organization".
Product stewardship initiatives are end-of-life management programs for designated products, in which producers (i.e. brand owners, importers or manufacturers) are neither directly responsible for program funding or operations. Programs may be financed through public funds or through revenues generated by legislated fees at the point of sale.
Shared responsibility
Programs identified as "shared responsibility" are in part industry funded and/or operated. These programs are often the result of an agreement, partnership or in some cases industry stewards may be designated by law to provide funding for a specific program (e.g. multi-material stewardship programs - blue box - in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec).
Stewardship or program plan
A "stewardship plan" or "program plan" sets out how designated producers will meet their legal obligations to collect and recycle their products or packaging once they have reached their end-of-life. Generally, stewardship plans may include details on how end-of-life products or packaging are to be collected and recycled, how program performance will be measured, targets for collection, reuse (where applicable), recycling and public awareness, timelines for implementation, program funding and reporting protocols. Producers are commonly responsible for preparing their own individual stewardship plans or can join a collective stewardship program under a "producer responsibility organization".
Related services and information
Recycling program inventory
Canada-wide Action Plan on Extended Producer Responsibility, Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
Extended Producer Responsibility: Updated Guidance for Efficient Waste Management, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)


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Q: Excel formula on two sigma std of the results Lets say I have an array of numbers:

100,95,90,0.5

I would like to do some regular function on them such as Count, AVG, STD, MIN, MAX
which are all very simple.
but after that, I want to filter the array for 2 sigmas so the array will be

100,95,90

And then do all these functions once again and show the differences.
any advice?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Library success rides on public support
Dr. John Bunn of Sylva lived through the Great Depression and said people bind together during tough times to help one another.
The same will stand true, Bunn believes, when it comes to donating to the new Jackson County library during the recession.
Library use actually sees a spike during hard times. When things like movies and cable are cost prohibitive, the library offers an escape through books and magazines. And when people cancel their home Internet subscription they'll still have the Web for free at the library, Bunn noted.
"I see the library as a fantastic boon to all people," said Bunn, the co-chairman of the Friends of the Library Fundraising Committee.
A large effort is under way to raise $1.6 million to pay for the furnishings of the new Jackson County Library and the renovated historic courthouse in Sylva. Fundraisers are half way there with $800,000 in commitments.
But the going could get tougher from here. The first leg of the campaign is targeting large donors making up to six-figure contributions, while the second half will call on the general public cutting much smaller checks.
"We still need a lot of broad community support to make this happen," said Mary Selzer, Friends of the Library President.
The new 20,000-square-foot library will be built onto the back of the historic courthouse overlooking downtown.
Donors should be comforted by the fact that 100 percent of their donations will go toward furnishing the library, not administrative costs, said Betty Screven with Friends of the Library.
Fundraising began last May, and the remaining $800,000 is needed by July 2010, and Selzer thinks things are on schedule.
The library is scheduled to open in December 2010. Construction, including the courthouse renovation, is estimated at $7.9 million, but the county is funding that.
Big money, small money
Even in a recession Selzer believes people will donate to the project because it will benefit the lives of everyone in Jackson County from the "southern end to the northern end."
Bunn thinks Sylva will pull together to support the fundraising. Bunn's dad was a minister in a railroad town that collapsed during the Depression, but he saw the great side of people when they would do such things as share chicken and dumplings with a neighbor.
"I saw people reaching out to other people," he said.
But because of the poor economy Bunn anticipates that donations may be smaller than they would normally be. There will be more competition when it comes to getting funding from the big foundations because of the recession.
"They will be more selective and careful of who they give money to," he said.
Grants are always competitive and now even more so, agreed Selzer. But she feels it's a strong project and hopes it resonates well with various foundation advisory boards when they are deciding how to dole out money.
"In a time like this in fundraising you have to take a different approach," Bunn said. "You don't go out and ask for the ultimate gift.
He said people will be asked to give what they can at this time to help put the library in place. For instance, he said people may be asked if they could afford to donate the cost of a doughnut or Coke a day.
In the end it is going to be the "little person" who gets the fundraising effort over the top, he said.
"I've never seen it fail," he said. "The closing out of the campaign will depend on the man on the street, the woman on the street, the child on the street."
The Depression was not the last time he saw a community rally for a good cause. He saw it in the '70s when $9 million was raised over two years to expand the CJ Harris hospital in Sylva.
People may also be motivated to donate not only because of the library, but the renovations to the iconic historic courthouse.
"We're talking about a building on the National Historic Register, an icon, one of the most photographed buildings in this state," said Bunn. "I know there is a strong attachment of the local people to that building. It's been used to glorify the veterans of the Confederacy, those who lost their lives in the Korean conflicts. They want to see that thing preserved and kept intact."
Letters seeking donations might be mailed to Jackson County property owners, Bunn said. That was done for the hospital fundraiser. Bunn said a letter was sent to landowners with property valued at at least $200,000. It cost $1.37 to send out a letter, and the average return was $2.42, Bunn said.
The elderly will be significant donors, he expects because they read the newspaper at the library daily.
Donating to the project should not be thought of as an obligation, said Bunn.
"I would say if they love what that place is going to represent then they will want to support it," said Bunn. "It represents the history of Jackson County; it represents the glory and beauty of learning. The third thing it represents is the literary heritage of the world. The other thing it represents is the absolute freedom to anyone who wants to come and enjoy what has become theirs."
Donations will probably start pouring in after the ground-breaking ceremony slated for May 17, when people can actually see tangible work taking place, Bunn said.
When work starts on the project with bulldozers and backhoes humming, people may be more inclined to donate because it will be more real to them, Selzer said.
People should be encouraged to donate because books are an important part of people's lives, said Joyce Moore, owner of City Lights Book Store in Sylva and a member of Friends of the Library.
She added that during tough economic times library usage goes up, but admitted it's harder to raise funds now.
Building the new library and restoring the old courthouse at the same time kills two birds with one stone, said Jackson County Commissioner William Shelton, an original proponent of the idea.
"That old courthouse was sitting there and deteriorating," said Shelton. "I don't think anyone wanted to see it fall in or be destroyed."
Tying the courthouse into the project may also motivate people to get more involved in fundraising, said Shelton, and may open the project up to more grant money.
Donating to the library and courthouse project is a once in a lifetime opportunity, said Screven.
Once complete, the library and courthouse will hold offices for the Arts Council, the Genealogical Society, and the Historical Society, serving as a one-stop shop.
Every donor of $1,000 or more will have their name inscribed on a plaque or permanent location in the library complex. There are also opportunities for donors to have a certain area of the library named after them; for instance, a donor of $250,000 will have the community room named after them, while a $25,000 donation will get the reference desk named after you.
Donors have already reserved some areas of the library, but there are plenty left. The town of Sylva claimed the children's area, for example.
The fundraising strategy has been to focus on entities that can give larger gifts before launching the public campaign. With large donations already in place it won't seem so overwhelming for the public to raise the remaining money.
The Friends have targeted about 10 foundations that would possibly donate to the project. Of those two declined; one donated; and two were recently contacted and haven't responded. The remaining five will be contacted soon, Selzer said.
The public fundraising campaign may begin at the ground breaking May 16 at Bicentennial Park where there will be story telling, family friendly activities and free hotdogs.
Throughout the summer, the Friends will continue to try to raise money at events such as Greening Up the Mountains, and Selzer will also try to spread the word to the public by speaking to civic groups.
Macon County did it
A similar effort to raise money was undertaken in Macon County when the Friends of the Library embarked on a mission to raise $1.1 million for furniture fixtures and equipment, said Karen Wallace, director of Fontana Regional Library, which covers the libraries in Swain, Macon and Jackson counties.
It took a couple of years to raise the money for the Macon Library with the majority of funds coming from grants and large donors and the remaining from the community at-large.
The bad economy may not hurt fundraising efforts that much, said Wallace, adding that people are sometimes more generous during tough times because they realize how difficult it is to raise the money.
The amount of the donation is not always the most important thing either, said Wallace. She noted that when money was being raised for the Macon County library, that two young boys gave their allowance money to help out.
When the public donates to a project such as a library they have some ownership in it, said Wallace.
The Cashiers factor
Getting donations from Cashiers, which has a lot of wealthy residents, may be difficult because they have their own library, Bunn said.
Cashiers residents will think of their own library's needs before they think about the one in Sylva, he said, adding he doesn't blame them.
"They want to see it continue to grow," he said.
But Selzer said Cashiers residents should be inclined to donate, even though it has its own library.
"This is the main county library and will be connected to the historic courthouse," Selzer said.
Not only will the library benefit all of Jackson County, but may also have a "multi-county use" with people from Swain, Haywood and Macon also utilizing it, said Screven.
Preserving history, looking to the future
The women love the idea of adding a new state-of-the-art library onto the back of a historic courthouse that they say is the "emblem" of Jackson County.
"This is a class project," Screven said. "Jackson County will have something it can be truly proud of."
In the past tourists have been upset when they've stopped in Sylva to go to the courthouse after seeing it from the highway only to find it closed.
Much architectural expertise is going into designing the library to make it blend with the historic character of the courthouse.
For example, the signature large arched windows of the courthouse will be replicated on the library. Screven said the architectural design is in keeping with the Friends of the Library capital campaign slogan: "Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future."
As for the remodel of the inside of the courthouse, it will be done to make it resemble what it looked like when it was built in 1914.
Selzer explained that the courthouse lost a lot of its historic charm on the inside when it was "gutted" and modernized in the 1960s.
The good news is that the architect was able to look at the Madison County courthouse to get an idea of what the interior design, such as the molding, flooring and trim, may have looked like 95 years ago. Screven explained that the Jackson County Courthouse is the "younger sister" of the Madison County courthouse because they were built using the same plans.
The architect, Donnie Love, visited the Madison County courthouse and got pictures of the interior to incorporate into the remodel.
Screven praised Love, saying he is a specialist in refurbishing old buildings for new use and has been on his hands and knees of the old courthouse to plan the project.
The new library will measure 20,000 square feet compared to the current one that is drastically short of space at only 6,400. Selzer said the new library will be the size it should be for a county of Jackson's population.
With the new library tied to the courthouse and perched on a hill with great views of the mountains and the town, it will be one of the prettier libraries in the country, said Selzer.
The new library will have an outside seating area with café tables, something that cropped up as a request from the public during a series of visioning meetings held during the planning process.
The county commissioners decided at a budget meeting on the project a couple of weeks ago they would go ahead and bid the project with some additional features such as a terrace and faux sky lights that look like stained glass on the ceiling. If those items come in too high they can be taken out of the project.
Renovations and donations
The second-floor courtroom will be renovated and have 100 fixed seats, providing a place for plays, author talks and musical groups.
A need for places to hold community meetings will also be met with the new facility, said Selzer. The ones here now are at Western Carolina University and Southwestern Community College, which are usually only for those affiliated with the institutions, or you have to pay, Selzer said.
The children's area will be three times the size of the current one and have a story time room. The adult collection will also be about three times as large, and there will be a teen area to replace the current one that is a mere bookshelf. The computer lab will be expanded from the current seven stations to around 30.
People have always liked the way that the courthouse looks from Main Street, and that will not change, as the library will be put on the back of the building out of the line of sight.
There are about 30 volunteers working on the project, and about six to seven are spending "quite a bit of time every month" fundraising said Screven.
Why they're interested
Selzer said she became interested in the project several years ago when there was discord over where to locate the library. A library should be a positive thing in the community, not a source of frustration, she thought.
Her experience with international finance and insurance gave her the skills to organize the project, she said.
By taking her four grandsons to the library it was obvious it was short in space, said Screven. So with her professional career in public relations she joined the effort as chair of the PR and special events subcommittee.
Big donors push campaign along
The Jackson County library campaign is half-way to its goal of $1.6 million. Donations include:
• $150,000 from the Janirve Foundation of Asheville
• $105,000 from the town of Sylva
• $100,000 from Jackson Paper
• $100,000 from an individual who prefers to remain anonymous
• $15,000 from United Community Bank
• $10,000 from the Sylva Garden Club
• $10,000 from Jackson Savings Bank
• $10,000 from Duke Energy
• Jackson County Friends of the Library Web site: www.fojcml.org.
• Call Jackson County Public Library Complex Campaign Steering Committee Co-Chair Mary Selzer at 828.293.0074 or Campaign Coordinator Connie Terry at 828.507.0476.
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