Is tea medicinal?

Mr. Lin walking through one of his tea fields. My absolute favorite tea.

I need to make something very clear before I get too involved with this venture. I do not drink tea for its medicinal benefits. I have absolutely no idea what kind of tea treats what kind of ailments. I’ve never had the slightest interest in learning about the benefits nor do I predict I ever will.

Drinking good tea prevents me from drinking things like soda and alcohol. It seems to me, that’s the biggest medicinal advantage possible.

There’s a cute little tea shop in middle Colorado. My wife and I have been there a couple times and it genuinely feels like they are trying to provide a unique experience. They have a small food menu, but they do have probably 100 different teas. When you sit down at your table, they’ll bring over your selected tea and prepare it for you in a kind of modified restaurant-friendly “gong fu” way.

My problem with this tea shop was that when I asked about a certain tea, the owner launched into a diatribe about how it’s good for this and that. I wanted to know the finer points like, where it was from and when it was harvested. I know she was probably catering to her market, but it was clear I was not in that market.

What excites me about tea is the variety and the variables. I’ve said before that you can try a new tea every day for the rest of your life and not make it through the catalog. The fascinating part is that there are (historically) only two types of tea trees (camellia sinensis sinensis and the camellia sinensis assamica). All of the teas in the world can technically be made from these two plants. How on Earth can you derive so many different flavors from a nondescript plant with leaves that don’t look or taste like much until after the processing is completed? Camellia plants are mostly known for beautiful flowers, but the sinensis seems to sneak in with a much more magical gift.

Anyone who drinks wine will know there is a different flavor profile in a Merlot from California versus a Merlot from Arizona. The grapes grow in very different conditions and the fruit reflects the variants. Tea is very much the same way. A tea grown at sea level will taste very different from one grown in the mountains. The soil, elevation, temperature, season will all have dramatic impacts on the flavor. Farmers making the same tea at their plantation will have completely different products when comparing their spring harvest to their winter harvest. You can drive past tea trees growing on a rocky cliff and know that those plants will produce a beautiful red tea full of those minerals. As an aside, I’ve often said that drinking a good red tea is like the best part of licking a rock. That generally produces a funny look, but then most people understand after the first taste.

The variables mentioned just barely scratch the surface of the entirety of the tea-drinking experience. I haven’t mentioned the different flavors produced from the tea-ware. I think that’s a post for another time.

My point is, tea is interesting enough on its own without worrying about tannins and antioxidants. I know that personally, if I’m worried about meeting a certain quota of anything, I miss out on the true joy of the process. I don’t believe that health comes from a spreadsheet. True health and happiness comes from enjoying what you’re doing and eliminating that which makes you feel bad. I’m okay not knowing what my favorite tea does for me because I know it makes my heart feel warm and content.