Sunday, March 1, 2009

Is Wu Long or Wu Yi Tea YOUR Fountain of Youth?

By Caitlin Ryan

Did you know that merely drinking a few delicious mugs of tea per day can boost the quality of your skin and fight premature aging? Wu yi tea has been drunk for centuries in the Asian world and thankfully, it is finally catching on in the Western world. Its age-fighting capabilities are remarkable! It may be YOUR answer to maintaining youthful skin!

Among oolong teas, wu long and wu yi have both become highly popular teas for weight loss as well as fighting aging. They are both incredibly healthy teas, but why is one touted over the other? Let us explore the world of tea for a moment.

Tea is born from Camellia sinensis, but then processed in different ways after harvest. Green tea, white tea, oolong tea and black tea are the main types of tea.

Green tea and white tea are highly nutritious because they are not fermented and none of their natural properties are destroyed. However, they are both pretty grassy tasting and not a lot of people enjoy their flavor. White tea is slightly more delicate merely because it is picked earlier than green tea. Though black tea is the most popular in the Western world because of its mild flavor, it is not as nutritious because it has been fermented for too long to maintain the same nutritional values.

Oolong tea is fermented for a short time. Because the process is shorter, oolong tea is still highly nutritious, but the fermenting process makes the tea milder in aroma and flavor. Wu long and wu yi tea are both oolong teas. Wu long tealeaves are harvested during the first cycle of leaf growth on the tea plant. The plant is then allowed to regenerate for more cycles of growth and harvest.

For this reason, many tea connoisseurs believe that wu long tea is superior. The tea is higher in price (usually) then wu yi tea, but wu yi tea has the same age-fighting, health-boosting capabilities than wu long tea has, and the flavor differences are so subtle that most people would not really notice. I say, save a few dollars!

In a way, this is the same situation as purchasing a decent bottle of wine. Should you spend $50 on a bottle of Shiraz when you can spend $20 on a relatively equal quality wine? Maybe I would not spend just $5, but the $20 bottle is still lovely. The same goes for supermarket tea. You will not find wu yi tea amidst the bulk packs of black tea.

Both wu yi and wu long teas contain the highly effective antioxidants capable of helping you maintain youthful skin! This is because of their ability to fight free radicals and the damage they incur on your skin and overall health. In regard to your skin, these antioxidants can stave off wrinkles and improve the tone of your skin because they fight the free radicals that cause wrinkled, sagging, fragile skin.

Wu yi tea is also important for the regeneration of skin cells. Enjoying a mug of wu yi tea can calm your body. - 15634

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