As a long time lover of green tea, I immensely enjoy the many different types, flavors, and awesome health benefits of green tea. Even…the health benefit of the caffeine in green tea. Yes caffeine! Now I know there’s a lot of talk right now about caffeine and all the harmful side effects it can have. And it’s true, caffeine can have negative side effects depending on how much of it you consume. But keep reading and you’ll get a taste (no pun intended) of what the caffeine content in a cup of green tea actually does for you.

There have actually been studies to prove that moderate caffeine consumption can be good for you! Caffeine can help you feel energized, motivated, and give your mood an uplift.

But what happens is that a lot of people drink or eat way too much of it. This will definitely lead to side effects like feeling nervous, anxious, depressed, feeling drowsy, not being able to sleep at night, and numerous other problems.

A cup of coffee contains 85-150 milligrams of caffeine and a can of soda contains anywhere from 40-80 or even more milligrams. The daily recommended caffeine intake is 200 milligrams.

At 2 or 3 cups of coffee you’ve already gone over your limit. You may at this point even begin experiencing some of the side effects I’ve mentioned.

Now… a cup of green tea averages only 8 to 35 milligrams of caffeine. Even by drinking 4-8 cups of green tea you will not have reached your daily recommended caffeine intake! That is great news! (One side note-black tea contains about twice as much caffeine as green tea.)

The amount of caffeine in a cup or two of green tea is at the right level to help you feel energized, refreshed and alert, but without all the negative side effects you may have drinking a cup or two of coffee or a can of soda.

I’m amazed at the difference in the caffeine content of green tea and coffee. If you’re experiencing some of the side effects of drinking too much coffee or soda, why not try drinking green tea instead for a couple days. You may be surprised at how much more relaxed and alert you feel. Not to mention you’ll also be experiencing all the other great health benefits of drinking green tea!

Find out much more about green tea and why not even check out some awesome green tea drink recipes by visiting http://www.green-tea-health.net - a great website and guide to a wide variety of green tea information.

- Drink it! add sparkling water to cold green tea and chill for a refreshing, rehydrating, healthy drink.
- Rinse you mouth with green tea to help with bad breath. Tea is also known to help reduce tooth decay.
- Green tea is especially soothing.  Add some to your bath to help sooth sunburn make baby wipes with it as green tea is known for its antibacterial properties or use it to soothe insect bites.
- Wash your feet in a strong brew of used loose leaf green tea to help battle the curse of foot odour. Also if you have been handling fish then wash you hands in green tea to remove the odour.
- Burning dried green tea leaves can help to repel flies and unwanted bugs.
- Used green tea bag uses on eyes to help puffy eyes by resting chilled green tea bags on your eyes, or try this green tea eye recipe. Or place luke warm bags on your eyes to revive tired eyes.
- Steam your face with green tea in your cleansing routine.
- A wet green tea bag applied to razor burn can help to reduce the discomfort.
- Place a cool soaked tea bag on the site of a lost tooth to help reduce bleeding and to reduce pain. You can also use this method at the site of an injection.
-  Finally…There is no better smell than that surrounding a tea factory.  Sleeping on tea leaves according to ancient Chinese medicine) helps to reduce blood pressure, relieve insomnia and soothes a headache so if you suffer from any of these try stuffing some dried green tea leaves into your pillow and have a good nights sleep. Take care that the leaves are kept dry as they absorb moisture readily.

-  Drink it! or add sparkling water or juice to left over tea and chill.
- Use green tea to tenderise meat and can be either used in the marinade or add a cup to you stews or casseroles. You can also add green tea to soups for a different twist in flavour.
- Have fun with the kids and make marbled eggs. Hard boil eggs, crack the shells well but do not peel. Simmer in your favourite tea in a crock-pot for several hours. Allow to cool in the tea over night (refrigerate).  Again black tea may be more effective for this than green tea.
- Instead of using bicarbonate of soda to keep your fridge odour free how about using green tea.
- When making iced green tea how about making some ice cubes with a small amount of it for the next time you have iced green tea, or perhaps add some orange juice and sugar or honey to make healthy ice lollies for the kids.
- Use green tea to rehydrate dried fruits.
- Boil green tea in a cup inside a microwave and your microwave will be odour free.
- Protect your pans from rusting by rubbing cast iron pans with used loose leaf green tea.
- Smoke meat with dried used loose leaf green tea.

- Old used green tea bags have been known to assist in reducing humidity in the home as they absorb excess moisture in the air. Loose leaf green tea leaves must be thoroughly dried in the sun or in the airing cupboard and they must be dried out regularly.
- You can pick up dust off your carpet using loose leaf green tea.  Slightly moisten the leaves and scatter them on the carpet, don’t make them too wet or there is risk of staining).  Simply vacuum them up along with the dust that they attract.
- Age fabrics with used green tea bags (although this probably works better with black tea bags)
- Instead of a lavender bag why not put a few drops of your favourite essential oil onto a bag and use them to scent your drawers or shoes? This is best if you have old unused, out of date bags. If you don’t like the look of a tea bag in your drawer then take the green tea leaves out and use them as stuffing for a sachet.
- A soft cloth dipped in green tea works wonders at shining up glass and especially mirrors.
- Used loose leaf green tea or tea bags is effective in cleaning and shining wooden furniture and wooden floors and removing any unwanted odours.  It can also be used to remove excess furniture polish

- Brew you old green tea bags or left over loose leaf green tea again and leave it to soak for a couple of days, then strain the tea and water your plants with it, it will act as a fertilizer. 
- Put old tea bags and old tea leaves onto your compost heap for an acid ich compost.  The loose leaf green tea leaves will also speed up decomposition.
- Use a tea bag to seed your lawn.  Sow the grass seed in small bare spots with a used tea bag. Make sure the bag is moist, and place it on the dirt where you want the grass. Sprinkle it with seed. The bag will hold moisture and gradually decompose.
- To assist with drainage in plant pots how about placing you old used green tea bags at the bottom of the pot before potting.

1/2 litre of room temperature water.
A heat proof container that will also fit into the fridge.
1 quality green tea bag or how ever many that suit your taste buds.

Put a small amount of hot (not boiling) water into the container and add the teabag(s).  Brew for not more than one minute then remove the bag. IF you leave it longer you might be left with a bitter tasting tea. 

Chill and enjoy. Try drinking this while you are eating hot or spicy food, the tea will soothe your mouth in the same way as it does with sunburn.

Variations:

-Put the teabag into the water and move it gently back and forth for a few seconds, then, leaving the teabag inside place the container into the fridge and chill for about 1 hour. Remove the bag(s) before serving.

-You can start with cool water and let it warm slowly over a heating pad.  This will result in a mellow tea without the bitterness. 

-The sun-tea method(if you’re patient and serious about green tea): Fill a container withcool water and tea and let it steep in the sun for about 8 hours and then chill. Be sure to cover the container in cling wrap whilst it is steeping.

-Iced green tea can be served with lemon or lime wedges for an extra refreshing flavour or with mint, ginger or honey for a sweeter taste.

Green Tea Cucumber Slices

Ingredients:
½ cucumber
1 green tea bag

Instructions:
Brew green tea, steep and chill. Slice up the cucumber and add to the chilled green tea. Refrigerate until cool. Place soaked cucumber slices over eyes for 10 minutes.

Uji Tawara is famous in Japan for shincha, matcha, gyokuro, and sencha. The highest quality matcha comes from the Uji Tawara area, which is the primary Matcha producing region in Japan.  It is made from the leaves of shade grown tea trees.The most famous Matcha-producing regions are Uji in Kyoto (tea from this region is called “Ujicha”), Nishio in Aichi (tea from this region is called “Nishiocha”).  The misty climate, sloping hills, and diurnal temperature means that these regions have perfect conditions for producing high quality gyokuro and matcha .

Tea plantation owners in Uji area of Japan perfected techniques for producing excellent tea for matcha.  When the leaves are harvested they are steamed, dried and then further processed to remove the veins, stems and impurities. The pure dried leaves (tencha) are then stone ground into a super fine powder that is the consistency of talc.Thin and thick matcha are made from the highest quality leaves and because it is the whole leafe that is being consumed rather than just the leaves being steeped in water the benefits of green tea are magnified. 

In the Japanese tea ceremony koicha is brewed with less water than usucha. Usucha comes from the leaves of tea plants that are less than 30 years old and koicha from plants over 30 years old.

Matcha can be used as an ingredient or made as a tea. There are many green tea recipes and matcha’s flavour blends well in dairy-based recipes and its powder form makes it easy to work with. It is used as an added color and flavor to pastries, cakes and pies, to dye and flavour foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi (Japanese confectionery).

You will need:

Good quality loose green tea leaves
Tea pot
Teaspoon
Tea strainer
Glass Tea Cups… so the tea cools quicker
Hot…not boiling water(80°C)…Spring or filtered water gives a cleaner fresher taste…this applies to black tea as well.

Use 5 mls of green tea per cup. Put the tea leaves into an enclosed tea strainer and put it into an empty cup

Heat the water to between 70°C and 80°C. Make sure it doesn’t boil (a cooking thermometer can be used to measure the temperature). When the water is at the correct temperature then pour it over the tea leaves into the mug.Leave the tea leaves to soak for about two minutes…do not stir and don’t leave them for too long or the tea will have a bitter taste.

Green tea leaves can be brewed several times just plunge the tea strainer into a cup of iced water to preserve them.

Enjoy…

You can buy green tea powder at most health food stores and you can even procure it on the internet. It’s also a lot of people’s preference to use green tea powder instead of tea bags because it’s many more easily dissolved in water. Whenever compared to the tea bags and it can also be used in food, too.

Green Tea Powder Uses in Recipes

You can make all kinds of foods with green tea powder. Other than adding the tea to recipes, green tea has many other uses in food. For instance, sprinkle green tea onto icecream, food, your beverages and many more and it also adds a nice green colour to you recipes. This is unique for parties and special occasions that require food and drinks to be a green color. Some individuals purchase green tea powder and give it a try with different foods and beverages to decide which combinations produce the best flavour.

Green Tea powder adds a very distinctive and different flavor to your food and is also a unique way to brighten up your presentation with added color.  In today’s world green tea ice cream is quite regularly utilized as a special dessert in both western and eastern style restaurants. Why not give it a go at home as well?

If you’re not sure where to locate green tea powder, contact your local health food shop or search online. Your local health food shop associate will likely be well versed on the health health benefits of green tea and will probably tell you of several products that contain green tea. If you advise them you’re only looking for the powder, and they don’t stock green tea powder, ask them if they can order it for you. While not many people know about the health benefits of green tea powder, there are suppliers who are standing by, ready to serve you.

You can always search the internet as well. Online is a haven for forums and websites committed to green tea and its benefits. You may also be able to procure recipes that utilize green tea powder, which is why most individuals start to use tea powder in the first place.