In the fall
of 2012 I was asked by our church's high school youth pastor to be a chaperone
for the international missions trip to Taiwan in June of 2013. I was very
honored and excited but also knew I would have to take two weeks off from the
tea business to attend and told him I would think and pray about it over the
weekend. That Monday I received an email with some pricing from Blanche Chen, a
possible supplier of some amazing oolongs that I had just tasted and was
interested in purchasing for our website. After I hit the print button to
review the pricing I realized that the entire email conversation was printing
out and the first page I read was from three months prior, explaining the Chen families
45 year tea company history, having a presence in Taiwan and
mainland China. They operated their own organic tea farm and factory in
the famous Huang Shan Mountains of Anhui Province in China. But their
headquarters are located in Nantou province, in central Taiwan, Blanche and her brother ran that part of the tea
business, factory and garden. As my heart started to beat faster, I looked up
the company's address on Google maps I remembered that part of our trip would
take us to Sun Moon Lake which was about 1.7 miles from where Blanche and her
brother's tea factory was located. I was blown away at how quickly God answered
my prayer… should I go on this trip? Well obviously YES! I quickly emailed
Blanche back to thank her for the tea and pricing and asked if I could visit
her in June of 2013! Visiting a tea supplier was something I had always dreamed
of doing for our business but never would I have dreamed that it would be at
this time in our business, it was financially out of the question, but God
found a way, combining it with a missions trip which made it even more exciting
and life changing. I was ecstatic to say the
least!
Blanche and I
conversed for the next few months prior to our visit and exchanged photos so
that the day we would meet in Sun Moon Lake we knew how to find each other! The
best part was my daughter Haley, (Senior in HS) would be coming with me! She is
now a freshman at Oho University, studying plant biology, and I hope she will
join me someday in the tea business with her knowledge of medicinal herbs!
Blanche
took us on a tour of Sun Moon Lake, a beautiful lake resort area nestled in the
central mountains. We visited Wen Wu Temple, and the Sun Moon Lake Assam Tea Garden
where we got to see huge drying racks of tea leaves and learn more about the
processing.
We went to lunch at a local noodle restaurant, and then back to the
Chen family tea factory and tea tasting room, where Haley and I drank so much
tea our heads were actually swimming and spinning! The teas that we tasted that
day were so amazing we knew we would be purchasing them soon!
The Chen Family
tea gardens in China are certified organic, but not in Taiwan because of the
pollution levels, since Storehouse Tea Company is 100% organic we knew the teas
we would purchase would be coming out of the family's Chinese garden's.
The Chen
Family tea gardens and factory are located in Anhui, a few kilometers away from
the outskirts of Huang Shan, China. The 165 acre tea estate is reminiscent of
Taiwan, with the tea trees in curvaceous
lines that follow the contour of the terrain. This is not the usual
configuration in China, at least in Anhui. The gardens are beautiful, and huge,
covering a vast area of rolling hills with ponds, woods, a few houses here and
there, and marshlands with a great diversity of different styles of vegetation
spread all through the terrain. I found it so interesting that Mr. Chen is
Taiwanese and chose to plant Taiwanese cultivars to make Taiwanese style teas
right in the middle of China, and he decided to go organic right from the
start, over 12 years ago. Mr. Chen has an outstanding reputation of being a
master Taiwanese Oolong manufacturer and we are so proud to have his remarkable
oolongs available on our website.
Haley and I
were treated like royalty when we visited Blanche, her generosity and
hospitality were so appreciated. I am so grateful to Blanche and her family for
sharing their knowledge of tea with our company and for supplying us with world
class Oolongs. Haley and I had a life changing experience, one we will never
forget and hope to someday go back to visit Mr. Chen's tea garden in China!
Weight Loss
Benefits, Researches show that the
polyphenols in oolong tea, are quiet effective in burning fat.
Skin Benefits,
Oolongs may perfect your skin via slowing down the aging process. Free radicals may
cause dark spots and wrinkles on the skin as well as accelerate the aging of
the skin. Oolong teas have antioxidants which have the ability to destroy free
radicals. Oolongs are also beneficial for treating skin problems such as eczema
and rashes.
Oolong teas are beneficial for preventing
heart disease & cancer, Oolong tea is rich in antioxidant,
which is said to be a very strong dilator of blood vessels. As the antioxidant
may help the blood flow more easily through arteries, it is very useful to
assist protecting against heart attacks, strokes and cancer and may lower the
risk of high blood pressure.
Here
are 3 Oolongs we have purchased from the Chen Family, not only do they taste
amazing, but have incredible medicinal properties!
Dong
Ding, Organic Oolong - The name Dong Ding means Frozen Summit or Ice
Peak. Dong Ding is a mountain in Nantou County,
Central Taiwan,
where the Chen family has their headquarters and tea
factory. The single tea leaf is rolled into a tight
ball using a deeper level of oxidation resulting in an aroma of roasted
chestnuts and a flavor of bitter sweet, nutty chocolate. Dong Ding has powerful
weight reduction qualities. Excellent for multiple infusions.
GABA,
Organic Oolong - GABA
Oolong has a wonderful inviting aroma of fruit and raisins. The special,
oxygen-deprived environment that increases the content of GABA while oxidizing
the leaves, also smoothes out the tannins leaving a crisp, slightly tart, but
never bitter feeling in the mouth. Excellent
for multiple infusions.
So, What is GABA and what Does GABA Do Exactly?
GABA (Gamma Amino
Butyric Acid) is one of the main neurotransmitters for the CNS (Central Nervous
System). It acts as a kind of brake, in that it prevents over-excitement
of the nervous system. For example, many common medications prescribed for
stress or anxiety actually stimulates GABA receptors to provide greater relaxation.
Decreased GABA levels in a human brain have been well documented by medical
studies to be associated with many psychiatric or nervous system disorders.
GABA not only works on
the nervous system, but it also affects the endocrine system as well. Human
Growth Hormone have been found to increase naturally with people taking GABA
supplements.
While there are many
benefits attributed to including GABA rich foods in your diet, one of the main
benefits is that it increases alpha brain waves. This, in turn, will help to
improve a person’s mental focus and activity. In other words, it will promote a
greater sense of well-being. Here are some of the documented benefits of GABA:
Circulatory System
- Lowers blood pressure, making it perfect for people suffering from high blood
pressure.
Mental and Stress Related
- Provides stress relief, lowers anxiety levels
- Helps alleviate symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression
- Aids in better memory retention
- Is said to also increase overall mental alertness
- Has been proven to help people undergoing alcohol detox programs by making
the withdrawal symptoms lessen. (By the same token, it also is meant to be a
great cure for a hangover!)
Health and Beauty
- Aids in weight loss (as does most oolong teas)
- Has natural anti aging properties and as such helps to improve the elasticity
of skin and prevent wrinkles from forming
- Is a natural sleep aid, not only helping you go to sleep faster but also
ensuring that your quality of sleep is great.
Other
Aside from those benefits, there are a few other advantages enjoyed when your
GABA nutritional requirements are met.
- Increases your energy levels
- Great for providing extra endurance when needed
- Has anti bacterial properties
- Increases sexual performance (perhaps that goes along with the extra
endurance and energy levels?)
The great thing about
GABA is that these benefits are actually very well documented through years of
scientific study. Because there is valid proof of the health benefits of GABA,
and no side effects, supplemental GABA is increasingly being prescribed by
workers in the health industry.
In summary, aside from
the regular health benefits that all organic tea has, such as the abundance of
antioxidants and other healthy compounds, GABA tea also has exceptionally high
levels of natural GABA. The processing involves the special, oxygen-deprived environment that increases
the content of GABA while oxidizing the leaves. This
combination makes organic GABA tea one of the healthiest choices available when
it comes to organic tea.
Wuyi Rock, Organic Oolong - Wuyi Rock oolong
tea is composed of dark curly brown leaves that
yield a light amber hue and have a smooth, light body with a sweet earthy
roasted flavor and aroma. Perfect as a daily slimming tea. Excellent for multiple
infusions.
For more information go
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