BI LUO CHUN
Originally grown in the Dong Ting mountain of Tai Hu, Jiangsu Province. It has a delicate appearance, fruity taste and floral aroma. Bi Luo Chun literally means Green Snail Spring.

CHUN MEE
Chun Mee tea is the most popular eyebrow tea, named after their shape when dried. It is the daily green tea choice for most Chinese and has been a favourite for 400 years. It has a dusty appearance and is more acidic and less sweet than other green teas.This tea has a provocative plum-like aftertaste, and a lingering sweet fragrance.

DA FANG TEA
Da Fang tea is origianally from Huang Shan, Anhui Province in China. It is named after Da Fang - the Buddhist monk who developed the tea while he lived in a temple at the top of Lao Zhu Feng Mountain during the late Song Dynasty in the 14th century.
Da Fang tea is a strong green tea with a sweetness that is reminiscent of roasted Chinese Chestnuts. Also, it has been recognized as one of China's top ten famous teas. Da Fang tea is highly recommended to those with a taste for strong green teas.

DRAGONWELL TEA (Longjing Tea)
Green tea from the Chinese village of Dragon Well (Lung Ching). The production of Dragon Well tea began about 1200 years ago. The earliest Dragon Well tea was produced in the areas surrounding ancient "Dragon" well below the Lion Mountain of Zhejiang province in China.
Dragon Well tea is refreshingly smooth, sweet and delicate, among the very best of Chinese greens. Dragon Well tea is famous for its four unique characteristics.Its jade green colour, sweet fragrance, pure and mellow chestnut-like flavor and the beautiful shape of its leaves.
There are 7 grades of Longjing: Superior, Special, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Steeped, it has a yellow-green colour, a gentle, pure aroma, and a rich flavor. It contains Vitamin C, amino acids, and the highest concentration of catechins among all teas.
For the infusion the water temperature should only be brought up to 185 deg F (85 deg C), a higher temperature will degrade the taste and nutritional value of the tea.
Dragonwell tea is usually served in a glass to enjoy beauty of the tea leaves rising and falling in the water. This adds to the tea drinking experience.

GENMAICHA (Brown-Rice Tea)
This green tea is combined with roasted brown rice, and was originally drunk by poor Japanese. The rice served as a cheap filler. It has a light yellow hue, it's flavor is mild with a fresh grassy flavor of green tea and the aroma of the roasted rice.

GUNPOWDER
A green Chinese tea produced in Zhejiang Province. When buying gunpowder tea it is important to look for shiny pellets, which indicate that the tea is relatively fresh.Several types of green teas are commonly rolled into "gunpowder" form, including Chunmee, Tieguanyin, Huang Guanyin, and Dong Ding, as well as many other oolong and higher-end jasmine teas. The flavour varies according to the growing location of tea.

GOU GU NAO
Gou Gu Nao is originally from the Jiangxi Province. Roughly translated the teas name is Dog Head Mountain, after the shape of the summit where it was first grown.
Like all green tea, it should be served at a water temperature of no more than 80-85 degrees centigrade, and rested for 3 to 5 minutes.

GREEN ANJI
A green tea from the Zhejiang region. Green Anji looks almost black when dry, but shows its true colour when infused, producing a light cup with a smooth, mellow taste and a gentle, soothing aroma.

HOU KUI TEA
The name "Hou Kui Tea" is a combination of both its creator and its producing area. The word "Hou" refers to Hou Keng Village in An Hui Province where the highest grade of this tea is made, and the word "Kui" refers to tea-grower Wang Kui-Cheng who first made this tea by improving a local green tea "Jian Cha" around 1900.
Other names for this tea are Tea King Monkey Chief, Tea King Monkey King, and Tea King Monkey Tea.
The tea is at its best with water temperature below boiling. It received gold medal rank at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. Since then it has gotten numerous other awards and it has become a "world famous" tea.
Hou Kui tastes wonderfully complex and nutty at first sip, then the sweetness of this tea is slowly revealed. The liquor has a lingering, sweet aftertaste with a hint of flowery overtones. It is one of the top 10 green teas in the world.

HUO QING
It has a light smoky fragrance and taste at first but this is quickly replaced by a sensational floral sweet taste.

HUA DING
A tea from Tiantai County and named after a peak in the Tiantai mountain range.

HUANGSHAN MAO FENG
This is a green tea produced in the Anhui province. The tea is an apricot-colored brew with a sweet, clean flavour and a slight fragrance of wild peaches.

HUI MING
From Ci-mu Mountain, Jing-ning County and has a yellowish green, firmly rolled appearance. Steeped the tea is clear green with an orchid fragrance.

HYSON
Hyson translated means "flourishing spring". This tea is picked before the rainy season to embody the warm, sunny, fresh green character you would expect from a springtime experience.
The leaves are pan fired and slightly coarse, giving this tea a good body.Hyson's taste can range from fairly pungent to quite light, with a fresh, slightly sweet flavour.
To brew this tea steep for 2-3 minutes in water that does not exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Excessive temperature and longer steep times can cause the tea to become bitter and astringent.
Green tea has cardiovascular health benefits, and is said to aid cancer patients. The Mayo Clinic conducted a study and found that a component in green tea helps to kill leukemia cells. Green tea's primary catechin, EGCG (which stands for epigallocatechin-3-gallate) appears to interrupt survival signals between leukemia cells, thus prompting them to die prematurely.

LONG DING
The tea is produced from young tea buds and leaves. Long Ding Green Tea has a sweet and flowery taste with a slight hint of nutty flavor to it. It is soothing and refreshing to drink.

QING DING
A tea from Tian Mu, also known as Green Top. This rare tea is picked only two weeks each spring. It is a bright and elegant tea, wonderfully complex with natural sweetness and nutty notes.

RAIN FLOWER
A tea from Nanjing. Nanjing Rain Flower Green Tea leaves have a delicate appearance and fresh taste.

SHUI XI CUI BO
From Jiangsu Province

TUN LU
Tun Lu green tea grows near Huangshan City. Suroubded by mountains heavy with cloud and mist making for a good quality tea.

XIN YANG MAO JIAN
A Chinese tea also known as Green Tip, or Tippy Green. It has sweet floral notes which persist well into the finish with a very refreshing aftertaste.

YU LU
A steamed tea known as Gyokuro (Jade Dew) made in the Japanese style. This tea from Hubei province has a powerful green colour, beautiful to behold. The taste is mild and sweet and very palatable.

YUN WU
A tea also known as Cloud and Mist. This tea has a smooth mouthfeel and a light hint of plum fruit taste.

JAPANESE GREEN TEAS

BANCHA (Common Tea)
Sencha harvested is between summer and autumn. The leaves are larger than Sencha and the flavor is less full.

GYOKURO (Jade Dew)
This tea has high amino acids (Theanine) and caffeine low catechin (the source of bitterness in tea) giving to a sweet flavour.

HO-JICHA (Pan Fried Tea)
Tis is a A strong roasted green tea, that is roasted over charcoal. It has a toasty, slightly caramel-like flavour, and is low in cafine making it a good bedtime drink.

KABUSECHA (Covered Tea)
Kabusecha Sencha has a mellower flavor and more subtle color than Sencha grown in direct sunlight.

KUKICHA (Stalk Tea)
A twig tea, it is a Japanese blend of green tea made of stems, stalks, and twigs. Kukicha has a nutty and slightly creamy flavour, with a slight taste of rooibos.

LONGJING TEA
See DRAGON WELL Tea above.

MATCHA (Rubbed Tea)
The highest grades of matcha have more intense sweetness and deeper flavour than the standard or coarser grades of tea harvested later in the year. They are used in the Japanese tea ceremony, as well as to dye and flavour mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi (Japanese confectionery).

OKINAWAN TEA
Used for centuries in Okinawa for its many health promoting properties, this exceptional green tea is now rapidly gaining a reputation in the West as a much sought after "slimming tea" and health drink.

SENCHA (Broiled Tea)
Sencha is unground green tea. When steeped some resemble leaf vegetable greens in smell, appearance, and taste.

TAMARYOKUCHA
This is a tea that has a tangy, berry-like taste, with a long almondy aftertaste and a deep aroma with tones of citrus, grass and berries.

CEYLON TEA

CEYLON GREEN TEA
Ceylon green teas have a characteristic darker colour. The flavour is different than Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Brazilian green teas. Ceylon teas have a fuller body and more pungent, malty and nutty flavour.

BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA

Tea is the second most consumed beverage on Earth, right behind water.Presently 500 billion cups of tea are consumed worldwide each year, thats an average of about 100 cups per person! Americans and Europeans prefer black teas, while Asians are mostly green tea drinkers.
Many health benefits have been attributed to green teas. Some proven, many still in debate. One thing is for sure they don't seem to do any harm. Therefore they show to have a positive force in life, so why not try them.
Here is a list of benefits claimed for green tea:
------------
- Green tea is a good source of antioxidants. It contains catechins, powerful antioxidants found in great quantity in green tea.
- A japanese study showed heavy green tea drinkers are 26% less likely to die from heart disease.
- Research in both animals and humans has shown that green tea contains compounds that can help lower LDL cholesterol. In a study conducted recently in Brazil, people who took capsules containing a green tea extract experienced a 4.5% reduction in LDL cholesterol.
- In most forms of cancer, green tea cancer studies are showing positive results.
- Green tea helps patients recover from heart attacks and strokes.
- Studies suggests green tea inhibits atherosclerosis, the hardening and thickening of arteries.
- Several studies show that green tea reduces high blood pressure.
- Tea compounds EGCG and theaflavins have been found to increase insulin activities and reduce blood sugar. (The effects were shown to almost cancel out when milk was added to the tea.)
- Green tea's fat burning property help you burn fat and exercise longer.
- Green tea protects you from lung cancer by reducing cellular damage by 25% caused by cigarette smoke.
- Green tea prevents liver damage in heavy alcohol drinkers.
- A study on tea drinkers found that 5 small cups a day boost the immunity level against flu and cold.
- Tea is known to stimulate alpha brain waves, calm the body and promote relaxed awareness. It also helps regenerate damaged brain cells.
- It prevents tooth decay and reduces bad breath.
- Two cups of green tea a day help preserve bone density and reduce osteoporosis risk.
- UK Scientists found that tea is healthier than pure water. Tea rehydrates as well as water does, and gives many other health benefits.

So drink Green tea for a healthier you.

THE BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA IN REDUCING AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR HEART DISEASE

July 29, 2008/ More evidence for the beneficial effect of green tea on risk factors for heart disease has emerged in a new study reported in the latest issue of European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

1. The study found that the consumption of green tea rapidly improves the function of (endothelial) cells lining the circulatory system; endothelial dysfunction is a key event in the progression of atherosclerosis. The study, performed by Dr Nikolaos Alexopoulos and colleagues at the 1st Cardiology Department, Athens Medical School in Greece, was a randomised trial involving the diameter measurement (dilatation) of the brachial artery of healthy volunteers on three separate occasions - after taking green tea, caffeine, and hot water (for a placebo effect). The measurements were taken at 30, 90 and 120 minutes after consumption. Dilatation of the brachial artery as a result of increased blood flow (following a brief period of ischaemia of the upper limb) is related to endothelial function and is known to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk.

2.Results showed that endothelium-dependent brachial artery dilatation increased significantly after drinking green tea, with a peak increase of 3.9 per cent 30 minutes after consumption. The effect of caffeine consumption (or hot water) was not significant.

While black tea has been associated with improved short and long-term endothelial performance, this is the first time that green tea has been shown to have a short-term beneficial effect on the large arteries. Another study has already shown that green tea reverses endothelial dysfunction in smokers.

Green tea, which originates in China but is now consumed throughout the world, is made with pure leaves, and has undergone little oxidisation during processing. The cardiovascular benefits of all teas - as well as dark chocolate and red wine - are attributed to the flavonoids they contain and their antioxidant activity.3 However, says investigator Dr Charalambos Vlachopoulos, flavonoids in green tea are probably more potent antioxidants than in black tea because there has been no oxidisation.

"These findings have important clinical implications," says Dr Vlachopoulos. "Tea consumption has been associated with reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in several studies. Green tea is consumed less in the Western world than black tea, but it could be more beneficial because of the way it seems to improve endothelial function. In this same context, recent studies have also shown potent anticarcinogenic effects of green tea, attributed to its antioxidant properties."

Press release escardio.org July 2, 2008

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Mellow Monk's Green Tea Blog

Another 1st place win at North American Tea Championship

Mellow Monk's Lightly Roasted Iced Green Tea has won 1st place in its division in the 2012 North American Tea Championship.

Thank you to all of our customers for your support, without which there would be no tea for us to enter in the championship. This is an award for all of us.

—Mellow Monk

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Wherein a centenarian woodpecker teaches us about tealike mindfulness
Here is another work from the Zencha no Kokoro ("Spirit of Zen and Tea") collection.

"Scene of Cherry Blossoms and a Small Bird" (Ohka Shokin-zu 桜花小禽図) by Oda Kaizen (小田海僊, 1785–1862) shows a woodpecker perched in a blossoming cherry tree.

Like a haiku or the tea ceremony, this work focuses on a specific moment in time — that point in the beginning of the cherry blossom cycle when some of the flowers are finally in full bloom, others still barely opening buds, leaves still outnumbering blossoms.

In this state, the leaves provide dark color against which the white cherry blossoms contrast. This suggests another of the work's themes: balance. Balance can also be seen between blossom-carrying branches and the branch-bearing trunk, between occupied space and empty space, between the woodpecker's own dark and light colors, and between an immobile tree and a bird that has alighted there only briefly.

Tea ceremony strives for balance between giving and receiving tea, between guest and host. (In Oda's sumie painting, the tree is also playing host to the bird.) Through the tea, guest and host mindfully savor each moment. Likewise, a cup of tea by oneself is a mini-tea ceremony, an opportunity to savor the moment — before it flutters away.

—Mellow Monk

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SoftBrew teapot
Sowden offers coffee pots with a stainless steel photo-etched filter so fine that you can "steep" coffee the way you would tea. (Although the coffee needs to be ground coarsely.)

The same SoftBrew lineup includes teapots with the same ultra-fine filters.

The ceramic teapots keep tea warm for a long time, and as you can see below, are stylish indeed.

—Mellow Monk

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Kiva loan #26

Mellow Monk has made another Kiva loan — to an independent farmer in Tajikistan who will use his loan to plant tomatoes and cucumbers.

—Mellow Monk

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New — yuzu green tea
Mellow Monk® presents a new addition to our lineup: Yuzu Dream™, a blend of artisinal green tea and sun-dried yuzu peel.

The sublime flavor and fragrance of yuzu are well known in the culinary world and also blend spectacularly well with green tea in the form of yuzu ryokucha ("yuzu green tea").

One of our grower–artisans in Kumamoto, Japan, pairs sun-dried yuzu peel with his award-winning green tea. The yuzu is specially prepared to capture all of its tasty essence and blended in just the right proportion with the tea by the grower–artisan himself. The result is an exquisite experience that must be brewed to be believed.

More here.

—Mellow Monk

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Mesh tea baskets for easy, inexpensive brewing

Mesh strainers like this are sometimes hard to find online. Or, if you find them, only really small-diameter ones are offered. Or maybe the actual size isn't even listed.

Teavana offers stainless steel mesh strainers in a wide range of sizes. The largest size is 77 mm (3.1 in.), which would give you tea leaves plenty of room to bloom. These items are apparently meant as replacement tea strainer baskets for teapots Teavana sells, but there is no reason you cannot drop one into your favorite teacup or mug. And the same kind of mesh baskets sold as stand-alone tea infusers are usually much more expensive.

I like actual mesh better than perforated steel, as the wet leaves plop out easily, whereas they can stick tenaciously to the perforated kind.

One caveat, however, is that there isn't a lot of leeway in width, as the rim isn't very wide. So you should measure the size of the mug/cup with which you plan to use the strainer so it doesn't fall entirely into your cup or get crushed when inserted into a too-small cup.

Happy steeping,

—Mellow Monk

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A butler for your tea
Breville is famous for its high-end kitchen appliances, and a recent tea-related entry from the company is the Breville One-Touch Tea Maker.

As the name suggests, this kettle/teapot does nearly the work for you: simply put in the water and the tea, tell the teamaker which kind of tea you have (green, oolong, black?), and press the button. The Breville heats the water to the right temperature and dunks in the tea leaves for the appropriate amount of time, then raises the leaf basket out of the water, which is key to preventing oversteeping.

This would make a wonderful holiday gift for a tea-lover on your list — but you'd better start saving up now.

—Mellow Monk

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New 50-gram sizes

Although they are not quite "sample" sizes, we now have 50-gram sizes for two teas: Shaded Leaf and Frosty Garden.

This is in addition to our usual 100-gram sizes.

We had been getting requests for smaller sizes for some time, and we have finally got them in stock — thanks to our patient, understanding growers.

And thank you to all of you who were waiting patiently for these smaller-sized packets.

—Mellow Monk

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Sagaci-tea reviews Crimson Grove
Kate at Sagaci-tea really likes our Crimson Grove, black tea made from green tea cultivars.

Says Kate: "The liquor is deep ruby with a gentle aroma of fresh cut wood, nutmeg, orchids, and citrus. It's vaguely reminiscent of a high-grown Ceylon."

—Mellow Monk

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Top Leaf for me, please
Nicole Martin of Tea for Me Please has reviewed our award-winning Top Leaf Green Tea.

We're glad you liked the tea, Nicole.

—Mellow Monk

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Aso tea-win article translated
Since I blogged about our win in the North American Tea Championship being reported in the tea grower–artisan's hometown of Aso, Japan, I have received some requests to know what's in the actual article, so here goes:

Aso City: Mr. Nagata's Steamed Green Tea
Even Americans Say, "Wonderful"

In America's largest tea contest, the North American Tea Championship, first place in the "steamed green tea division" was awarded to tea producer Koji Nagata (age 42), of Miyaji, Ichinomiya-cho, Aso City.

In the contest, held in late July in Las Vegas, U.S.A., over 200 teas were submitted in 15 divisions, which included matcha, white tea, pan-fried green tea, and blended tea. Mr. Nagata's "steamed tamaryokucha [curly green tea]" was chosen as the best through a judging in which each tea was scored according to leaf color and shape and the tea's aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and overall balance.

Mr. Nagata has been making tea for 23 years. He cultivates 1.7 hectares of tea plants and has emphasized making fertilizer from manure and reducing agrichemical use.

Eight years ago in Aso, he met Paul Kotta (age 45), who works at an American defense research organization and whose wife is also from Ichinomiya-cho. Liking Mr. Nagata's green tea, he entered it in the contest. [Editor's note: The reporter omits reference to Mellow Monk as his newspaper's rules forbid mentioning companies by name in such stories.]

Part of a trend toward health consciousness, green tea is undergoing a quiet boom in the United States. Mr. Kotta says, "Tea grown in Aso, with its large [temperature] difference between summer and winter, has a good balance of sweetness, bitterness, and savoriness." Says Mr. Nagata: "I was surprised when I learned about the first place win, but I'm glad to see Aso tea recognized overseas."

—Hiroshi Imamura

Koji and his wife, Miho, in their tea field.

—Mellow Monk

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Shincha when?
I received an inquiry today asking if we had shincha yet, so I thought I'd share my reply with all of you.

Thank you for your inquiry and for your interest in our tea.

Harvest time for our grower-artisans in Kumamoto Prefecture doesn't start until late May or so. (It depends on the weather patterns -- they judge when it's time for harvest by how the leaves develop, so we never know until the day itself).

The grower-artisans are so busy during harvest time that they barely have time to eat, so they don't start shipping shincha right away.

Long story short, we won't start shipping shincha for a while yet, but the tea we have in stock now is kept in bulk in the growers' special cooling rooms and shipped here in small batches, so it's quite fresh, in case you want to give it a try now.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you again for getting in touch.

Sincerely,

—Mellow Monk

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We love ramen
Do you love ramen? The people at Hack College do, so they put together this fascinating infographic to share the love:

Created by: Hack College

—Mellow Monk

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Cool tower of tea
Nicole at Tea for Me Please demonstrates using her very cool cold-brew drip tower to cold-brew green tea:

My favorite coffee shop in Aso has a similar setup. The owner cold-brews the coffee overnight (since brewing is drip-by-drip slow) then heats it by the cup when you order it. This may seem inefficient, but the coffee is excellent. Some things are worth waiting for — even by the drop.

—Mellow Monk

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Enter the tea dragon
"Fugaku Toryu Zu" ([富嶽登龍図] Drawing of Dragon Climbing Mt. Fuji) is a calligraphic brush painting by Kano Eigaku. It was commissioned in 1852 by Ii Naosuke, a late-Shogunate-era official who was also an avid practitioner of sado.

This work was featured in a collection I came across called Zencha no Kokoro ("Spirit of Zen and Tea"). Other than its first owner, what is the painting's connection with tea? This work clearly reflects the turbulent times in which it was painted. But is the mighty dragon being engulfed by the storm around him, even as his eyes are fixed determinedly on the mountain's peak? Or is he emerging from the storm's grasp? Perhaps that is the point: the ending of the dragon's quest has not yet been written.

—Mellow Monk

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Music to drink green tea by
We all know that the right music can make a green tea break even more relaxing or rejuvenating. But recent research is also showing that music can even affect how your tea — or any food or beverage for that matter — tastes:

Volunteers rated the toffee eaten during low-pitched music as more bitter than that consumed during the high-pitched rendition. The toffee was, of course, identical. It was the sound that tasted different.

Here are a couple of mixes for you to experiment with. Green tea has such a broad range of flavors, and the low, mellow notes in the music complement deliciously the smooth, earthy flavor of tea, while the high, cheery notes perfectly match the tea's sweet, cheery flavor components.

And of course when the mellow vibe of the two come together, the result is copacetic.

But I still think it's the tea that makes the music sound better, not the other way around.

—Mellow Monk

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A little teapot reviews Mellow Monk

Tea aficionado Annie Knapman recently started a tea blog called Imalittleteapot and was kind enough to review our tea.

The list of reviews of Mellow Monk tea at Teaviews continues to grow, too.

—Mellow Monk

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Chilly, snowy Aso
It's cold in Aso — perfect weather for hibernating tea plants. It makes me want to write a haiku.

An icy blanket
White snow crunches underfoot
The tea plants slumber

—Mellow Monk

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Another Kiva loan
Mellow Monk just made another Kiva loan — to Farhod, a vegetable grower in Hamadoni, Tajikistan.

Good luck, Farhod!

And isn't Kiva awesome?

—Mellow Monk

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Machine Project
Mellow Monk doesn't only promote independent agriculture; we like to promote indie everything.

Machine Project is a loose group of creative people who hold and host performances and educational activities about things they find interesting — music, poetry, sewing, computer programming, and cheese tastings, to name only a few.

This video about Machine Project starts out with a fascinating and haunting musical piece combining a harp and trumpet. How cool is that?

—Mellow Monk

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Mellow Monk introduces ... Artisan's Reserve
Mellow Monk proudly introduces a new tea — Artisan's Reserve.

Artisan's Reserve is an artisinal blend of select kabusecha (shade-grown tea) and sun-grown tamaryokucha-style sencha. This combination produces an exquisite ensemble of tastes: a subtle herbaceous sweetness with citrus and melon highlights, all over a kabusecha-like creamy texture.

Please join us in welcoming Artisan's Blend to the Mellow Monk family. The Kumamoto-based artisan who makes it puts all his tea-crafting heart into this tea, and it really shows.

—Mellow Monk

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How green tea staves off hepatitis
In the journal Hepatology, researchers describe how green tea protects the liver from hepatitis C: the flavinoid EGCG — which is found only in green tea — prevents the hepatitis C virus (HCV) from attaching to liver cells, "thus disrupting the initial step of HCV cell entry."

This is just one recent example of studies demonstrating the antiviral effects of EGCG, which in turn is merely one aspect of the health benefits of green tea.

And which shows how much natural goodness there is jam-packed into this humble little leaf:

—Mellow Monk

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Happy New Year!

—Mellow Monk

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Rock garden carved into a book
Part of Guy Laramee's "The Great Wall" project is this fascinating, somehow compelling piece: a rock garden carved out of — or is it "carved into"? — a book:

There's something very Zen about finding such a small rock garden in such an unexpected place.

—Mellow Monk

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A stainless steel, BPA-free tea-brewing mug that's truly top of the line

Here's an excellent last-minute gift idea: the Hybrid Mug from Revenge Is. As you can see in the photo, it contains all the accoutrements you need for brewing loose-leaf on the go.

It even comes with its own travel case. It's also BPA free, naturally, for peace of mind and convenient tea-brewing on the go.

I also like that the Hybrid Mug holds a full 14 ounces, so that a single steeping will yield plenty of tea for a nice, leisurely tea break.

Happy steeping!

—Mellow Monk

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HEART VIGOR - GREEN TEA

GREEN TEA IN THE NEWS

HEART VIGOR - GREEN TEA

CHINESE GREEN TEAS

JAPANESE GREEN TEAS

CEYLON TEA

BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA

THE BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA IN REDUCING AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR HEART DISEASE

Mellow Monk's Green Tea Blog

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