January 2007
If your New Years' resolution is to drink more tea, you're not alone. U.S. tea sales have more than tripled since 1990. Millions have discovered the restorative effects of a daily brew. Many have taken up green tea, in response to studies about this tea's unique antioxidant health benefits. For athletes or anyone looking for a healthy boost, Men's Journal magazine recently called green tea (or ‘true’ tea) “The perfect all natural energy drink... it shares coffee's pick–me–up appeal but has an amino acid, L–theanine, that causes naturally occurring caffeine to have a milder, steadier effect.” The U.K. based market research firm, The Future Laboratory, says people are becoming more interested in where their tea is coming from and how it is grown, and predicts a healthy future for green tea that will “develop in the same way as the market for quality wines.”
National Treasure of Japan
Japan is famous for producing the finest green tea in the world. The best among it is grown, harvested, and prepared in the area of Uji in the Kyoto Prefecture about 230 miles southwest of Tokyo. When traveling Buddhist monks brought back the first tea seedlings to Japan from China over 1,000 years ago, they planted them in Uji. The monks chose well. The area's rich, slightly acidic soil is ideal for growing tea. Early morning mist from the Uji River moistens the leaves of the plants and shields them from the sun. Following the natural contours of the valleys and surrounding hills, Uji's landscape is quilted with tea fields. The region is a national treasure and the tea that is grown here is known throughout Japan respectfully as Uji–cha.
Nature Farming
EDEN Organic Green Teas — Sencha, Hojicha, Genmaicha, Kukicha, and herbal/green tea blends — are traditionally crafted and grown by the Nagata family of Uji. Following a method known as nature farming, the Nagatas have been producing organic tea without chemicals here since 1974. In addition to composting, the family plantation allows tea bushes to develop naturally without uniform pruning. The Nagatas have been a curiosity to some of their tea farming neighbors who prune with precision and spray their bushes with chemicals 15–20 times a year. The Nagata family stands by their patient methods, producing delicious and healthful certified organic green tea for Eden year after year. Whether it's traditional green tea, caffeine free herbal chamomile, or tasty green and herbal tea blends, Eden has the brew that delivers what is sought. Slow down to a steaming cup today, and try it iced when springtime arrives.
