How to decaffeinate tea

So I was in Whole Foods the other day, and one of those sample ladies was offering free samples of tea. I asked if she had any that was decaffeinated and she told me that there was a way to decaffeinate almost any tea! I had never heard of this before. She also told me that commercially processed decaffeinated tea is usually done by using harsh chemicals, and that you are better off decaffeinating your own tea. Now, I and my mom, ever since we lived in England, love Earl Grey tea, but we both usually buy the decaffeinated kind. So I was very intrigued by this idea. So of course, I looked it up on the internet as soon as I got home. You can decaffeinate up to 80% of regular tea by applying the following procedure.

• Pour boiling water (less than boiling water for green/white teas) over the tea leaves or tea bag and swish it around for 20-30 seconds. This gives it a good rinse through.
• Discard the water (this contains around 80% of the caffeine)
• Pour fresh boiling water (less than boiling water for green/white teas) over the rinsed tea leaves (and brew for the recommended length of time (depending on the type of tea)
• Caffeine is highly water soluble, and nearly 80% is extracted from the leaves in the first 20-30 seconds of steeping.
  

Yerba Mate

To all my friends:

A helpful tip I'm passing along to all my friends: I've been able to stop drinking so much soda (i was very addicted to Dr. Pepper) because of Pixie Mate tea. It gives you energy, 800% more antioxidants than tea, helps with metabolism, and all kinds of good stuff. I like the pixie mate brand because it is a lot milder than the others, and therefore, I like the taste better. There are a lot of other brands, but go ahead and Check Pixie Mate out at:


www.pixiemate.com

http://www.pixiemate.com/paparazzi.html

http://www.pixiemate.com/antioxidants.html

So far I've found it at Whole Foods market ($5) and online.

My favorite flavors are Green Tea Mate and Limon Mate

Here are some store links:

Link to Amazon

Link to Herbtrader

Pass this site on to those you know are addicted to caffeine.... God Bless!


Here is some other sites that tell more about yerba mate:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_%28beverage%29

http://www.noborders.net/mate/

http://www.yerba-mate.com/research.htm

Here's an interesting paper (a bit slanted, but still good) on yerba mate:

http://www.yerba-mate.com/yerbamate.pdf

Stevia

Stevia is also a sweetener that is very nutritious and much better for you than sugar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

www.steviainfo.com

www.stevia.com

http://bodyecology.com/stevia.php/

http://www.healthylifestylepublishing.com/

http://www.steviainfo.com/?page=news_detail&id=19

http://www.steviainfo.com/?page=news_detail&id=6

http://www.steviainfo.com/?page=news_detail&id=21

Dangers of Aspartame: http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/