BULLETIN

ISTOCK.COM/ALEXTENGHAURAN Darjeeling is best known around the world as a type of tea, but it's actually named for the Indian hill station in West Bengal from which it comes. As the BBC reports, this Himalayan region is also home to the country's most expensive and exclusive tea: a rare variety that's only plucked under a full moon during the harvesting season. That ends up being just four or five times per year. This so-called "champagne of teas" is called silver tips imperial, and it's harvested by pickers from makaibari, the oldest of Darjeeling's 87 tea estates. A standard 50-gram package of this semi-fermented oolong tea will set you back at least $30. Makaibari's website describes the tea as a "relaxing and anti-aging liquor ideally sipped at bedtime." It's believed that the aligning of the sun, moon, and other cosmic forces produce the right conditions for an optimum harvest. This "biodynamic tea farm" relie...

Does green tea really help promote weight loss? This super-concentrated version of green tea comes in powders, pills, and liquids that you can take during or after a meal to help boost your metabolism. And there's good science to back it up: One study found that when 12 healthy men ingested green tea extract capsules and exercised for 30 minutes, their fat oxidation rates were 17 percent higher than when they consumed a placebo. Those findings echo prior research on green tea extract for weight loss, which found that participants who consumed a beverage with the compounds found in green tea had higher rates of fat burning and a faster metabolism, both while exercising and resting. And in 2016, a study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition found that overweight women dropped about 2.5 pounds on average, saw decreases in their body mass index, and reduced their waist size when they took a high dose of green tea extract for 12 weeks. Clearly, there's evidence bac...

The tea vs. coffee wars are real. Sure, they both contain caffeine, but coffee devotees will swear hands-down that people who sip only tea are pretty much aliens, right? Meanwhile, tea guzzlers preach that the health benefits of tea are just so much better. But when it comes to tea vs. coffee, is one better for you? Here’s the good news: Tea and coffee are both pretty healthy (especially at their simplest forms, sans added sugar or flavourings). “There is more existing research on tea, but we’ve been finding out a lot on coffee too,” says registered dietician Jess Cording. “I think they both can be part of a healthy diet if you feel well when you drink them.” Still, there are some health benefits and downsides specific to each bevvie that you should probably note. Coffee benefits = longer life + better memory While you may be drawn to coffee for its jolt, these roasted beans offer so much more than just caffeine. “Research s...

Chai is synonymous with so many emotions for Indians that nothing can replace their love for chai in their lives. While there can be various types of teas varying from classic masala chai to refreshing Bombay cutting chai, there are numerous ways of making tea as well. In India, there are 29 states and in every state, people have different styles to enjoy their morning cup of chai. Interestingly, we are blessed with innumerable chai-wallahs in this diverse country who fulfill our obsession with tea with their unusual styles of making it. One such tea-seller is in Kerala who has a very unique technique of making tea for his customers and we are falling in love with it. A social media user took it to her Twitter account to share a video of a chai-wallah who is impressing his customers with his unusual technique of making tea. The video is shared by the user from ‘The Chapati Factory’ in Ponnani, Kerala. In the video, the man is seen with four glasses of chai. But the twis...

New Delhi [India], Sept 7 (ANI):  Harish Kumar , member of Indian Sepak Takraw team that won a bronze medal at the  Asian Games  2018, sells tea at his father's shop to support his family. Speaking to ANI at his small tea shop,  Harish Kumar  said, "I have many family members and there is a very meagre source of income. I help my father at the tea shop to support my family. I dedicate four hours every day between 2 to 6 for my practice. For my future, I want to get a good job to support my family". Talking about his struggles and initial association with the Sepak Takraw game, he said, "I started playing this sport from 2011. My coach Hemraj brought me into this sport. We also used to play with a tyre when my coach Hemraj spotted me and introduced me to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Thereafter I started receiving monthly funds and kits. I practice every day and will keep on doing it to bring more laurels for my country". Harish...

Arunachal Pradesh has marked its entry on world tea map, and how! If you are tea-lover and want to sip this famous variety of tea from the North-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, then be ready to shell out a bomb. It’s the “Golden Needle” tea variety from Arunachal Pradesh’s Donyi Polo tea estate. According to an IANS report, this tea variety was auctioned at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) for a whopping Rs 40,000 per kg during a pan India auction. 1.1 kg of the “Golden Needle” tea variety was sold to Assam Tea Traders, one of the oldest tea shops in Guwahati. This broke the record created by an Assam tea variety auctioned in July that was sold at Rs 39,001 per kg. The GTAC had then claimed that the price is the highest across the world. The variety was the “Manohari Gold Tea”, which was an orthodox tea variety, fetched Rs. 39,001 during a pan India auction at the GTAC. The tea was sold by Contemporary Brokers and purchased by Saurabh Tea Traders of Guwahati for their...

A dad posted a picture of his toddler drinking tea on Instagram and wrote, "Is Teddy the youngest tea drinker? He had his first mug at around 16 months and hasn't looked back since (he calls it Tea-Tea, which makes my heart explode every time he says it... too cute) When did you start your kids on the brown stuff?" That spurted a chain of responses with many parents sharing how they introduced tea to their little ones quite early. A mother wrote in his post, "Our little boy has been having bottles of tea since he was around 6 months, however, his first taste of tea was around 2 months." This also started a debate, with some parents wanting to know if it's actually safe to introduce tea to kids - caffeine being the biggest culprit. In homeopathy, many practitioners recommend giving kids tea when they are down with flu. They say it helps provide relief from a cough and cold. But modern day practitioners don't really agree. Bangalore-based Dr....