Green tea has been drunk in China for its health benefits for thousands of years. There are many different varieties and the 3 used in Tava Tea have been chosen for their weight loss boosting and general health benefits.

Tava Tea wellness blend works by burning extra calories, in fact it burns 2.5 times more calories than green tea. A study by Japan's University of Tokushima School of Medicine discovered that regular Oolong tea drinkers experienced over twice the calorie burning of drinking the same amount of Japanese green tea.

You’ll read a lot on Slimming+ regarding carbs causing insulin spikes and how too much insulin will stop your body burning stored fat and encourage fat storage, which you obviously need to avoid. Scientists at the Suntory Research Center in Osaka, Japan, found that drinking Oolong tea 15 minutes before eating carbs, lessens the insulin spike normally associated with eating carbs.

In a Taiwanese randomised controlled trial, 78 obese women who took 400mg of green tea extract three times a day for 12 weeks experienced significant reduction in LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and a simultaneous increase in levels of HDL-cholesterol, and the hormones adiponectin (promotes insulin sensitivity) and ghrelin (modulates hunger).

(Effect of green tea extract on obese women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Clin Nutr. 2008 Jun;27(3):363-70).

A blind study was conducted in France several years ago with 500 hyperlipidemia patients (An advanced cholesterol condition, usually controlled with medication). Half of the controlled group consumed 3-4 cups of Pu'erh daily, the rest of the patients were given something else.

After 30-days the results showed drinking Pu'erh on a regular basis could significantly lower cholesterol.

A US team fed groups of genetically obese and lean mice a diet containing zero, 1%, or 2% green tea extract for six weeks. At the end of the study, the obese mice fed green tea extract weighed 23-25% less than obese mice fed the non-supplemented diet and the lean mice fed green tea extract weighed 11-20% less those on the non-supplemented diet.

Analysis revealed that drinking 1 - 2 cups of tea per day was associated with the greatest benefit on blood glucose levels; drinking more provided no further benefit. An increase of one cup per day was associated with a 70% lower likelihood of having diabetes (95% CI 41%-86%), after adjusting for confounding variables.

Panagiotakos DB, Lionis C, Zeimbekis A, Gelastopoulou K, Papairakleous N, Das UN, Polychronopoulos E. "Long-term tea intake is associated with reduced prevalence of (type 2) diabetes mellitus among elderly people from Mediterranean islands: MEDIS epidemiological study." Yonsei Med J. 2009 28;50(1):31-8.

Then of course there are the general health benefits of these special teas.

A study published in Antioxidants & Redox Signalling, found that test subjects consuming wu long had stronger immune systems and a reduced risk for infections and researchers from Japan's Shiga University of Medical Science found that drinking wu long each day helped to clear up skin problems within one month.

Pu-erh tea is often consumed by Chinese after a greasy or fatty meal. The fat digests faster and you experience far less bloating normally associated with a heavy meal.

Another great benefit of this tea is that it can calm your mind and body thanks to the fact it contains the amino acid L-theanine. This amino is responsible for boosting alpha brain wave activity and increasing the production of the calming neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.

This is useful as being on a diet can be stressful and anything that can ease that has got to be a good thing.

Tava Tea's Wellness blend Slimming Tea is made from only the finest quality, organic Oolong, Wu Long and Sencha teas.

You’ll experience all the benefits of all three of these ancient, healing teas in each mouth-watering cupful. 100% organic!

And you can’t get this triple blend anywhere else.

We’re sure you’ll agree what amazing value our tea is too. With 30 unique pyramid bags in each month's supply, you’ll benefit from at least 60 full pots of tea (approx 8 cups per pot).

Now that really is astonishing value for money.

And it’s so easy to prepare:

1. Pour 600-700ml (3-4 cups) of fresh boiled water into a teapot.
2. Wait until the water is cooled to about 75-80 degrees Celsius
3. Let the tea steep for 3-4 minutes for the first infusion. The colour of the tea should be warm golden brownish. You’re now ready to drink your tea.
4. Don’t throw away the teabag, you’ve only used it once, and you have not released all the flavors and healthy anti-oxidants yet! Make sure that the teabag is not kept in water, as the leafs will continue to release its flavors, which we don’t want until the second steeping
5. For the second infusion, boil 500-600ml (2-3 cups) of water and pour this into a teapot.
6. Again, wait for the water to be cooled to about 75-80 degrees celcius.

Let the tea steep for 6-7 minutes for the second infusion. The colour will be about the same as the first infusion, maybe a little bit lighter. This second steeping releases different tea oils and anti-oxidants , leading to a different taste of the tea. You’re not ready for your second tea session.

Each 2g Tava Tea Wellness Blend tea bag contains:

• 0.8g (40%) Organic Steamed Sencha
• 0.6g (30%) Organic Wuyi Cliff Oolong
• 0.6g (30%) Organic Pu-erh

What are Sencha, Wuyi Cliff Oolong and Pu-erh?

Sencha, Wuyi Cliff Oolong and Puerh are all types of tea originating out of China and Japan and each relied upon for their health benefits by their respective cultures for millennia. Tava Tea Wellness Blend is a unique blend between organically grown Sencha, Wuyi Cliff Oolong and Puerh species. This blend is not found anywhere else and is extremely effective for weight loss and increased health. Not only that but we only use the highest quality whole leaves. No tea ‘dust’ or lower quality leaves are included. These varieties of tea contain a vast array of powerful nutrients and have been used for health and healing in China for over 5000 years.

Wuyi Cliff Oolong (Wu Long)

It’s not any old Oolong in our Tava Tea Wellness Blend... but you’ll be pleased to hear that the Cliff variant we use is one of the most treasured and expensive of the Wuyi family.

Many of the health benefits of Wuyi Cliff Oolong tea are similar to those of green tea. Wuyi Cliff Oolong tea is one of the healthiest beverage you can enjoy as it also contains the polyphenols that act as antioxidants against free radicals in the body

Benefits of Wuyi Cliff Oolong (Wu Long):

• Wuyi Cliff Oolong Tea may help reduce cholesterol build-up in the bloodstream.
• Wuyi Cliff Oolong Tea may help burn fat and thus, may contribute to slimming.
• Wuyi Cliff Oolong Tea can help prevent heart ailments.
• Wuyi Cliff Oolong Tea can be used for treatment of digestive disorders.

Pu-erh (also known as Puerh or Pu er)

Possessing many of the antioxidant qualities found in green tea, black tea and Wuyi Cliff Oolong tea. Puerh tea contains polyphenols that attack free radicals in your body to help ensure protection against a host of diseases.

Benefits of Pu-erh:

• Pu erh tea is known to help lower blood cholesterol levels.
• Pu erh tea may help boost the flow of blood and help enhance circulation.
• Pu erh tea may help inhibit the formation and growth of cancer cells.
• Pu erh tea aids in the proper digestion of food.
• Pu erh tea may help invigorate the spleen.

Sencha

Sencha has high levels of Catechin, a type of polyphenol and a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants destroy free radicals, which can damage the body at the cellular level and make it far more susceptible to cancer, heart disease, and other degenerative diseases.

Although there are various kinds of polyphenols, catechins are the strongest. The most powerful catechin, Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), is abundant in green tea.

Catechin has also been found to be anti-bacterial and to lower the risk of heart disease. Catechin fights the free radicals that help arterial build up. Catechin also stops the platelets from forming clots which can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thereby reducing stress.