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Home Tea Experience

We’re all about helping you discover the spirit of tea, but most public events are busy and noisy, and we have limited time for each individual.

ThumbnailHost a private Tea Experience with one of our Tea Gurus! We’ll guide you through a focused tea tasting, inform you of the latest research on tea’s healthy benefits, and demonstrate various tea brewing methods. Don’t forget, you’ll drink lots of tea!

For more information click on links below:
Home Tea Experience for 5
Home Tea Experience for 10

JamesSharingTea

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Shen Zen Tea Interviewed by the Natural Choice Network

Natural Choice Network Interview

Neil, James, and Grace (James’ wife) were interviewed by the Natural Choice Network during the holidays. A huge part of our love for tea is sharing it and inspiring others. During the 30 minute interview, we were asked multiple questions ranging from how Shen Zen Tea started and what are the multitude of health benefits tea has to offer. Click here to listen to the interview!

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Health Benefits of Pu-Erh & Ginger

We are often asked if we offer any teas that aid in digestion, so here are a couple of suggestions from our menu. Since Neil and I inquisitive thinkers, we always do the research ourselves before we make any claims about our teas, especially when it comes to tea and health. Read below for a bit of science to explain why these teas are so good for your tummy!

Yunnan Puerh Ginger

African Ginger (caffeine free)

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Ginger

Although we have heard people tell us that ginger is good for digestion, we still went out of our way to find numerous articles reviewing studies showing how ginger benefits the digestive system. According to Dr. Tilgner in Herbal Medicine, ginger can increase the activity of digestive enzymes, increase the circulatory system, and prevent stomach ulcers. Ginger increases the secretion of bile to break down oily foods in your diet and helps to relieve flatulence, burping, and colic. Dr. Campusvej and associate researches published findings in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology showing that ginger can aid in nausea and vomiting. Other clinical studies have found the same results in humans and other animals.

Puerh

Pu-erh tea is an aged tea that has been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine for over a century. Pu-erh tea has multiple health benefits including aiding digestion and weight-loss. According to multiple studies published in the North England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Medicine, and British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, pu-erh tea leaves can lower total cholesterol and body weight. When people drink pu-erh tea, the tea slows the production of an enzyme necessary for making fat cells in the body called fatty acid synthase. This is because the tea develops natural chemicals that are not present in other teas called ephedra alkaloids and lovastatin. Lovastatin is actually concentrated and used by pharmaceutical companies to make prescription medicine to lower cholesterol.

When pu-erh is aged, it remains moist so that the microbes and break down the leaves. Every couple of years, tea masters may re-moisten the leaves and age them again, which keeps the microbes alive. Researchers believe that there are specialized microbes inside the aging pu-erh tea leaves that produce lovastatin. Interesting results published in Food Chemistry, Oncology Research, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research show evidence that drinking pu-erh tea can lower low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) and increase the high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol).

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Dreamwell Sleepy Time Tea

Dreamwell is specially formulated to help you sleep and taste great, too!

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We’re proud to announce Shen Zen Tea’s new Dreamwell. This all organic, caffeine-free blend features chamomile, lavender and lemon balm for a soothing flavor plus valerian, hops, and St. John’s Wort to help induce deep and restful sleep.

Dreamwell tea is specially created to help you sleep faster and rest more deeply through the night.
My wife, Grace, a naturopathic medical student at Bastyr University, helped choose the most effective herbs. Our first draft worked almost too well… WE NEARLY FELL ASLEEP IN THE LAB! Over a few weeks of testing, we found the perfect recipe to make Dreamwell taste great while still being effective.

We hope you enjoy but please drink responsibly… make sure you’re near a bed when you drink our new Dreamwell tea! 🙂

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Farmers Markets!

We’ve been hosting a booth at various farmer’s markets all over the Seattle area! It’s hard to imagine being happier sitting in a tea shop all day. We love being out in the sun and talking to all the good folks who come out to the markets. Come by and see us!

Here is a list of farmers markets we are going to weekly:

Tuesday

Crossroads Farmers Market in Bellevue

Wednesday

Sammamish Farmers Market

Kirkland Wednesday Market

Friday

Juanita Friday Market

Saturday

Redmond Saturday Market

Edmonds Saturday Market

Sunday

Lake Forest Park Farmers Market

We are also considering joining the Juanita and Kirkland Farmers Markets soon. Come check us out and say hi!

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Tea & Sushi… yes, please!

Hajime
(photo by J. Nichole Smith)

Shen Zen Tea is proud to have three of our teas: Wuyi Valley Oolong, Ti Guan Yin, and Snow Leopard, served at Mashiko Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant in West Seattle. Not only is Hajime, the owner and chef, a profoundly talented chef, he has also committed to serving only sustainable seafood. We look forward to launching a full menu of fair trade, artisan and organic teas in Hajime’s Mashiko soon.

Get 10% off your next tea purchase at Shen Zen Tea’s online store or farmer’s market stand when you bring your receipt from Mashiko, showing that you purchased a pot of our teas! To receive the benefit for online orders, please email us at info@shenzentea.com. This promotion is valid until the end of August 2013! So Don’t Wait!

www.sushiwhore.com

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mashiko-japanese-restaurant-and-sushi-bar-seattle

Check out Hajime’s youtube clip on sushi & sustainability: