Caffeine effect of various green teas

Feb 08, 2004 4 Replies
P

Hi Everyone



Studying hard lately for University I also tend to drink a lot of tea. It helps me to achieve a calmer state of mind and to concentrate better on certain (sometimes dull :) ) topics.



Now I found that there are a lot of green teas that will do only that. Help you concentrating, keep you up. Of the teas I usually drink these teas are Japanese Bancha, some white teas as Pai Mu Tan, a new one I found at my local tea store "Xia Bo Lu" (I can only recommend this tea to everyone who likes the Lung Ching) and a lot more that I do not drink as an "everydays beverage" i.e. some delicate (read: with subtle taste) and/or expensive Japanese Sencha.



Then again I recently prepared an infusion of a China Jasmine. Though it was not too strong in taste it made me completely restless, walking around through the flat, unable to sit down and study.



I believe this has something to do with the rate of how fast the caffeine is given to the body's cells. I read that tannic acids are capable of forming complexes with the caffeine molecules both are contained in green tea.



However: Does anyone have suggestions on which tea to avoid when one intends to sit quite for a long time studying? Which ones do you prefer to calm down, yet achieving better concentration?



curious to hear from your experiences Patrick


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M

Patrick snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com/8/04

07: snipped-for-privacy@despammed.com

snip

Well Patrick, nobody seems to agree on the degree to which or the manner in which the following might be true. Everyone, however, seems to agree that there is some truth in it...

Later steeps of the same leaf draw somewhat less caffeine than earlier steeps. This is the word of the masters and the masters have thus spoken.

Could it be that you just simply don't want to settle down to your books and you are unfairly blaming the tea? (This is a joke. I don't really mean it)

Michael

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P

Ermmm...yes...that might be...I...just...gotta get something out of my car, be right back *tap**tap**tap**doorclap**Vroooooooommmm*

:)

Patrick

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L

Patrick Heinze Sun, 08 Feb 2004 13:21:35

+0100 wrote ...

It there is the jasmine that had to be considered. I have read somewhere, that jasmine has influence on human psychic, and in high dose it can cause some very unwanted behaviour like criminal acts...

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J

I'd avoid all tea. While caffeine, being a stimulant, will certainly `wake you up' (increase alertness), it reduces concentration. For some kinds of study or work this is not noticeable as the effect will make one think more `laterally'. It's great for creative writing, for instance. If you have to concentrate on a narrow, less natural topic, however, such as a math problem, the caffeine is likely to cause a lot of trouble. Similarly with reading, where your mind is not free to think of anything it likes.

As far as drugs go, I hear nicotine is the best stimulant that will aid concentration. Not that I suggest you take up smoking - you might like to try some gum. :)

In my experience the best measures are to eat well - complex carbs so you have sustained energy - and the occasional brisk walk. Say around

2am if you're working that late.

And plenty of bright light. Inhibits melatonin release, I think.

Cheers,

- Joel

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