Regular readers know I’m doing 50 healthy things this year in honor of my 50th birthday. Here’s number 46: exploring the benefits of tea.
Today I want to highlight one of my favorite brands for healthy living: Shang Tea. Shang Tea is located in Crown Center, home to both Hallmark Cards and our agency, Kuhn & Wittenborn. It was founded by owner Zehua Shang, a native of China. After moving to the U.S. in 2000, Shang wanted to share the culture of tea that has been benefiting the health of his people for centuries. All of his tea is grown high in the Fujiian Mountains, which are known for having the perfect climate, soil and water to grow premium teas.
My husband, Randy, has been a Shang devotee for a few years. I became a believer this year when Shang cured me of a cold.
Going to Shang’s shop is a sensory experience. He sits you down at a tasting table and explains the differences between white, green, oolong, and black tea that are determined by the processing of the leaf and the cultivar of tea plant that is used. Similar to wine and cheese, every type of tea has a unique process used to create the final product that you drink.
As explained on Shang’s website, “In general terms, white and green teas are the least processed teas. White tea for example, is plucked and air dried, whereas green tea is plucked, withered, and then lightly steamed, roasted, or pan-fired to retain the green color in the leaves. Leaves used to produce white and green tea are handled very carefully to prevent any bruising of the leaves which can lead to them oxidizing or turning black.
On the other end of the spectrum you have black teas, which are almost completely oxidized. After plucking, the leaves are withered and typically rolled to bruise the leaves; then they are placed in a humid room to oxidize. Once the leaves are fully oxidized, they undergo a final drying phase.
In the middle are wu-long or oolong teas, which fall between white/green and black on the spectrum. Wu-longs are partially oxidized and can appear either green or reddish/black depending on the level of oxidation.”
Shang can also explain exactly which tea is beneficial for various health and wellness pursuits, which brings me back to how he cured my cold. I walked into his shop one day around noon, and he heard me sneeze. He promptly sat me down at his tasting table and poured me a cup of his special brew. He sent me home with a care package and instructed me to drink six more cups that afternoon. He promised that if I followed his prescription, I would feel fine the next day. I’ll admit I was skeptical, but Shang was right. I woke up the next morning symptom free.
Most of Shang’s teas are of the loose-leaf variety. Shang says in order to get the tastiest and smoothest cup of tea, tea leaves need to have enough space to expand and allow the water to flow around the entire tea leaf, which cannot be done with a tea bags. Tea bags contain chopped tea leaves, which lose flavor more quickly and also release tannins more quickly resulting in a bitter taste.
One of our recent favorites is Shang’s brick-aged white tea.
After allowing freshly produced white tea to mature for 6-12 months, the tea leaves are lightly steamed to make them pliable. The leaves are then pressed into a cake that is wrapped with tea paper and stored in a special room to age and ferment. Currently, Shang’s brick aged white tea is around 7 years old. As Shang says, this tea has “an earthier and woodsier quality” than many teas, but it’s definitely interesting. Similar to a fine wine, well produced and properly stored tea cakes continue to develop better flavors and complexities over time.
I love Shang’s business philosophy. He embraces the essence of all truly great brands – making a human connection that truly improves people’s lives. He’s on a mission to bring the health benefits of premium to tea to Americans, and he provides a great customer experience along the way. If you are in Kansas City, I highly encourage you to visit his shop. If not, you can order online.
The Main Artery 