2005 Private Reserve Yiwu Arbor Pu-erh Tea Brick

This Private Reserve was produced by the Yiwu Longma Tea Co. Ltd. in 2005. It is labeled as a "kilo" tea brick since it is an astonishing 870g. It is said to be composed of pure wild arbor from the YiWu mountain, claiming that it is one of the most authentic representations of a wild arbor pu on the market today.

One interesting note about this particular zhuancha is that the brick is not accompanied with a nefei or wrapper. I have surmised two possible theories for why this can occur 1) As a Private Reserve batch, it is possible that the brick was produced for a vendor who was subsequently going to to add their own identification marks later but didn't for some reason. 2) The Longma company decided not to add them as away of being more cost effective. Cotton paper with specialized print can become very expensive for a small factory. However, your guesses are as good as mine. Nonetheless, it is definitely an interesting find since I have never tasted a shupu that is made of YiWu wild arbor.


Initial Impressions -

The leaves were were large and bold. I can assume that they are Autumn leaves from their general size. Typically, Autumn leaves are the largest of the harvest seasons. They are not heavily rolled or masticated from the wòdūi process, and in fact, you can literally see intact leaves which is quite interesting for a shupu in my opinion. Furthermore, the leaves seem to have been pressed in a traditional "handmade" manner since the leaves can be separated easily and are not heavily compacted.

Brewing Parameters

Vendor - Puerh Shop

Factory - YiWu Longma Tea Factory


Water - Bottle spring water, generic brand. Source of water Lafayette
Springs, WS.

Amount – 5.9 gm

Water temp - Boil

Method - Gongfu/2 washes

Brewing Vessel - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-20s
4-25s
5-33s
6-41s

Tasting Notes

The first thing that I had noticed was that the liquor was quite smooth and mellow with an aged feel to it. It had a light camphor and woody taste, which lasted quite long on the palate. Quite soothing.

In my humble opinion, it tastes more like an aged semi-ripe pu than a shupu. This of course was definitely a surprise.

The liquor was quite silky and thick which coated the throat nicely. The lasting flavor emanated from my mouth and nostrils long after the swallow; very unusual for a shupu.

The subsequent infusion became peppery which really brought out the camphor and wood notes.

The liquor was crystal clear and a beautiful amber which did not change much after multiple infusions.

Spent Leaves



As you can see, the leaves are quite intact for a shupu. As stated above, my inclination is that they are from the Autumn season.

When you handle the leaves with your fingers, they seem to be quite strong and not easily torn. This could suggest that the zhuancha is a made of bolder leaf such that of a wild type. Of course it is difficult to suggest with complete certainty that the leaves are wild arbor, but the thick leaves do lead me to believe that it is a great possibility.

Overall Impressions

This shupu was an interesting find. In my opinion it is definitely a wonderful example of the potential of shupu. The liquor was quite subtle, yet had enough complexity to keep your interest throughout the session. As a result, the session did not become blasé which can happen with many shupus on the market

2007 MengYang Guoyan Star of Bulang 357g

Ancient Bulang Tea Proverb

"If we leave the gold, you will spend it.If we leave the ox, it may die.We must leave the tea trees so they can grow and provide.You should not let others take the tea trees.You should protect the tea trees like you do your life, and never let them out of your control." - Author Unknown

Product Research

The Star of Bulang is a mid-range pu-erh cake by MengYang Guoyan. It is the sister cake to the "Dragon of Bulang" which one of the company's premium Bulang offering. Although both are made of Bulang Mountain material, Guoyan claims that the Dragon is entirely made of wild arbor leaves, while the material of the Star is a composite of both plantation and wild arbor. Nonetheless, the Star of Bulang is made of first-flush spring material which undoubtedly should make this tea cake special.

I'm sure many of you are well versed on Bulang Mountain pu-erh, however, for those of you who are not, Bulang Mountain is another important pu-erh producing area located in MengHai county, Yunnan. Although it is not part of the original Six Famous Tea Mountains, it is no less important. If fact, Bulang offers pu-erh drinkers a fantastic selection of tantalizing teas that no doubt are part of many tea collections, including mine.

Bulang sits on the border of China and Burma. Its has an

elevation of 1,700 meters ASL, which makes this mountain one of the highest. Bulang Mountain contains roughly 9,500 acres of ancient tea gardens that are maintained and cared for by the BuLang Chinese minority, which have populated the mountain for more than 1,000 year.


Initial Impressions

The mao cha appears to be spring material. It had a very floral aroma which lingers in the nostrils when inhaled. There was only the faintest smoke. The mao cha is not very compacted which should facilitate its aging. From first glance it appears to be of good quality tea.

Brewing Parameters

Source - Dragon Tea House (Ebay Vendor)

Water-Bottled spring water. Source of water - Frontier Springs, PA

Amount – 5.6g

Water Temp - Boil then cooled for 3 breaths

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Brewing Vessel - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-20s
5-23s
6-26s

First Infusion

Aroma - Profound honey and floral notes. A wonderfully thick and lingering aroma.

Taste - The floral and honey notes are carried well into the liquor. Slight hints of raw sugar and grapefruit. Intriguing aftertaste that seems to linger for awhile. Great acidity and viscosity.

Second Infusion
Aroma - The floral and honey aroma is still very consistent however this time they are laced in the slightest hint of natural rubber.

Taste - More bitterness and a very active palate from the nice acidity. The liquor is now very sweet which is marrying well with the playful bitterness. There seems to be more raw sugar which lingers in the throat and nostrils after the swallow.

Third Infusion

Aroma - Again, the floral and honey remains consistent. The natural rubber that was in the second infusion seems to be present in the third. The liquor has become ultra sweet and smooth. The acidity is still keeping the palate alive exciting the sides of my tongue. The viscosity and thickness is still very present. The grapefruit is lingering in the finish. Nice!

Liquor Color - 4th Infusion




As you can see the liquor is still very bright even after the 4th infusion.


Wet Leaf



Although the claim is that it is made partly of wild arbor leaf, I could not extract an example as I really couldn't identify any. However, I am assuming that the whole leaves that I did extract are plantation which appear to be of the spring season.


Overall Impressions

As you may already know, I am becoming quite partial to Guoyan, and this example keeps me a fan. They offer a wide selection of pu-erh which are both descent in quality and reasonably priced; the Star of Bulang is no exception.

Before I evaluate this beeng, I decided to drink the 2006 Chang Tai Hao Bulang in order to have a fresh reference point of a similar quality beeng. The Chang Tai Hao became flimsy and hollow with no complexity. However, the Star of Bulang's flavors and acidity were nice and strong and active, making this beeng a good candidate for aging.



Map source: Global Mapping Intl / Joshua Project

2003 XiShuangBanna Dai Autonomous State 50-yr Anniversary Brick, 250g 'Special Ordered'

Product Research

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Dai Autonomous State in Xishuangbanna, the People's State Government had commissioned the Da-Du-Gang Long-Yuan Tea Factory to produce these fine bricks in order to celebrate the states inception.

The brick was produced in 2003 utilizing spring handpicked arbor-type leaves from wild ancient tea trees in Xishuangbanna. The wild arbor trees which were plucked were all 100~500 years old. The raw leaves were sun dried following traditional methods and were not machine-dried.

The back of the wrapping paper is sealed "Long Yuan Jin Pin" (Long Yuan Superior Grade).


Initial Impressions



The brick appears that it has aged some since the last time I have sampled it. There was a pungent odor when it was initially inspected sometime back, however, it seems that this is no longer the case, but has been replaced with a slightly floral aroma.

Brewing Parameters

Water Temp - Boil

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Amount - 4.3g

Brewing Vessel - Yixing Teapot 120ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-17s
5-19s
6-25s
7-50s
8 -85s

First Infusion

Aroma - Very sweet with a pronounced woody background. No smoke, faint vegetal.

Taste - No taste of smoke; no bitterness; very slight hints of butterscotch and a flutter of grass.

Second Infusion

Aroma - More wood notes, however, still very slight in comparison to other arbors. Still very sweet; the butterscotch is still lingering in the background; grass has waned; now melon and floral notes are coming through.

Taste - Nice viscosity; still slight woodiness; flutter of citrus in the after thought; ultra mellow and refreshing.

Third Infusion

Aroma - Grass is no longer noticeable; woodiness is still keeping things active.

Taste - Same as previous with variable differences.


Liquor Differential

First Infusion



Eighth Infusion




As you can see, th liquor has turned a nice amber. The color stayed quite consistant-a good sign.



Spent Leaves -



Although the prescription for this brick calls for spring arbor mao cha, in my opinion, it appears that there might be a few fall harvest leaves thrown into the mix. Nonetheless, from the intact leaves that I was able to locate, along with its arbor tasting palate, I believe it's safe to assume that it's wild arbor.

Overall Impressions

This brick is aging quite well and is exceptionally mellow. It does appear that they were made of high grade materials as the stamp on the back of the wrapper implies. However, this stands to reason since high grade mao cha did not become scarce and/or expensive until roughly 2004.

It is a really smooth and quenching drink that will undoubtedly age very well. It was hard to gauge whether the prescription was entirely made of wild ancient arbor, however, its characteristics do suggest that it is. In my humble opinion, I believe that the bricks can be drunk now.

2007 Mengyang Guoyan Phoenix of Yiwu 380g Shengpu

As some of you know from reading previous post, I do like Guoyan products and this product is no execption. Ms. Dong a former employee of the MengHai Factoy prides herself on crafting pu-erh that is both high in quality and econonomically priced. For further information please vist the Guoyan website at www.guoyancha.com or simply view my previous post.

Product Information

The Mengyang Guoyan Phoenix of Yiwu Pu-erh 2007 380g Shengpu is limited to 10,000 beengs and is certainly to become a prized collectable. Guoyan suggests that this beeng is entirely made of organically grown, wild arbor, and early spring leaves from the YiWu area which were subsequently processed utilizing traditional methods such as pressing the mao cha with stone molds.

Initial Impression

The dry leaf seem to suggest that it is spring and wild arbor as there is a significant amount of down on the back of each bud. It has a real nice floral smell with no smokiness.

Brewing Parameters

Source - Dragon Tea House (Ebay Vendor)

Water-Bottled spring water. Source of water - Frontier Springs, PA

Amount – 5g

Water Temp - Boil then cooled for 3 breaths

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Brewing Vessle - Yixing Teapot 150ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-17s
5-19s
6-26s
7-34s

First Infusion

Aroma - The aroma was very soothing. It had variable hints of honey, floral, fresh grass and the slightest melon. Very herbal.

Taste - Light and refreshing. Sweet honey and citrus were most noticible. It was slightly bitter which played well with the sweetness.

Second Infusion

Aroma - The citrus and honey are now stonger. Both aromas were wrapped with a hint of dried fruit, possibly peach.

Taste - More youthful this time but not brassy. A quenching and soothing sweetness playing well with the tantilizing bitterness. A delicate taste of natural rubber is introducing itself. Lovely viscosity.

Third Infusion

Aroma - Citrus now fading, however the honey is still very noticibale. Still very floral with a fruity undertone. I believe I am smelling more peach.

Taste - Really nice this time. All of the flavors seem to marry well including the natural rubber. A bit more bitterness but not intimidating. Still has a very nice viscosity. I would expect my throat and tongue to be coated by now, but suprisingly, they are not. There is a subtle but lingering pineapple aftertaste. Excellent!

Liquor Differential

First Infusion




7th Infusion



Spent Leaves



I assume that it is wild arbor.You can clearly see nice buldging veins which typically would indicate that it is not plantation.

Overall Impression

This beeng is fantastic for the price. It was a delicate yet assertive drink. Its taste was very characteristic of semi-wild arbor than true wild arbor as I suspected as I would expect to pay more for true YiWu wild arbor. Nonetheless, from what my taste buds have told me it did resemble YiWu mao cha with the delicate flavors of first-flush buds as the description implies.

I believe that the leaves will age nicely since all of the indicators were present. All in all it is a reseasonably priced beeng which should become a collectable as there were only 10,000 beengs made and nicely crafted. All I have to say is DaYi and XiaGuan better take notice! Oh, and I thought that I would have fun with my camera today LOL.

Zhu Ni Yixing Pot

Per request and you know who you are, I've posted a few more pics. The clay was supposedly mined from the Dragon Hill Clay Mine. Its volume is 120ml.The chop mark on the bottom is not an artist signature, rather the name of a shop that was quite famous during the Qing Dynasty. I think it is pretty safe to suggest that the pot is not from the Qing period, but has been evaluated between 20-40 years old by a professional.

As you can see from the first pic, you can vaugely see the 'joint line' that most zhu ni pots have. Furthermore, in the same pic, you will notice a stress crack on the inside rim. As zhu ni shrinks in the kiln, they can crack due to the amount of shrinkage. Fortunately, the particular crack does not affect the pot at all. :)

2001 MengHai Yi Wu Zheng Shan "Special Order"

Special or commissioned ordered Pu-erh

I am certain that some of you have asked what is exactly meant when you purchase or examine a “special ordered” pu-erh. It is very simple really. As some of you already know, the big eight factories use a coding system where the combination of numbers will identify the year the recipe was developed, leaf grade and factory. For example the Sheng 7432 will tell the buyer that the recipe was created and used since 1974, composed of mostly 3rd grade mao cha and was produced in the Menghai factory represented by the number 2. However, in the case of “special ordered” pu-erh produced by the these factories the coding system is absent - for a good reason. Generally, “Special Ordered” pu-erhs are created at the request of a collector(s), a vendor, and at times the Chinese government for various reasons such as to celebrate or commemorate an occasion, for nostalgic purposes or simply because a vendor or distribution company are dissatisfied with what is on the market and want to try their hand at being crafters. Here are but a few examples of commissioned pu-erhs:

2003 Reproduced Dragon and Horse – Private Ordered
2003 Chiyuan Tribute Tea Cake – Ordered by Lam Kie Yuen Tea Co. Ltd.
2004 Reproduced Zhongpin Hao – Private Ordered
1997, 1998 & 2000 Huilian Sheng Zhuan Cha - Ordered by the Va Luen Company



In 2001, one of MengHai's special-ordered productions was the MengHai a Green Tea Leaf Collectible of Precious Grade or better known as the Yi Wu Zheng Shan "Special Order". Super premium Arbor mao cha from semi-wild old plantations which were located in the Yi Wu area were utilized. What exactly are semi-wild or half abandoned plantations you might ask? Well, they are called this because after the over-throw of the Qing Dynasty, and as a consequence of the political turmoil that insued, many of tea plantations were neglected. As a result, these plantations were uninhibited to grow without any manipulation my humans such as trimming, insecticides and so on creating a leaf that has different characteristics to that of plantation. The arbor leaves which went into this particular beeng were growing intermixing with other camphor trees, which according to experts this was a typical and early method for repelling insects.

There had been lots of speculation and buzz in regards to this beeng, and as a result, this particular beeng has become quite spendy and scarce. In fact, if it were not for David of the Half-Dipper Blog, who was generous enough to send me a sample I may have not been able to taste it. THANKS DAVID!!!!

Initial Impression - It was easy to see that the leaves were aged, however did still have some of its green naiveté. There was no indication that it was improperly stored.

Brewing Parameters

Source - David of Half Dipper

Water-Bottled spring water. Source of water - Frontier Springs, PA

Amount – 4.1g


Water Temp - Boil

Brewing Method - Gongfu

Brewing Vessel - Yixing Teapot 120ml

Infusion times
1-15s
2-12s
3-16s
4-17s
5-19s
6-26s
7-40s
8 -60s

Tasting Notes

First Infusion

Aroma - There was lots of activity in the aroma. The first infustion had aromas of Wet wood, suttle hints of leather, perfume, cigar tobbaco all with the slightest berry background.

Taste - Execptionally silky with a playful vibrance that tantilized the sides of the tongue. Its palate was just as complex as its aroma with coffee, brown sugar and buttery notes which were all beautifully sweet.

Second Infusion

Aroma - More wood, however there seems to be hints of dried grass. The leather and cigar tobacco were still present.

Taste - Again, silky sweet, a nice palatable bitterness which complements the sweetness very well. Chocolate and spice notes are now comming through.

Third Infusion

Aroma - The aroma is still filling my nose with great sweetness, less leather however still very noticable. Tobacco is still adding to the complexity of the faint fruit-berry background. There seemes to be a hint of raw beans now.

Taste - The sweetness definitely produces an active mouth, the notes are still the same as the previous infusion, however there seems to be what seems to be the taste of corn silk at the finish.

Liquor Differential

first Infusion



8th Infusion




Wet Leaves




The mao cha was mostly buds and were quite masticated. Possibly as a consequence of its processing so I can't really compare it to other semi-wild arbor leaves that I have had the opportunity to inspect.


Overall Impression

I really liked this pu. Its coffee and chocolate quailties did surpise me as I have never tasted these flavors in a Yi Wu sheng. It is so complex that at times, it was hard for me to grasp what I was drinking. Active is the only word I can think of that can properly define this pu. The subsequent rounds for the most part were the same however with variable difference. Closer to the exhaustion of the leaves, there seemed to be more of a greenish character consisting of the corn silk and raw beans notes.

Blog Announcement

Hello Readers,

I have decided to change the format just a bit to help me post more frequently. As some of you are aware, I am currently entering a new phase in my academic career which will undoubtedly occupy a significant amount of my time. However, I would like for you all to rest assure I will still be very active in my blog as well as in other forums, blogs and chat rooms!

I have decided that I will continue to post tasting notes, however will limit the product segment. This is not to say that I will not continuously offer research when available - to the contrary. However, I will only give the product research if I am able to easily find it. (I usually do since I have impeccable internet research skills ) but , will not spend a great deal searching for it if I can not. The format will not change much, in fact, you may not even notice. What I am asking for is forgiveness if in the event I have decided not to add the research segment in a particular tasting note. Further more as a consequence of my collection having an enormous amount of samples, I will at times only show the leaves from a sample and not an entire beeng or zhuan but will take pictures of both the wet and dry leaf. If you have any suggestions or complaints please send them my way!!!


CHEERS ALL!!!

TEACUPPA Extravaganza Part II

This is the second part of my excursion into the unknown pu-erhs that were sent to me. Needless to say, they were again labeled with an alphabet letter. Here are my notes and identification guesses.



Sample (D) Identified as China Brand Blue Mark

I have a few beengs of CNNP KunMing Factory Blue Mark, and I was hoping it would taste the same. However, there was no resemblance.

Aroma - The aroma was fair. It had thin floral-honey notes, which were wrapped in hay and cooked pumpkin.

Taste - The taste was slightly floral, heavy metallic notes with a slightly pond finish. It lacks acidity with virtually no awakening of the taste buds. It did have a nice viscosity however.

Color - It had a pleasant hue, but unfortunately not very clear.


Overall Impression - I did not enjoy this sample. I did like the aroma some, however, it lacked in impact and was a bit too brassy for me with its unclean after taste.




Sample (E)Identified as Jiang Chen Ye Sheng

The leaves were a longer and thin than that of the other 2. I have personally never heard of this particular pu-erh, (assuming I am guessing correctly), however the leaves do resemble a few that I have tasted before.

Aroma - It's aroma was somewhat flimsy with a light airy floral note, wrapped in pronounced oxidation and grass.

Taste - The taste was not very inviting. It had a pungent mushroom taste with little to no acidity. Quite bland actually. However, it subsequent brews were a bit more tolerable.

Liquor - Was lightly cloudy at first but cleared in subsequent infusions.




Liquor - It's liquor was cleaner than Sample E.

Overall Impression - It was was tolerable and better than the previous sample. I would not recommend this beeng as IMHO there are many better quality beengs out on the market.




Sample (F) Identified as Simao Ye Sheng

My first initial impression was that it looked like a slightly aged example. Perhaps, 3-4 years old. I couldn't be certain as I did not have the wrapping.

Aroma - It had pleasant hints of hay, honey, and fruit. Ocassionally, I would take in a slight pond.

Taste - Nice balance between the sweetness and bitterness. Slight vegetal with a fickle hint of fruit. It had a nice lingering after taste with a nice viscosity. Descent.

Liquor - Finally a clear example. It was a nice gold with a slightly aged ting.








Overall Impression - I did like this beeng. I believe that it has potential as the indicators were there. Nice.

Conclusion - It was a nice tasting contest. I had fun! Unfortunately, the samples, for the most, part were not very exciting. In general, I felt that they were inferior, although the samlple that I identified as (f) was promising. I would not personally spend money on these as there are many 2nd tier manufactures that would run circles around these.

TEACUPPA Extravaganza Part I

A few weeks ago, I was confronted via e-mail with a proposition by David of the now well-known tea blog Half Dipper to participate in a pu-erh blind taste contest sponsered by TEACUPPA tea vendors. Being the tea admirer that I am, I humbly agreed. The samples arrived direct from Frankfurt Germany byway of China. As you can see there are 6 individual samples, where each are assigned a letter; 3 shupu(s) and 3 sheng(s). Luckily, TEACUPPA, the organizer of this global tasting event, (I do mean global as there are 10 others from around the world whom also have been tapped to participate) has included the names of the of each sample:


1. (Cooked) Menghai Tiandiren
2. (Cooked) Organic Luxi 8821
3. (Cooked) China Tea Brand
4. (Uncooked) Jiangcheng Yesheng
5. (Uncooked) China Tea Brand “Big Blue Mark”
6. (Uncooked) Simao Yesheng

My objective is to decide which pu went with which type and give my opinions for each. Of course I had no methodology to this maddens, so I have decided to proceed in alphabetical order. Samples (A) (B) (C) were obviously the 3 shupu(s) and the remaining where the Sheng(s). Below is my accounts of the shupu(s).



Sample (A) Identified as Organic Luxi 8821

Tasting Notes -- There was really nothing out of the ordinary when I first examined this shu. It did not have a pungent dry smell as some younger shu(s), and was quite gray looking IMHO.

Aroma - Dried grass, with a slight woodiness.


Taste - Virtually no layers of complexity. In fact, it was quite light an airy with a woody greeness to it. It's body was flimsy with a shallow aftertaste. Almost like a semi-ripe shu.


Liquor - Golden light maple syrup quality. Very light for shupu in my opinion.





Sample (B) China Tea Brand

This sample looked more like shu than sample A. It's dry leaf smelled faintly of molasses.

Aroma - Its aroma had undertones of dried wood, slight floral cooling notes, and a heavy presence of pecan nuts of which I enjoyed.


Taste - The liquor did have a nice viscosity, and was quite smooth. It had a soft touch of spice, and celery seed, which were wrapped in pecan. Unfortunately, none of these were lingering.

Liquor - The liquor was darker than sample A.

Overall Impression - It was a bit better that sample A, however, I would not waste my time drinking this particular example.




Sample (C) Identified as Menghai Tiandiren

The sample was a bit more dense than the previous 2. It also appeared that it was made of a higher grade mao cha as the leaves were considerably smaller.

Aroma - The aroma was light with fickle hints of melon, wood and currants.

Taste - The taste was somewhat surprising, unfortunately in a bad way. I have tasted MengHai Tiadiren before, however on this particular occasion, it was not the same (assuming it is the MengHai). The first thing I had noticed was this overwhelming sourness which was wrapped in a woody note with nothing more. Simply unpalatable.

Liquor - The liquor was beautifully clear and amber. Unfortunately, this was its high point.











Overall Impression - Just a huge disappointment. IMHO, age will not better this example.

Conclusion

I am just glad that the shupu samples were free. I really didn't care for any of them. However, If I had to choose one, it would be sample (B). It was more consistent with the other shupu(s) of my liking and did have its moments.

They gave no indication as to when the results will be posted. However, as soon as I am aware, I will post them. Wish me luck!


To Be Continued ...........

Playing Around

Well, I am working on a couple of reviews, however, finals week is taking up most of my time. But rest assure they will be posted soon. I just finished a gongfu session and had noticed that the sunlight was comming through my patio doors and decided to take a couple of pics and see how much sunlight really hightens a shot. I noticed that Tea Logic and a few others use the sun quite often to make their pictures look beautiful. Well, here is my effort. I know i'm not a pro, but I thought they looked cool and decided to share them with you. Notice how the sun made my cup of shupu a burnt orange. Lovely!

Tea drinkers may have lower skin cancer risk

People who unwind with a cup of tea every night may have a lower risk of two common forms of skin cancer, new research suggests.

In a study of nearly 2,200 adults, researchers found that tea drinkers had a lower risk of developing squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma, the two most common forms of skin cancer.

Men and women who had ever been regular tea drinkers -- having one or more cups a day -- were 20 percent to 30 percent less likely to develop the cancers than those who didn't drink tea.

The effect was even stronger among study participants who'd been tea fans for decades, as well as those who regularly had at least two cups a day, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

However, the findings do not mean it's okay to bake in the sun as long as you have a cup of tea afterward. The researchers found no evidence that tea drinking lowered skin cancer risk in people who'd accumulated painful sunburns in the past.

Nor did the study look at the relationship between tea drinking and malignant melanoma, the least common but most deadly form of skin cancer.

Still, the findings support the theory that tea antioxidants may limit the damage UV radiation inflicts on the skin, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Judy R. Rees of Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

In particular, a tea antioxidant known as EGCG has been shown to reduce burning on UV-exposed skin.

The current findings are based on interviews with 770 New Hampshire residents with basal cell carcinoma, 696 with squamous cell carcinoma, and 715 cancer-free men and women the same age.

Tea consumption was linked to a lower skin cancer risk, even with factors such as age, skin type and history of severe burns considered. However, tea drinkers who'd suffered multiple painful burns in the past did not have a lower risk of skin cancer.

It's possible, the researchers explain, that the antioxidants in tea are enough to limit skin damage caused by moderate sun exposure, but not the more extreme effects of sun exposure, such as cancer-promoting damage to the DNA in skin cells.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, May 2007.
(Yahoo News)