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 Ask any college student what they drink to stay awake and you’re likely to hear either “favorite energy drink – it wakes me up instantly,” or “coffee - it tastes good and keeps me up,” or sometimes, “any caffeine-loaded drink I can find that will keep me awake long enough to finish this assignment.”

Being a college student, I can understand the need for caffeine, especially when working on a long paper the night before it’s due. Caffeine is an essential for early morning classes or a quick pick-me-up after a long night working on homework that was forgotten until the absolute last minute.

Tea is a cheaper, healthier and better source of caffeine for the body than coffee or energy drinks. For the same price as a Starbucks’ coffee, you can buy 20 tea bags and make tea to your heart’s content. The caffeine in tea compared to energy drinks gives you the same boost, but lets your body down easier.

Need a pick me up after a hard class? Black tea works wonders.

Tired and ready to go to bed, but can’t seem to relax? Or need to stay up a little bit more, but don’t want a lot of caffeine in your system? Green tea will perk you up for a little bit, then ease you down gently. Jasmine green in particular works if you are stressed.

Even if you don’t have a stove, you can still make tea. Just pop a mug of water in your microwave and heat to your desired temperature. I like to heat my tea up for a minute and twenty seconds, making it hot enough to allow the tea bag to soak easily, but not hot enough to make me wait a long time for it to cool down.

If you’re on a tight budget or don’t want to waste tea bags, you can make multiple cups of tea out of one tea bag: just leave the bag in the cup while you drink, pour water over it when done and reheat.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money for your caffeine fix, or hurt your body with powerful jolts of caffeine that make you crash later. Tea is the obvious choice for saving your health and your money.

I recently turned 23, I know, I’m still very young (or at least I hope that’s what you’re thinking).  Yet still, no matter the age, birthdays always get me thinking about the past and what I want to happen in the future, before the next tick mark, 24.  And as so, I’ve created a system, perhaps stolen from another, 23 things to do before 24.

It’s a list I put heavy thought into, much differently than my usual daily to-do jots. Among this year’s list: learn more about tea, become proficient in Spanish (as I’m moving to Spain next fall), keep studying Chinese, maintain target weight, run a marathon.

Perhaps I’m a goal-oriented nut, I’ll admit it. But as I can see, whether New Year’s resolutions (or birthday), it never hurts to have that extra boost to accomplish them. As I was searching for motivational training programs, I found the perfect one, runner or not.

Hidden within Runner’s World’s online site, an article zinged my attention: Fall Marathon Guide: A Better Buzz. Its tease—a boost without a burn. I clicked without a pause.

The focus was tea and its energy boost, for the runner, a great motivational force. In fact, as they state, caffeine found in tea helps enhance performance—increasing endurance, improving alertness, and simply making running feel easier. Plus, tea, unlike coffee or energy drinks, lacks acid or carbonation, and therefore is easier on the stomach pre-race and always. This, in addition to the many other health benefits tea brings over other caffeine-stimulants; in my case, helping aid me in another bonus resolution, my campaign to maintain target weight.

What else?  As Runner’s World states, the way you prepare your tea also helps determines the ultimate benefit of your brew of tea. In terms of antioxidants, loose-leaf fares better than bagged, plain tea over that with milk has more benefits, surprisingly, and hot is better than cold for your health, though all are small and negligible.

However, as Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D. a nutrition professor of Tufts University said in the article and seems pertinent here, “The best tea in the world is the tea you like the best because then you’ll drink it often, and the more tea you drink, the better it is for your health.”

So, a toast to resolutions, kept or not—I raise my mug of green tea. And if you’re looking for more, Runner’s World included something beyond, a smoothie recipe with tea. Drink up!

Green Goddess smoothie

Though if you’re going to go that extra mile (perhaps literally), why not choose the best for you, loose-leaf!

2 heaping tsps green tea

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold, filtered water

1/2 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated

Juice of 1/4 grapefruit

1/16 Serrano chili, diced

1/4 medium ripe avocado

1/2 cup simple syrup

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup ice

I’ve never been great at origami, but if it means not slaving over keigo (敬語), honorifics, or memorizing hundreds of kanji ( 漢字), Chinese characters, in Japanese class – I’ll try it!

In Iowa, high schools and colleges joined together to make 1 million cranes to send to Japan to show support. And so, our sensei (先生) taught us how to make paper cranes.

Mine didn’t turn out so well... but I am still proud of it!

I previously wrote on the safety of Japanese imported tea after radioactive contamination fears. In my research, the affected areas of Japan were not the major tea growing prefectures.

So which ones are?

Japan has 47 prefectures – three of which grow the majority of Japanese green tea – Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and Mie.

Shizuoka is located between Mt. Fuji and the Pacific coast west of Tokyo. This area actually accounts for 40% of Japan’s commercial production each year!

Kagoshima is located in southern Kyushu, in the far southwest of Japan; this area produces around 20% of tea leaves. Lastly, is Mie, which is located in central Japan.

Japan was influenced by China’s culture, and created their own tea culture, now Japanese sencha (煎茶) is a major mainstay tea in Japan and in America as well.

Consumers of Japanese goods around the world are responding to the tragic tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis in Japan with fears of radiation contamination. Should tea enthusiasts be worried as well?

According to the New York Times, the Food and Drug Administration in America has banned all dairy products and produce from the area of Japan where a damaged nuclear reactor is leaking radiation. Other products, such as seafood, will not be banned, but will be tested for any trace of radioactive iodine.

Tea drinkers need not worry, as major tea fields are actually located in southern Japan and are safe from contamination. In fact, Japan is actually a large importer of tea.

Although, there may be a different obstacle blocking tea imports from Japan.

Throughout the devastated country, people are hoarding many products and sending them to family and friends in northern prefectures.

Bottled water, rice, batteries, and toilet paper are quickly become scare in supermarkets throughout the country.

Japanese officials say this buying is largely an overreaction.

So tea buyers — keep updated in current contamination news — but the overwhelming consensus is to feel safe when purchasing tea from Japan.

And let's not let fears of contaminated goods cause us to forget about the victims of the devastated northern region of Japan. Donations can be made to the Red Cross at www.RedCross.org

I decided I wanted to start with something that sounded a bit easy so I don't get discouraged too soon.  I also wanted a combination that was not too heavy for dinner.  A soup and salad seemed to fit the bill.  

Lapsang Souchong Tea and Parsnip Soup: Serves 4

Ingredients:

 2 cups boiling water

2.5 teaspoons loose-leaf Lapsang Souchong tea leaves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound parsnips, peeled and chopped

3 cups chicken stock

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon cacao bis for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Put the tea leaves in a medium bowl; pour the bowling water over the tea leaves and steep, covered, for 4 minutes. Strain tea and discard the leaves. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the parsnips, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tea, stock, and allspice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. Cook until the parsnips are cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender) until completely smooth. To serve, divide soup among 4 bowls. Garnish each bowl with 1/4 teaspoon cacao nibs, if desired. Serve hot.

Green Tea-Poached Chicken Salad: Serves 8

Ingredients:

3.5 quarts water

1/2 cup loose-leaf green tea leaves, such as Dragonwell

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.5 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 medium red onion, chopped medium-fine

2 ribs celery, chopped medium-fine

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2/3 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon, or more to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage, or more to taste

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad greens or sliced baguette, for serving

Directions:

Bring the water to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. Lower the heat so that the water is just barely simmering and add the tea leaves. Add that chicken and continue to adjust the temperature to barely simmering (if teh tea mixture gets too hot the chicken will be tough). Cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Remove the chicken when just done. Strain the tea leaves from the liquid and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the leaves. Discard the liquid and finely chop reserved leaves. Set the chicken aside to cool completely. The breasts may be poached and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.

While the chicken cools, heat the olive and sesame oils in a medium skillet, over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute' until they just begin to soften. Remove from the heat, draining any extra oil, and cool completely.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mayonnaise, tarragon, and sage.

When the chicken is completely cool, chop or shred it. Add the chicken to the dressing in the bowl, along with the cooled onions and celery and 1 tablespooon of the reserved steeped tea leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add additional steeped tea leaves, if desired.

Serve mounded over salad greens, or use as a filling for open-faced tea sandwiches.

Impression:

This was a good combination for a soup and a salad.  However, I realized a chicken salad is a better fit for lunch rather than for dinner. The soup can be for both.  I was very impressed with the way the soup turned out.  It has a smooth texture after blending and its color is of soft, desert sand.  While hunting for parsnips at the grocery store, I was aiming for a rounded beet-like veggie.  I soon discovered that they actually come in a bag and look like carrots that have seen a ghost.   The Lapsang Souchong flavor was just right, not too overbearing and not unnoticeable either.  I was pleasantly surprised and motivated to discover that Lapsang Souchong even with its potency can hold its own in a dish.  The soup's aroma I can describe as inviting.  It had an aura of richness but not over the top by any means. The taste of this soup was delicious.  It does warm up your insides as promised in the book.  I did not have any cacao nibs to add but the contrast would have been a nice touch.  I would definitely make this soup again.

I have never poached anything before, nor dropped some tea leaves in a pot to simmer.  The process of making this food was very fun.  I enjoyed watching the chicken turn solid white while the dragonwell leaves danced around it.  I did make sure as the recipe suggests to barely simmer the chicken to prevent it from toughening and it seemed to work well. The sauteed celery and onion was a nice addition to the salad.  The preparation of this otherwise simple salad elevated it to a dish you would easily find the restaurant in the Four Seasons.  One thing I wasn't too sure of is that the recipe recommends adding the steeped tea leaves from the broth that was poaching the chicken into the salad itself.  I know by then the chicken was fully cooked, but just the thought that the leaves were involved with the chicken when raw, I couldn't and still can't get my head out of that image.  So this is one thing I would x out next time.  The flavor of Dragonwell also was not overbearing at all. 

I think I would have enjoyed this salad much more during the daytime.  My husband really liked it, but something was off and I just can't quite figure out what I would change.  Maybe I should use less sage and/or tarragon. The fresh sage could have been too much.  It definitely was not bad by any means, but not amazing either.  I think I hyped it up too much in my head.  But presentation-wise, it gets and easy A.

I really enjoyed cooking these two dishes.  I feel like I learned a lot with combination of ingredients already. One thing that I did not realize and need to be cautious of when picking the menu is the level of caffeine we end up consuming right before bedtime.  Both green tea and black tea have caffeine in them, and naturally, Will had trouble sleeping that night.  Can't wait to try something else next week!  Stay tuned...