Tea helps to suppress appetites, limit obesity and is high in antioxidants that strengthen the immune system. Every type of tea also comes from the Camilla sinensis plant and the differences depend on how it is processed. Select types of tea also provide a greater caffeine boost than soft drinks or espresso. These are just some of the interesting facts 10 students, employees and Columbus-area residents learned at Monday’s tea tasting event.

Held by Maureen Mahoney, the owner of Latte 2, a Tea cafe in New Albany, participants were afforded the chance to learn about tea, test a variety of samples and ask questions.

Many came for curiosity’s sake. Among those was Ohio State employee Amanda Hoffsis.

“I’m really happy to learn about the different teas,” Hoffsis said. “I mean, you see them on the shelf but you really don’t know what that means.”

Mahoney said her interest in tea stemmed from her espresso catering service, which is used to downplay alcohol. She found that people really enjoyed tea and she began incorporating different options into the espresso bar.

“It gives you the opportunity to try something different,” she said.

The event opened with background information on tea and six types were sampled. Among these were black, green, white, oolong and herbal teas.

Mahoney was full of information on each type and its benefits.

“Most black teas are used to uplift and invigorate. What the green tea does is it’s more of a calming (tea),” Mahoney said. Oolong hails from Fuji and someone in the audience was overheard saying it had a medicinal smell. It is also the tea most commonly associated with controlling obesity. White tea is considered the most rare type because of the high number of antioxidants and it can only be harvested in two regions. Herbal teas are entirely natural and contain no caffeine.

Individuals were also educated in the quality and storage of tea.

According to Mahoney, tea has the highest quality when the full tea leaf is at the top of its crate during shipping. When one buys teabags from the grocery store, those often contain the leftover, crushed tea leaves.

Mahoney also said moisture and air were the two main “killers” of tea. The best way to avoid these was to seal tea leaves in airtight containers, she said. If properly stored, tea would retain its flavor for about two years.

The one thing Mahoney stressed was that drinking tea and the type one selects is a personal choice.

“It depends on what you are trying to accomplish in your life,” she said.

Abbey Wood can be reached at [email protected].