Recent Study Suggests Green Tea May Prevent Oral Bacteria

We're excited about the health benefits of Green Tea, especially now that more valuable information has been added to its long list of benefits. We're referring to a November 2009 study involving Green Tea, where 3 groups with medical conditions were tested. The study's findings were significant, and indicated that green tea in generous quantities may prevent cancer.



The new study presents that green tea slows the growth of an oral precancerous condition called Leukoplakia, which can develop into cancer. There were 3 Groups of participants, and Group 1 was given 500mg of Green Tea 3 times per day, Group 2 was given 750mg of green tea 3 times per day, and Group 3 was given 1,000mg of green tea 3 times per day. Keep in mind this is quite a bit of Green Tea- 8 cups 3 times per day. Researchers saw a lessening or disappearing of the Leukoplakia in Groups 2 and 3! In Group 1, just over 35% of the participants experienced lesion improvement.


What is it about Green Tea that makes it healthy? The answer is polyphenols, scientists believe. Polyphenols are the chemical components of tea, and medical professionals have announced that they prevent both the growth of bacteria responsible for bad breath, and the bacteria's production of malodorous compounds. Epidemiological surveys and research have suggested that green tea may not only help to prevent tooth decay, but prevent bad breath as well. Green Tea contains more polyphenols (30-40 percent!) than any other type of tea.

Like so many studies, these Green Tea analysis are not completely conclusive, but do give us some insight into the potential that Green Tea has.

We Fancy That!

The Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco was jam packed with the most unique gourmet foods around..not to mention an unusually large crowd of food lovers. Attendance increased by 9% from the last Fancy Foods show in Summer; higher than any show in the last 5 years!

The current trends were expected to be coconut products (try our lychee mints and bars, with hints of coconut!), gluten-free, exotic citrus, and nostalgic flavors like butterscotch.

Our show favorites include David Rio's Toucan Mango Chai mix. I'll be recommending this for Chief Enlightenment Officer and CEO David Kerdoon (find out more about David and the story behind SEN CHA ). His lifetime goal is to make the perfect cup of chai, and at our SEN CHA company meetings he proudly fills our teacups with his concoctions, eagerly awaiting a positive review. (Next time I'll sneak in a few scoops of Rio's blend for kicks!) We also enjoyed Republic of Tea's Hibiscus loose leaf tea blends, and Honestea's new cleansing Kombucha teas.

We like the spirit of giving that was present at Fancy Foods; 130,000 lbs of specialty foods (enough to fill 3 tractor trailers!) was donated to families in need in the Bay Area. The trade association also pledged to match donations put forth by its staff members.

Chief Enlightenment Office David Kerdoon (left) and Jessie Samovar at Samovar Tea in the Mission-Castro neighborhood in San Francisco. Samovar has 3 locations, and offers quality loose leaf teas and a delicious menu. David enjoyed recuperating in the lounge after a lively weekend at the Fancy Foods Show.

Spiced Fuji Apple goes to Fancy Foods

It's that time of year again, and we're headed to the biannual Fancy Foods Show at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This time, we'll be introducing our first limited edition mint, Spiced Fuji Apple.

Fuji apples are a cross between Ralls Janet and Red Delicious apples, developed in Japan. They have become one of the more popular apples because of their aromatic flavor and crisp texture, and remain a favorite in Southeast Asia. As you may have noticed, Fuji Apples have become widely available in recent years in the United States.

Since our limited edition mints will be showcased at the Fancy Foods Show for the first time, we're excited to be giving away samples to our customers and friends. Stay tuned for our next limited edition flavor coming out later this year!

Spiced Fuji Apple mints are limited, with only 5,000 canisters available. Contact Sencha Naturals at (888) 4-SENCHA or place an order by emailing us at orders@senchanaturals.com

Ringing in the New Year at SEN CHA

Now that it's time to ring in the New Year, we want to know what your New Year's Resolution is. Whether it be to exercise more, spend more time with the family or eat healthier, most of us have an agenda to improve ourselves for the new decade.

Here at Sencha Naturals, we are taking steps to become more eco-friendly and socially conscious in the ways our products are made. For 2010, we will be planning to donate a portion of our earnings to non-profit organizations. We'll also be using more eco-friendly packaging that can be more easily recycled, and giving consumers ideas on way to reuse our mint canisters. Always searching for healthier alternatives, our staff will be working hard to improve the quality of our products so that we can provide natural foods with the best possible ingredients.

Keep up to date with our progress by following us on Twitter, adding us on Facebook, or subscribing to this blog.

SEN CHA Supports Freedom and Fashion

At SEN CHA, we do what we can to support events that raise awareness ab out certain social issues, so when we were contacted by Jennifer at Freedom and Fashion, we asked what we could do to help.

What is Freedom and Fashion? "'Freedom and Fashion' is an organization that focuses on educating the public on matters of injustice as well as promoting Fair Trade companies." The kind of injustices the

y are referring to are associated with the ugly side of the fashion industry, which often exploits factory workers and oppresses children. Instead of focusing on a deeper understanding of the impact of the art form and how it affects society, fashion shows often focus on the beauty and glamor side.

"On one side of the fashion industry is the art and culture, wealth and privilege, and style and grace. The flip side, however, is the exploitation of factory workers, cotton harvesters and enslaved children."

In UCLA's Ackerman Ballroom we perused through exhibits of Freedom and Fashion's fair trade sponsors; 6 brands that are doing their part to change the often unfair fashion industry. Guests at the event enjoyed goody-bags with fair trade items including Sencha Naturals Green Tea Mints and Bars.

Freedom & Fashion Photo Shoot from Merely Avessel on Vimeo.

Giving Thanks is Celebrated All Around the World

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and the SEN CHA crew is super excited to indulge in delicious food and partake in the usual family festivities. In the U.S, most of us celebrate Thanksgiving with a big dinner with friends and family. But what do other cultures do to express thanks? Here we take a look at a few other cultures around the globe to see what their version of thanksgiving is like...

The August Moon Festival is celebrated by the Chinese on the 15th day of the 8th lunar moon. This holiday includes lots of food, and instead of a pumpkin pie, mooncakes are baked and sent to friends and relatives as a way of giving thanks. Chinese legend says that the moon is the roundest and brightest on this day, and provides the perfect atmosphere for friendships to be renewed. While in the West, we place emphasis on the importance of the sun, Easterners focus their admiration on the moon. The Moon Festival is also known as the Women's Festival, because the moon is known to represent beauty and elegance.

Kwanzaa is based on African harvest traditions, and it's literal meaning is "first fruits in Swahili." The festivities begin on December 26 and last for 7 days. Don't be fooled by popular belief; Kwanzaa is not a substitute for Christmas. It is a gathering of family to celebrate community and cultural values that are often celebrated in addition to Christmas. The 7 day celebration is based on the 7 basic values of African culture; unity, self determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

The Jewish community celebrates Succoth, which takes place in September and October, starting on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri. Like Kwanzaa, Succoth lasts for 7 days. The reason for the festival is historic and religious; it goes back to a time when Hebrews had to travel through the wilderness on their journey to Isreal. During this time they lived in open booths called Succahs, where they would pray in thanks for crops.

Whatever holiday you are celebrating, Sencha Naturals wishes you a warm, loving and thankful one!

Hint Mint 10th Anniversary Celebration

We love mints, and naturally we have a fondness for our own...but we also support other companies who are innovative and unconventional. Hint Mints don't contain any animal products, and all profits from the breast cancer Awareness Series are donated to charity. We like that.

Our friends over at Hint Mint are celebrating their Tenth Anniversary with 6 weeks of celebration in Venice, California. They've opened up a unique space to display framed artwork used for their stylish mint tins. Along with the discernible Hint Mint artwork, a number of events are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks until December 31, 2009.

We were invited to attend Hint Mint's event with award winning poet Sekou Andrews who shared with us verses about luck. We drew on their gigantic art board, drank Izze sodas with Blue Ice Vodka, and sampled mints at the mint bar. All in all, it was a good night.

Framed artwork by the artist Shag was on display November 13. Hint Mint commissions artists like Gary Baseman and James Jean to decorate the 1920's style mint tins.