The going ups and the coming downs

Yesterday's post hawked a cool old poster print crying, "Tea Revives You." Just this week, the reason why that's true has been making the news rounds. It's L-theanine, an amino acid native to our beloved Camellia sinensis. Within 45 minutes after the first sip, it helps focus the mind ("I've got to concentrate, concentrate, concentrate ...!").

This is not a new discovery. Well, it's not new to tea lovers through the ages — the fact that tea both revives and calms you. It is, however, a new discovery of beverage makers who are desperate for a fancy new ingredient to tout and sell. As described in this article, energy drinks and vitamin waters are coming out "NEW! With L-theanine!" Thanks, I'll stick with my cuppa.