Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/716988
22 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2016 (August/September) term aim is to digitalize all its services and to promote a cashless society. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Rwanda's Minister of Youth and ICT (Information and communications technology) is keen for the youth and private sector to invest further in digital innovation. processed their own tea, spent time at a Buddhist monastery, and learned about Korean tea culture and way of life. SPAIN Tea Boosts Cognitive Ability A clinical trial in Spain that has been running for a year has shown that green tea can improve memory in people with Down Syndrome. Brain scans revealed that EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), one of the powerful catechins found in tea, alters that way in which neurons in the brain connect, and that the beneficial effects can last for six months after the trials. Senior author of the study Mara Dierssen, a researcher at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain, said that this was the first time that treatment had been shown to have a beneficial effect on the cognitive ability of people with Down Syndrome. However, although this is a signifi- cant breakthrough and indicates that EGCG in tea may improve the lives of individuals, green tea is not a cure, and the findings of the trial must be vali- dated by further research. People with Down Syndrome have two fewer pairs of chromosomes than are found in most humans and this reduces the individual's cognitive powers. In the trials run by Dierssen, 84 young adults with Down Syndrome were divided into two groups. One was given a decaffeinated green tea supplement containing 45% EGCG while the second group was given a placebo. Cognitive tests were carried out after three, six and 12 months and those taking EGCG showed an improvement in remember- ing patterns, words and new behavior patterns and this improvement increased over time. SRI LANKA Awards for Dilmah's Fernando Merrill J Fernando, founder of Sri Lanka's Dilmah tea company, was recently presented with the 'Honored Citizen of the Month Award' by the Colombo Municipal Council. The award recognizes the work, passion and philosophy of inspiring citizens and company leaders who have made great strides in supporting and assisting local council activities and operations. Those who receive the award are given the rare opportunity to hoist the national Flag outside Colombo's Town Hall on the first day of the respective month. The presentation follows the decision by The Business for Peace Foundation in May 2015 to honor Merrill Fernando with the Oslo Business for Peace Award. This an- nual award recognizes business people who "through their own actions and commitments truly are business worthy, promoting socially responsible and ethical business practice in an outstand- ing way, and standing out as examples to the world." Fernando established his family tea company in the 1950s to eradicate the exploitation of his country's tea crop by large international traders. The firm is a champion of inclusive and fair business practices; promotes entrepreneurship and empowers differently-abled and underprivileged people. The company shares a minimum of 10% or pre-tax profits with staff and employees, and supports the Sri Lankan community through the Merrill Joseph Fernando (MJF) Charitable Foundation. UK T London's Tea Cosmetics To add to its Darjeeling-inspired collection of shower gels, hand and body wash, moisturisers, oils and diffuser sticks, T London has launched two new ranges – Dimbula and Yerba Maté. Dimbula is inspired by high grown Dimbula teas of Sri Lanka. A fragrant black tea from the region is subtly combined with top notes of freshly crushed aromatic green cardamom, black and pink pepper, neroli from the bitter orange tree, coriander, and sea salt balanced over base notes of amber and precious woods. The Maté range conjures up images of the wild solitude of the Pampas warmed by gentle South American breezes. Zesty Petitgrain, crushed mate leaves, Guaiac wood and Vetiver combine to energize mind and body. The central notes are from the young pale green leaves of the maté bushes that grow in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Chile. The top note is crisp, zesty petitgrain, distilled from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree and helpful in energiz- ing and boosting clear thinking. The base note of the soft, woody resin of the cedar tree helps to steady the mind. SOUTH KOREA 2nd Tea Masters Cup An intensive tea brewing competition took place in Seoul in June. The event was part of Tea World Festival, one of the largest and most successful beverage exhibitions of this region. The first of these contests took place in Turkey in 2015 and has three categories - tea preparation, during which tea brewers must demonstrate their skill of tea brewing and presentation; tea pairing, where brewers must present tea in combination with a light food or snack; and tea tasting, which involves the identification of single varieties of tea. National winners from Australia, Belarus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, and the USA competed for the title of World Cham- pion in each category. The judging panel included tea specialists from Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Kenya, Australia, Belarus, and Latvia. Soohyun Park, Republic of Korea, won the tea prepara- tion category brewing Korean teas in traditional and modern styles; in the tea pairing category, first place was awarded to Murat Kornaev (Poland) who served Taiwanese ruby tea with Polish plum brandy, cheese and gastro-meatballs; and in the tea tasting category the winner was Kunti Horsta from Latvia. After the competition, participants visited tea gardens, took part in tea ceremonies, visited a tea museum, Winners of the Tea Masters Cup, Seoul