For International Tea Day, my Green Tea Chemistry print. This #linocut illustrates green tea and its chemistry. There’s a tea pot, two cups of tea and a tea plant (Camellia sinensis) on a tray, and in the steam, you can see some of the organic chemicals found in green tea. Up to 27% of the composition of green tea can be a member of the flavonoids called catechins like the molecule illustrated on the right. 🧵1/n
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#tea #greenTea #chemistry #mastoArt #sciart #printmaking #InternationalTeaDay

The stimulating effect of green tea is of course related to caffeine (the molecule in the middle) but, unlike say coffee, green tea also has an amino acid in tea called L-Theanine (the molecule on within the tea pot handle). L-Theanine has a direct effect on the brain, relaxing it without making you drowsy and can help with focus and mood; it’s also largely responsible for taste. 🧵2/3

Since the chemistry of green tea is complex, and I can’t show all the molecules involved, at the base of the tray is a chromatogram to illustate the L-Theanine (largest peak) and other amino acids in the green tea.⁠

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@werdahias thank you!

Yes, I do. Why do you ask?

@werdahias I sell original prints at minouette.etsy.com. I don’t have this particular hand printed linocut in stock at the moment but I could print another edition.