Coffee leaf tea: Wize Monkey launches high antioxidant brew, citing multiple health claims

26 Aug 2019 --- Canadian brand Wize Monkey has created a tea product made from upcycled prunings of the arabica coffee plant, which offers high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds. Based on compiled research, compounds in the coffee leaves were found to be beneficial in helping prevent cerebrovascular disease, promote anti-inflammatory activity, manage blood sugar levels and aid weight loss. The company is seeking to further refine its various processing methods to optimize the beneficial properties of its coffee leaf tea.

“There was no framework to help us create Coffee Leaf Tea from scratch,” Arnaud Petitvallet, Co-Founder and COO of Wize Monkey, tells NutritionInsight. “We knew it had been traditionally consumed in various parts of the world, including Ethiopia and Indonesia, but there were no ‘how-to’ guides available out there to start making coffee leaf tea. We had to process hundreds of coffee varieties and batches with different methods to finally find a product that we were satisfied with.”

Wize Monkey coffee leaf tea.Coffee leaves, prepared as a tea, have been commonly consumed by coffee communities of Ethiopia and Indonesia for several centuries, under the name of “Kuti” in Ethiopia and “Kawa Don” in Indonesia. The antioxidant-rich beverage is presented by Wize Monkey as a good source of fiber, protein, iron, potassium and calcium, in addition to providing anti-inflammatory benefits through nitric oxide. The leaves also contain all the essential amino acids, the brand highlights.

In the summer of 2016, Wize Monkey created small scale batches of Coffee Leaf Tea replicating the traditional tea processing methods for white tea, green tea, oolong tea and black tea. All samples were processed on the same farm at the same period, using the same coffee leaves. The processes were replicated twice, to test for young and older Arabica leaves.

Using traditional tea samples as a benchmark, they then assessed the phytochemical content of bioactive coffee leaf teas with Dr. David Kitts and his research associate Dr. Xiumin Chen from the Department of Food Science at the University of British Columbia. Their main findings were the following: 

• A longer steeping period offered significantly higher anti-inflammatory activity in all Coffee Leaf Tea samples. 
• The “Green Tea” process offered the highest concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants, along with nitric oxide scavenging activities, helping to reduce inflammation. The levels of antioxidants and phenolic compounds are equivalent to regular green tea, with peaks of antioxidant activity and phenolic activity higher by 13 percent in early steeping time. The total phenolic content that can be extracted from a gram of “Green Coffee Leaf Tea” is superior by 22 percent to what can be extracted from traditional green tea, making it a more potent source of polyphenols on a per gram basis.
• The antioxidant and phenolic content of this process were also noted as “far higher” than those of oolong, black, rooibos and yerba mate teas. The “Black Tea” process on older leaves showed a dual effect for nitric oxide: the capacity to induce nitric oxide production and stimulate this production under different circumstances. Therefore, the researchers note that the “Black Tea” process on coffee leaves has the potential to mitigate high blood pressure as well as inflammation.

Wize Monkey is currently working on expanding its product range with fermented versions of traditional teas,such as green tea, which are processed in a similar manner to classic pu’erh tea.

“We have conducted research on some samples we have created, and not only does their taste completely change from the current version we have, which is closer to an oolong, but the health benefits also shift,” explains Petitvallet. “Our green tea packs more antioxidants than a traditional green tea, while darker versions are showing a dual effect in nitric oxide production, ultimately helping reduce inflammation and lowering blood pressure. We are also working on a ready-to-drink version of our tea, relying on the natural sweetness of the leaf to remove any need for sugars and artificial sweeteners.”

Mangiferin-rich coffee leaf tea
Presence of a high concentration of mangiferin, a polyphenol traditionally found in mangoes with antioxidant capacities, was identified in brewed coffee leaves by the researchers. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory compound has been used in traditional ayurvedic and ethno-medicine for generations, employed against rheumatism and diphtheria in India, and is used in Sri Lanka to deal with diabetes under the brand name Salaretin. 

Mangiferin is also used in cosmetics, due to its antioxidant and UV-protecting properties. Several studies indicated also its ability to inhibit cancerogenesis and cancer cells growth by apoptosis induction in vitro and in vivo. A metabolite of mangiferin called norathyriol, in particular, was found by University of Minnesota researchers to inhibit the growth of skin cancer. 

In post-menopausal women, mangiferin was found to exhibit a positive vascular effect, according to research by the University of California. The study also detected favorable changes in the production of breath methane, indicating the mango’s positive influence on gut fermentation. 

The polyphenol is also present in some medicinal herbs, influencing their therapeutic and preventive properties, and in honeybush (Cyclopia sp.) tea, which is popular in South Africa.

Presence of rutin in coffee leaf tea
The significant presence of the bioflavonoid rutin has also been proven in coffee leaves, in research cited by Wize Monkey. In its study, the compound has demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological applications due to its significant antioxidant properties. Conventionally, the natural compound is used as an antimicrobial, antifungal and antiallergic agent. 

Current research has outlined rutin’s pharmacological benefits for the treatment of various chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Its use is advantageous over other flavonoids as it is a non-toxic, non-oxidizable molecule.

Rutin is also known to activate the brown adipose tissue (BAT) in the body to increase metabolism and facilitate weight loss, according to research published in The FASEB Journal.

Nitric oxide in coffee leaf tea
Nitric oxide is a signaling molecule formed from nitrogen and oxygen, found in brewed coffee leaf tea. Nitric oxide plays a major role in vascular relaxation (blood pressure regulation, erectile dysfunction) immune response, inflammation, antithrombotic activity and memory formation.

Nitric oxide has been demonstrated to offer a range of beneficial vascular effects, including reducing blood pressure, inhibiting platelet aggregation, preserving or improving endothelial dysfunction, enhancing exercise performance in healthy individuals and patients with peripheral arterial disease, as noted by Wize Monkey.

Pre-clinical studies with nitrate or nitrite also outline the compound’s potential to protect against reperfusion injury and reduce arterial stiffness, inflammation and intimal thickness.

By Benjamin Ferrer