Which One Is Healthier To Drink - Green Tea Or Black Tea And Why?

Many have been drinking tea; tea of various kinds with each swearing they are drinking a better quality of tea. Talking of 2 main qualities of tea, namely black tea and greentea and which is better than the other it is good to note that there is actually not much difference; the difference lies in the way the tea leaf is processed through. Both come from the same tea bush.

Yes the difference and the merits of one form of tea over the other lies in the way it is processed. The leaves for greentea are first plucked and partially withered. It is then heated immediately to about 200 degrees Celsius to prevent its fermentation. Then the tea is rolled into shape and then heated again. Quite to the contrary, blacktea is first withered, and then rolled before being heated. The tea is then left for some time to ferment and then heated again; it is the fermentation that gives blacktea a black or brown color with a distinctive flavor.

Some assume that greentea is better than blacktea; however they do not want to miss on the distinct flavors of blacktea with a hint of chocolate or the sweet fragrance of orchids. Black tea has equal health benefits like green tea; it is the fermentation process that causes the main difference in the 2 teas. Both blacktea as well as greentea contains high level of antioxidant polyphenols; catechins, flavonols, theaflavins and thearubigins; however one particular type of catechin namely, epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG is found in abundance in greentea and it has various health benefits.

However this is to not say that blacktea lags behind greentea in its health benefits. Though the fermentation process used to make blacktea converts EGCG into other compounds, with recent research showing that black tea contains 2 compounds namely theaflavins and thearubigens that contribute not only to its dark color and distinctive flavor, but also gives most of the benefits of green tea.

Yes it is true to say that green tea has been found to have the highest content of polyphenols; this compound is said to have higher antioxidant properties than even Vitamin C. It is this antioxidant that gives greentea its bitter taste. The young leaves of greentea have 40% polyphenols as compared to black tea that has only 10%.

It is still more significant to note that greentea has far less caffeine content than black tea; greentea has only 1/3 the caffeine of blacktea has. Caffeine is harmful for health; however greentea provides the same level of attention and excitement as black tea, but without the ups and down that are associated with other caffeine drinks. It is also significant to note it is best to drink it without milk as it would inhibit the positive effects that this tea possesses.

Black tea or green tea; both have their own health benefits and it is best to drink both in moderation.

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Keywords: green tea, black tea, which is healthier black tea or green tea

By: Sammy Wilson

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