Green vs White vs Black Tea: Better together?
Green vs White vs Black Tea: Better together?
Tea brings in the most relished and reinvigorating essence to our lives. We all have diverse taste preferences, which fuels the never ending debate on which is the most preferred tea! Do you prefer white tea or green tea or black tea? If it is a trial between white tea vs green tea vs black tea which one would you choose? Let us go through some facts on these teas that will help you choose the best for you!
About the Different Teas -
Black Tea -
Black tea is a completely oxidized tea. It’s ready within a day, and when brewed, gives us a bright orange liquor. These teas are withered, rolled, oxidized and dried before being sorted into various grades. They are also most widely used to make blends. Strong in flavour and aroma, these teas are ideally consumed plain or at times with a few drops of lime and honey . It is also a favourite for making iced brews.
White tea-
White teas provide pale green or yellow liquor and are very delicate in flavour. Because it’s an unprocessed variety, its aroma is soft and sweet. They come in different colours – white, green and brown, because the leaves are simply plucked and left to wither naturally. If the withering process doesn’t start effectively, perhaps due to bad weather, the leaves are put into a gentle tumble dryer. The leaves are then allowed to take their own shape post withering.
Green Tea-
Typically green or yellow in colour, the leaves of green tea are pan fried or steamed which imparts toasty or mild flavours, respectively. The leaves are plucked and then rolled and never oxidised. Heat is provided through pan frying or steaming, which stops the oxidization process by not allowing the enzymes to brown. They are shaped through curling, pressing down on the side of the wok or simple rolling and swirling in the heat until they are completely dry. One of the healthiest teas to drink for its anti-oxidant properties!
Caffeine Content and Benefits -
Tea has many health benefits such as reducing your risk of heart disease, protecting your bones, weight loss, and a high number of antioxidants. There are studies, however, suggesting that tea leaves contain more caffeine than coffee beans. Caffeine is not really that bad in small doses, but it can still cause anxiety and insomnia for some.
To make sure that you are getting just the right amount of caffeine in your system, let’s look at the different types of tea and their caffeine content.
Black Tea
Black tea generally has about 40 to 70 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounce serving while coffee has about 95 to 200 milligrams. If you drink your black tea in a larger cup, you can account for a similar amount of caffeine every morning. Black tea is rich in antioxidants, Reduces the risk of cancer, Good for hair and skin. Improves heart health, protects against atherosclerosis, lowers bad LDL cholesterol, Improves focus and concentration.
Green tea
The caffeine content in green tea falls mid-range with 35 to 45 milligrams per eight ounce serving. While it is definitely less than black tea, it is still higher than other types of tea, such as white tea. Green tea is a gentler source of stimulant. If you want to significantly reduce your caffeine intake but don’t want to eliminate it completely, green tea is a good choice for you. Green tea can have benefits for your brain, heart, bones, and skin. Many of green tea's benefits come from caffeine and L-theanine, two compounds that may help strengthen working memory and attention. Green tea can also have anti-aging effects on the skin when applied topically and consumed orally.
White tea
This type of tea has the least amount of caffeine out of all teas with only 15 to 30 milligrams per eight ounce serving. White tea is known to be one of the most delicate tea varieties because it is the least processed. Since white tea is the least processed of true teas, it also contains the most antioxidants. Catechins in white tea may help lower blood pressure, improve circulation and lower the risk of heart disease. Antioxidants in white tea have also been shown to lower cholesterol levels, especially bad LDL cholesterol
Is one tea better than the other?
While white tea, green tea, and black tea are true teas made using the same tea leaves — like oolong tea and Pu-erh tea — they are vastly different thanks to unique production processes.
Different tea types have different health benefits. That means one tea that is well-suited for someone with other health goals may not work for your health goals such as improved weight loss or a boosted immune system. To find the perfect cup of tea for you, you'll need to identify what health goals you want to accomplish. Then you can discover tea varieties that suit your specific needs.
For example, black tea is a great choice for people who want to boost their energy levels thanks to moderate caffeine levels present in the loose-leaf tea. On the other hand, green tea contains higher concentrations of polyphenols that can help fight free radicals and boost immunity.
The healthiest teas are the ones you enjoy and drink regularly. Most research shows that the health benefits of tea are most pronounced when people are drinking tea consistently for years. Essentially, it doesn't matter what type of tea you like to drink as long as you're drinking one of them. You can consume all different types of tea from herbal teas like chamomile and rooibos to true teas like white tea and black tea. Experiment and discover your favourite flavours and toast to a healthier life