Which is better? higher quality/less often or lower quality/more often

(UPDATE)
I think this is an excellent question, and I would like to hear anyone else’s take on this.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I judge by ‘better’ you mean healthier?

Even given that, there are many “purported” health benefits gained by drinking green tea. So I think a more precise answer depends on exactly what benefits you are after.

So taking the general approach I will give you my take.

Based mostly on what I have read (and on some general knowledge about the human body) I would guess that lower quality more often is better. I have read quite a few books and done quite a bit of searching online about the health benefits of green tea, and in all of the studies I came across I don’t EVER remember the researchers mentioning anything about the quality of the tea they used in their study. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember them even stating whether or not they used loose leaf or tea bags. They simply state that they used “green tea”.

One important thing I remember about the results of these studies is that the frequency with which you drink green tea can make a difference in the level of benefits you receive from the tea (for example, one cup vs. five cups vs. ten cups a day). Much of the research seems to support, for example, five cups is better than one, ten cups is better than five (There surely must be an upper limit to how many cups are beneficial, but I personally haven’t seen any research on that).

One thing I look for in the green tea I drink is freshness (which may be considered a component of quality). My understanding is that green, white and yellow tea CAN loose some of their healthful benefits in as little as three to four months from harvest. But I think that depends on many things. It seems the general guideline is to drink it within a year of harvest, two at the latest. That’s why knowing the harvest date when I buy green tea is so important to me. I believe it is similar to what happens to most organic food as it ages: as the tea gets older, its starts to deteriorate (not true about some teas though, like Pu-erh). Although unlike organic food, I don’t think the tea actually goes ‘bad,’ I think it simply looses its flavor (and any associated health benefits).

I think what it comes down to is: What is sustainable for you? What tea will you drink day after day after day? Which one can you afford to drink daily? Which one tastes good to you? Is it easy/convenient enough to brew daily? From what I have read recently, it may not even matter if the tea you drink is green: what may matter most is that you’re simply drinking tea, any tea at all—as long as it’s from the camellia sinensis plant (and I guess I wouldn’t count most of the RTD Ready To Drink bottled teas).

Again, the benefits of drinking tea are dependent on your continuing to drink it on a daily basis. I see it like eating healthy. Sure, you can eat a few garden picked organic raw carrots on the weekend. But if you don’t eat healthy the rest of the time, what good does eating those carrots do? My guess is probably not much, no matter how high a quality those carrots are (I use carrots in this example because I eat them daily, AND I do a lot of other things to make sure I am ‘eating healthy’). It would probably be better to eat a few standard store bought carrots every day, than to eat a few high quality ones every now and then (or apples; I find wisdom in the saying, An apple a day keeps the doctor away).

I believe Rishi’s answer to a related question, “Which is the best tea to drink?” helps somewhat to summarize. Their answer: The one you will drink EVERY DAY. That’s what sticks with me.

Depending on how you define quality. To me, for most green tea, a universal standard of quality is freshness. I can like relatively cheap tea and drink a lot of it. But when a green tea loses freshness, I would rather drink less of fresh tea or switch to non-green teas.

I say put both hands together. I would opt for higher quality and quantity!
All joking aside, I would prefer a smaller amount of high quality tea over a larger amount of lower quality. I just want to enjoy what I have.

Tea, green tea and the occasional high quality like Matcha Green Japanese tea for example is my definition of quality in the cup. We, I cant’ afford a $90 plus package of Matcha to drink this daily, all day long; it would not be healthy in the longer run of things.

I am not expert either.

Thank you all very much for your replies.

Yes, I was referring to health benefits in my question. I was trying to keep it vague to see what kind of responses would come in.

I drink low grade DragonWell all day long. I probably make 4-6 24oz pots a day.

I sometimes wonder if I fell into a “more is better” routine and if drinking a high quality gyokuro (or other fine tea) a few times a day would be better for my health.

I think I will stick to my current plan. I do agree that drinking tea consistantly throughout the day is probably better for flushing out toxins, etc.

I think maybe I will make one more change. In an effort to put both hands together, I will drink one pot of higher quality green tea as my first tea in the morning. Maybe that will help me get out of bed.

Thank you all very much.

Both! Why don’t you get yourself one lower quality tea for everyday usage and one high quality tea for special occasions?

For example, I use cheap brand of a relatively good loose Gunpowder green tea, available at local stores, that leads me into my working days, and a premium quality Dragon Well on reserve for times of self-indulgence.

I don’t believe in drinking tea solely for the health benefits. I personally don’t buy into the tea-is-a-miracle-cure hype. It’s better for you than, say, soda, but it’s not magic.

I consider “high-quality” teas to be teas from confirmed estates, of a high grade, freshness, etc, and “low-quality” to be teas which may not be as fresh, or may be blended or heavily flavored or whatnot.

I drink a mix. I just think you should drink what makes you happy.

I think whatever we believe in works for us :)
I believe in eating fresh grapefruit and sweet potatoes and drinking tea. I don’t eat grapefruit daily by any means but boy when I’m feeling cruddy – I have hubby run down the road to the fruit farm and pick me up a couple of grapefruits and I perk up right away. Mind of matter perhaps, lacking in citrus vitamins maybe, or just that I think it will make me feel better. Whatever it is if you THINK something is going to help you and BELIEVE that it is – it will. To me that’s magical :) My two cents anyway :)