Arian said

What is the healthiest type of green tea?

Hi Everyone,

I am new here… but I’ve been reading up on green tea, and have found that each type of green tea has different health benefits and healthiness varies from one another. I want to start a discussion where steepsters would rate what they think is the top 5 most heathy variety of green tea. (give a reason why and supporting evidence too!)

Thanks in advance!

8 Replies

probably matcha since you are consuming the leaf rather than drinking a steeping of it.

" In 2003, researchers from the University of Colorado found that the concentration of the antioxidant EGCG available from drinking matcha is at least three times greater than the amount of EGCG available from other commercially available green teas. Matcha is also said to boost metabolism and help reduce cholesterol levels when it is drunk regularly. The aforementioned health benefits of matcha green tea can largely be attributed to the fact that the whole tea leaf is ingested, as opposed to just the steeped water in the case of ‘bagged’ green teas. This means that it delivers a much higher potency of catechins, chlorophyll, and antioxidants. By weight, matcha contains more antioxidants than blueberries, wolfberries, pomegranates, orange juice and spinach."
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matcha

though thinking about it.. by weight eating as much matcha as a serving of pomegranate will have you hopped up on so much caffeine ya probably wouldn’t sleep for a day (unless yer one of those super tolerant caffeine types)

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alice said

I’d say whichever green tea you enjoy most. Don’t force yourself to drink something just because it is “healthier” if you are not going to enjoy it.

I think a lot of the health claims of tea are greatly over exaggerated. That said, if you replace sugary drinks with unsweetened tea (or even just water), you’ve already done wonders for your health. From there I’d just pick something that you really enjoy drinking and that makes you happy, happiness is a big part of health after all :)

sansnipple said

plus most of the research behind those exaggerated heath claims doesn’t actually distinguish between different types of tea at all and is just about tea in general (usually the researchers use a single off the shelf bagged black tea and extrapolate any findings to all tea). or even when it is specifically about green tea, there’s no actual research distinguishing between different green teas, there’s thousands of different types out there, clinically testing them all is impossible, and being a natural agricultural product every harvest is chemically different.

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There are some notables difference among the major types :white, green, black, puerh…

White generally has the highest number of antioxidants and good if you are looking to maximize potential cancer prevention benefits.

Something in the oxidation process that creates black tea also creates a compound that is good for cholesterol management, though some sources claim that adding milk compromises the benefits.

the fermentation of puerh also creates unique compounds that aren’t present in the other types of tea.

So, maximum benefit = drink a variety of everything. Or, drink whatever tea you like and know at the very least that regardless of the amount of “good”, you aren’t doing anything bad :)

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I’m just new and also interested in green tea. Thanks for all the information.

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ashmanra said

I have heard that Dragonwell, also called Lung Ching or Long Jing, is. Harney and Sons sells a tea that was put together after testing in a lab, blending for the highest level of antioxidants. I believe it is Angiogenesis Tea and profits benefit a cancer study. Matcha is probably the highest in all the good things because you are consuming the entire leaf and not just the extract of the leaf. It may be an acquired taste, though! I would just enjoy them all! Plus, if you love black tea and will drink three times more of it, isn’t it better for you in the long run than a cup of another kind of tea that you have to force down one cup? :) So drink the ones you love! You never know what goodies they may find in other kinds! I have read that white is best for antioxidants, the green, and that black tea is highest in flavonoids that protect your blood vessels, although purple tea is higher. You only use half as much purple tea, though, so is that what they based the study on?

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A large variety of natural unprocessed food is best for health. Each food provides its own benefit and each type of antioxidant is necessary. I’m sure the same idea applies to tea. Drink a variety. Learn and enjoy. :)

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