It’s no secret that tea is healthy for you. The health benefits of tea have been recognized for thousands of years, but those seeking the seeped leaves benefits for health reasons rather than taste preference alone, have to wonder, which tea is the most beneficial to your health?
That’s a tricky question because all tea is made from the same plant, the Tea Tree or Camellia sinensis. The only difference between the four main variety of teas (this excludes blends with other plants) are their method of preparation.
Teas Method of Preparation:
Green tea is un-fermented or cooked, meaning its just cut tea leaves and has very minimal preparation.
White tea is prepared similar to green tea except tea buds and younger tea leaves are used.
Oolong tea is semi-fermented, or has been lightly cooked.
Black tea has been fully fermented for a bold, strong flavor.
All four varieties of tea have different health benefits and which are healthiest would depend strongly on what the consumer values as healthy. For article length sake we are going to skip all blends, or tea mixed with other plants, and all herbal tea which is tea made from other plants altogether to eliminate the caffeine content and change the flavor and focus on the two healthiest types of tea, White and Green due to their low processing.
The Two Healthiest Types of Tea:
Green Tea:
Green tea is most commonly thought to be the “healthiest” type of tea due to the low level of processes preserving more antioxidants. Green tea is also especially high in catechins, which are highly effective in preventing and treating a variety of forms of cancers. The antioxidant effects also prevent artery diseases, heart attack, stroke, and even common everyday viruses such as the flu. More recent studies also show that certain polyphenolsin tea increase bone density and reduce the effects of osteoporosis. The catechins, caffeine and theanine also combine to make green tea a proven aid in weight loss. Green tea is said to be an acquired taste and some do not like its flavor.
White Tea:
White tea is so similar to Green tea its health benefits are almost identical, except White tea contains far less caffeine (3/4 less!) which makes it a less effective weight loss aid and energy booster. However, because white tea contains the buds and young tea leaves it also has more antioxidants boosting its cancer fighting ability. White tea has the mildest flavor of all tea, but can be more expensive.
You’re basically getting the same health benefits from all tea however Green tea and White tea have increased levels of the chemicals that create those health benefits. This makes Green or White teas the most beneficial to your health. Choosing between White and Green is matter of taste, price bracket and desired effects from your tea.
You may also enjoy:
Pu-erh Tea: An Overview
The History of Tea
Black Tea: An Overview
Sources:
Overview of teas
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall05/hanna/index.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid;=146
Health benefits of White Tea
http://www.whiteteaguide.com/whiteteahealthbenefits.htm
