OK, sure it’s obvious that green tea and black tea are dissimilar to one another, but what are the key differences? Well, they vary in terms of how they are processed, their health benefits, caffeine level, and even their taste, and how they are consumed.
Since these are quite a few differences, here is a breakdown of how these teas really measure up against one another:
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Now, the piece of information that you are most interested in is which type of tea has the most health benefits for you.
Green tea tends to be hyped up as having more health benefits and, to a certain extent, this is actually true. See, green and black tea get most of their beneficial properties from compounds known as antioxidants.
Black tea contains antioxidants known as theaflavins, while green tea is higher in compounds known as EGCG. However, both these components tend to have similar antioxidant activities. Therefore, they can produce similar benefits.
However, researchers discovered that with commercial teas, green tea has a higher antioxidant capacity per serving. Due to this, you can gain a greater number of health advantages by drinking green tea. In this instance, green tea would be deemed as the healthier option.
Here are the top positive properties associated with green tea:
These are the top advantages associated with black tea:
Like green tea, black tea can also help to maintain blood sugar levels, improve weight loss attempts, and reduce cholesterol. However, green tea tends to have a greater impact in this areas and thus is seen as the better option for such disorders.
As mentioned, black and green tea do have similar antioxidant activity. As a result, they do have similar levels of effectiveness.
To begin with, there is evidence that both teas can help to reduce inflammation in the body. In turn, this phenomenon can help to minimize the build-up of plaque within the arteries, improving your heart health over a longer period of time.
There is also some indication that teas can improve vascular reactivity. This means that your body may not have as intense reactions to stress. Such an effect could help to lower your chances of being diagnosed with stress-related health issues.
Green and black tea can help to lower your LDL cholesterol level which is known as “bad” cholesterol. The teas also work to lower and stabilize your blood pressure. Once again, these benefits could prevent a number of different cardiovascular issues.
Now, in population based studies, it was found that people who drank either black or green tea were less likely to suffer from strokes or heart attacks. While tea no doubt plays a role, researchers were unclear as to whether the teas were the main reason for this phenomenon.
It is a well-established fact that there is caffeine in tea, but most people automatically assume that black tea has the most amount of caffeine. However, this isn’t the case at all.
Unlike what many people believe, there isn’t a correlation between the tea type and the level of caffeine in the leaves. Instead, the amount of caffeine is dependent on the type of tea leaves as well as how the tea leaves are grown, processed, and brewed.
In fact, the main reason that people assume black tea has more caffeine is due to the way it is brewed. You will use hotter water and steep the leaves for longer. This allows for a greater amount of caffeine to make its way into your cup.
There is also the fact that the Assamica varietal tends to have more caffeine than the Chinese variation. To add to this, teas that are grown in the shade have more caffeine than those that are grown in the sun.
If the plucked leaves contain more tips and buds than stems, then they will have more caffeine. As for processing, highly rolled and powdered teas have more amounts of caffeine than looser whole leaves.
So, you can’t really tell whether a particular brand of green tea is going to have more or less caffeine than a black tea from another manufacturer. Instead, you will have to check individual values and make this decision for yourself.
As both green and black teas are derived from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, the main way that they differ is in how they are processed. In short, black teas are oxidized while green tea leaves are not.
All tea leaves are withered. Once this process is over, though, black tea leaves are bruised to release certain enzymes and compounds. Then, the leaves are left in an open air area where the oxidation process will take place.
With green tea leaves, however, this process is halted. This is accomplished by mildly heating the leaves. This destroys the enzymes that encourage oxidation. The process also works to preserve the flavor of the green tea leaves.
In some countries like China, the leaves are gently heated in a wok. In places like Japan, though, the green tea leaves are steamed. The method of heating will determine the final flavor of the green teas.
Of course, when most people think of differences between green and black tea, they immediately imagine the taste. This is because these two teas have vastly different aromas and flavor profiles. This is to do with how they are processed.
Now, there is no standard for how green tea can taste. The exact flavor will depend on the variety of tea grown, where it is grown, how it is green, and how it is processed. More often than not, though, green tea will be described as being astringent, grassy, and vegetal. It may also have floral undertones.
Black tea, on the other hand, is often thought of as robust and dark. As with green tea, though, the flavor profile can vary quite a bit. This means that certain teas can be slightly more malty while others can be considered bitter.
Black tea works well with milk and sugar as well as lemon and other citrus fruits. Green tea, however, should be drunk as is without any other flavor additions.
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Here are the top differences between green tea and black tea. There may be more variations and similarities than you initially realized, but the results are nonetheless interesting.
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