Are you looking to up your intake of tea, to gain a healthier form of caffeine for your day? Are you unsure of the difference between green tea and black tea? If so, then you need to learn all you can about the benefits of drinking black tea vs green tea.
Neither one is necessarily healthier than the other. The difference in color occurs because black tea is oxidized, but it’s still incredibly powerful and beneficial to your overall health.
See below for an in-depth guide listing several benefits of both black tea and green tea, so that you can decide which one to try first!
What Are the Similarities?
As you might imagine, despite their differences in color, both black tea and green tea share some health benefits. That’s good news for you, as you won’t miss out on the health benefits of one due to a preference for either black or green tea.
First, both versions can offer you improved brain function. They both have a healthy dose of caffeine which acts as a natural jolt to your brain. This can help you improve your mood, quicken your reaction time, help you retain focus, and make you more aware throughout your day.
Green tea tends to contain a bit less caffeine per serving, but it’s not a large enough difference that you would notice more energy drinking one vs the other.
Second, black tea and green tea can promote good heart health. Both versions include the polyphenol known as flavonoids. Flavonoids are essential for protecting your heart, as they’ve been scientifically proven to prevent plaque in your blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol, and lower your blood pressure.
To sum it all up, both green tea and black tea make for a tremendous addition to your everyday intake. Who wouldn’t want their brain or heart to perform better?
Make sure you head over to https://nmteaco.com/ to stock up on all kinds of tea essentials, including loose leaf tea, herbs, and spices.
Which One Is Healthier?
Without further ado, let’s get to the primary question of the article: which one is is healthier for you, black tea or green tea?
We would answer that they’re both healthy for you. However, we don’t want you thinking that this entire article was based on a cop-out. So let’s dive into the different benefits of each.
Black tea offers all of the aforementioned benefits that were listed above. One distinct difference is that they contain a different type of polyphenol, theaflavins, that green tea does not contain. That’s because those theaflavins come when the black tea leaves are being oxidized.
The result is more protection for your entire circulatory system: heart, vessels, etc. They reduce the amount of nitric oxide in your bloodstream as well.
Green tea, on the other hand, contains an antioxidant known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, but we’ll just refer to it as “EGCG” for short. This powerful polyphenol has been tied to prevent things like the growth of cancer cells, killing off bacteria, and preventing the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.
So back to the question of “which one is better?”, we recommend drinking them both. No matter how frequently you drink tea, try alternating between the two to get as many polyphenols and health benefits as possible!
How Are They Processed?
We’ve referred to the term “oxidation” a few times in this article already; that’s the primary difference between black tea and green tea.
With black tea, the leaves are exposed to oxygen for a bit, which is when the leaves start to turn black. Oxidation occurs with all vegetables, fruits, and plants over time. As we pointed out, oxidation is what produces the theaflavins for you to enjoy.
Green tea, on the other hand, is intentionally kept away from oxidation. They’re immediately steamed to retain the green color and the EGCGs within them.
Which One Tastes Better?
This is a question that we get quite often. Which one tastes better, black tea or green tea? The answer probably depends on the person, the blend, the brand, and so forth.
We’ll answer that question with this answer: black tea tends to have a bit more flavor. Green tea is very light, but with a planty, earthy taste. Black tea, on the other hand, has a taste of spices and even fruitiness at times.
It all depends on the tea you’ve purchased, so make sure you purchase from a tea company that really knows their stuff.
Where Do They Come From?
For both, the primary answer would be China. However, different places within Asia and India are known for growing black tea or green tea.
Green tea is generally grown in China and Japan. This might derive from both cultures putting a heavy emphasis and care into heating the tea leaves as soon as they’re picked.
Black tea is grown in China, but distinct versions of black tea are grown in India, such as Assam Tea and Golden Yunnan tea.
Don’t worry, though, this doesn’t affect your ability to get your hands on them. Just like the link we placed above, there are plenty of tea companies that can help you out.
Black Tea vs Green Tea: Drink Both
Now that you have seen the difference between black tea vs green tea, be sure to purchase them both for you and your family to drink.
Take the time to browse our website for more articles on the benefits of drinking black tea, as well as many other topics that you will enjoy.