Green Tea vs Black Tea, which one is healthier?
That’s a popular concern we’ll try to sort out in the following blog…
Tea has been an essential part of every household for centuries. Who in this world will not love to start his day with a cup of hot tea?
Tea also is the most common way to welcome our guests. Even the most powerful leaders of the world gathered to discuss global issues over the tea party.
Tea comes in a thousand different varieties, textures, flavors, and aromas. This is the only beverage that has broken the class barriers of society. The richest, the elitist, the middle class or the poor tea entertains everyone equally.
So what is so special about green tea and black tea? Why do we need to discuss Green tea vs Black Tea?
These types of tea have a reputation for providing enormous health benefits to their users. The myth that tea, in general, can damage the liver will vanish today as we progress with this blog.
If you are curious to know all about green tea then you have come to the right place.
To begin with, let’s first start with Green tea. What exactly is green tea? Why is it so popular among health-conscious people? How is it prepared? And what are their type and advantages?
What is Green Tea?
This plant is found natively in abundance in China and India. The Chinese and the Indians used it as herbs for medicinal purposes but in the modern age, Green tea cultivation is common all across the world.
The prime difference between Green and black tea is that Green tea does not go through the same oxidation and withering process as black tea goes.
To understand it in a more detailed manner let’s see what it takes in preparing green tea. Almost all the tea comes from the same plant but the difference between Black tea vs green tea lies in the way their harvesting is done and prepared for packaging.
Green tea is never oxidized or left to wither in any form. They are simply heated using a fry pan or steam to prevent withering or oxidation and thus they retain their greenish tea plant color.
The taste of green tea depends on various factors such as the amount of rainfall the area receives, the texture of the soil, the temperature, etc. There are many varieties of green tea out of which two are of utmost importance.
Types of Green Tea
According to the way of preparing, Green Tea can be of the following types:
#1: Chinese Green Tea
As the name suggests, these tea grow in tea gardens that stretch from the coast and the highlands to the mountains. The youngest leaves and buds are hand plucked and then pan-fried before packaging.
It is very rare to find steam-dried green tea in china. Some of the finest green tea found in china are Long Jing or the Dragonwell and Gun powder green tea.
#2: Japanese Green Tea
Japanese Green tea is steam-dried rather than pan-fried and unlike Chinese, Japanese pluck the green tea leaves using machines.
Japanese grow green tea leaves in shades to preserve the chlorophyll which gives these leaves a vibrant green texture.
Matcha green tea and Gyokuro are the most popular types of green tea found in Japan.
Having understood the basics of green tea let’s move on to black tea and try to understand despite coming from the same plant how is it different from green tea.
What is Black Tea?
Black tea also comes from the same plant “Camellia Sinensis’’. The main difference between black and green tea is in the way they are manufactured.
Unlike green tea, black tea undergoes a heavy oxidation process called fermentation. In fermentation, the green young tea leaves are left out to wither to reduce the moisture presence.
The leaves are then rolled either by hands or by machines in such a way that small breaks appear on the surface leaves. Through these cracks, oxygen interacts with the enzymes present in the leaf which turns it into black color.
At last, these leaves undergo a frying process in the oven in order to stop the oxidation process and are then packed.
Similar to Green tea, black tea also has thousand of types but they are mainly classified into three major types.
Types of Black Tea
There are the following types of Black Tea:
#1: Chinese Black Tea
Black teas which grow in the Anhui province are Keemun black tea. Keemun tea like wine has fruity flavors but also has some hints of pine and tobacco. Yunnan black tea is richer than Keemun black tea as it comes in spiced, chocolate, and malty flavors.
#2: Ceylon Black Tea
Ceylon black tea is a tea that grows in Sri Lanka. The tea found in this region has a strong chocolaty and spicy taste and aroma.
#3: Indian Black Tea
Found in lush green valleys and slopes of Assam, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri, the Indian black tea offers various profiles of black tea varying from malty to fruity in taste.
Different preparation methods yield different health benefits of having Black tea or green tea.
Depending upon the problems faced by an individual one should decide what goes in their cup of tea. To make it easier for you we have put some key advantages of having a cup of black tea vs green tea difference on health.
Which is the Healthier Option?
Black tea due to going through the process of fermentation loses some of the useful compounds in the process still has so much to offer to our body.
Black Tea Benefits:
#1: Aids in Weight Loss
It is one of the prominent black tea benefits. Having a regular cup of black tea results in weight loss as suggested by research conducted in 2014 for over three months.
Because of the presence of caffeine which boosts body metabolism, one can consider black tea as a pre workout drink.
#2: Mind Booster
Black tea contains a higher amount of caffeine and therefore it helps us to stay focused and alert over a long period of time.
Some of us might wonder that despite coming from the same plant why does black tea have more caffeine than green tea. Well! We need to thank the fermentation process through which the black tea is prepared for having more caffeine presence.
#3: Heart Shield
The presence of caffeine in black tea is still moderate and it protects our heart by lowering LDL cholesterol levels.
A high level of LDL cholesterol can lead to serious heart disease and even heart attacks
Green tea on the other hand yields more health benefits as the leaves are not present in an oxidized form. Some of the health benefits of green tea differ from that of Black Tea.
Green Tea Benefits:
#1: Reduces weight
Green tea when combined with regular exercise and diet yields faster weight loss results.
Caffeine and catechins present in green tea speed up the metabolic rate of our body and we burn calories faster. Green tea for weight loss is a safe option for all those who are planning to lose weight.
#2: Body Detoxifier
Green tea has an exceptional quality of flushing out toxic wastes from our bodies and thus is a powerful detoxifier drink.
#3: Prevents Cancer
Catechins such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and antioxidants present in green tea protects cells from a mutation that otherwise can lead to cancer.
Green tea is also excellent for our heart health.
#4: Immunity Booster
Green tea contains tannins that help us fight viruses that are responsible for the common cold and influenza.
A cup of green tea daily can be a great immunity booster for all of us.
This blog aimed to draw a comparison between Black tea vs Green tea.
Let’s see in the conclusion what’s the result…
Conclusion
However, I feel that both black tea and green tea contain powerful compounds that provide us with a lot of health benefits.
They both are responsible for keeping our immune system healthy; they both are good for our heart and they both assist in weight loss.
It’s up to your situation and taste to decide which one works the best for you, but whatever you drink please try to avoid adding milk and sugar in it as it destroys the original taster of the tea leaves.
Enjoy your cup of tea the way it is. Cheers!
