I have regularly talked about my preference to the age old question, “Green Tea or Black Tea” or “Green Tea vs. Black Tea”. If you are questioning whether you should pick Green Tea or Black Tea as your beverage of choice, I hope to give you some insight on the differences.
Let's get the obvious over right away, however, and say you don't have to choose. Certainly you can drink a nice balance of green tea and black tea in your diet. Both are fine beverages and much better than a lot of alternative beverages, like soda. The fact that you are even thinking about tea is a step in the right direction.
You may also want to consult your taste buds before deciding as well, because you may prefer the taste of green tea over black tea or vice versa. Therefore, you may not want to make this decision ( Green Tea or Black Tea ) based purely on the facts, let your tastebuds have a say in whether you will be drinking green tea or black tea. If you don't care for black tea at all, there is probably not much chance of you drinking it.
Green Tea or Black Tea
For me, and strictly for me, my answer to the question Green Tea or Black Tea was obvious - GREEN TEA. I based this on 3 decisions.
- Green Tea is Richer in Antioxidants - Green tea is better for you, because it is higher in polyphenols, which are responsible for all the health benefits of tea. The oxidation ( sometimes said as fermentation ) process that oolong tea and black tea experience destroy many of the polyphenols found in the original green tea leaf. Therefore, taste aside, if you are looking to maximize the health benfits of tea, the answer to Green Tea or Black Tea question is simple - GREEN TEA.
- Green Tea Has Less Caffeine - The main side effects of tea have to do with its caffeine content. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you may experience anxiety, lack of sleep, irritability, etc. Once again, the oxidation process that oolong tea and black tea experience increases their caffeine content. If you are sensitive to caffeine or just want to limit your intake, once again, the answer to Green Tea or Black Tea question is simple - GREEN TEA.
- Green Tea Doesn't Stain Your Teeth As Much - For about 3 months I sampled a number of black teas so that I was familiar with their quality, taste differences, etc. Much to my dismay, I noticed a huge staining of my teeth due to the darkness of the black tea compared to green tea. I have been drinking green tea for 5+ years, and had never experienced a drastic staining of my teeth as I did with black tea. Although periodic use of whitening strips will return your teeth to a whiteness, I just didn't like the obvious darkening of my teeth when drinking black tea. Hence, the answer to the Green Tea or Black Tea question was simple for me yet again - GREEN TEA.
If you are looking for a tea richer in antioxidants, lower in caffeine, and has the least amount of staining on your teeth, you will want to drink green tea. Like I said, I have been drinking green tea for 5+ years, and I feel healthier for it.
If you are new to green tea and looking for advice on which green tea to drink I highly recommend any of the following green teas, with Japan Green Tea being my favorite, and Sencha being the tea that I tend to drink daily.
Best Green Tea
Green Tea Information