ask: White tea vs. green tea - Which one is better for my health?
I've read and heard so much over the last few years about the benefits of tea, particularly white vs. green tea. I've heard that green tea is loaded with antioxidants but frankly, I think the taste is a little harsh. However, I love the subtle flavor of white tea, but not sure if it's as good for me as the green. Does anyone know the health benefits of green vs. white tea? Thanks
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What makes one tea different from another is whether or not it's fermented.
Black tea is the most fermented, while green is not.
White tea, once a rarity reserved for Chinese royalty, is the fluff of the tea bud and, therefore, more expensive.
The antioxidant properties are basically the same. The flavors are different, white tea being very light and almost "sweet."
Brew to the flavor, not to the color.
Hope this helps.
June 23, 2008 - 4:19pmThis Comment
Actually white tea contains as much as 3 times the amount of antioxidants of green tea. Apparently it also trumps green tea when it comes down to other health related benefits, see: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040526070934.htm and http://teascapes.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/green-tea-vs-white-tea-antioxi... for more info.
June 18, 2009 - 3:40pmI am hesitant to accept bold generalizations that white tea contains more antioxidants than green tea. People who are selling white tea will usually tell you that it has more antioxidants. Do a google scholar search though...and you'll quickly find that it's very complex and hardly clear-cut.
White tea is really diverse. Silver Needle or Bai Hao Yinzhen is a very light white tea made only out of buds, which contain more caffeine. Shou Mei, on the other hand, is a very dark-colored white tea, almost like an oolong...it contains larger leaves, fewer buds, and more stem...and has less caffeine. The antioxidants are mostly the same chemicals that give tea its unique aroma--and because these teas taste so different, they obviously have different antioxidant properties. Are they both equally beneficial or is one better than another? Who knows?
The same can be said of green teas. Dragon Well Tea is pan-fired, whereas Sencha is steamed, and Hojicha is (heavily) roasted.
There are very few studies out there that compare different styles of green tea to each other, or white tea or black tea for that matter. The few studies that I have read, however, suggested that each type of tea can have radically different chemical profiles. So...likely some of them are better for you than others.
I think the safest thing to do is to drink lots of different kinds.
:-)
October 6, 2009 - 1:55pm