Do you drink tea? Just within the past year I’ve started to develop a taste for it.
I’ve found it can be a nice substitution for coffee, when you’re say, someone who could drink coffee constantly and you’re trying not to. And tea does have less caffeine than coffee.
How much less, exactly? We’ll find out as we examine the difference between green tea and black tea.
Both green tea and black tea:
- Come from the Camellia sinensis plant.
- Involve the leaves being harvested and withered.
- Any variety of tea can be made green or black, even if it’s traditionally one or the other.
Green tea:
- The leaves are heated through steaming or pan-firing.
- The leaves are not fermented – they do not go through an oxidation process.
- Because it’s not fermented, it contains the antioxidant EGCG.
- Is more delicate than black – the leaves can burn if water is over-boiled.
- Has about 1/4 the caffeine coffee does.
- Has an earthy flavor.
Black tea:
- The leaves are torn or crushed.
- The leaves are allowed to oxidize before being dried.
- Has health benefits arguably as good as green tea’s.
- Has about 1/3 the caffeine coffee does.
- Has a strong, sweet flavor.
Although black tea usually has more caffeine than green, that isn’t always the case. According to the Mayo Clinic, green tea has between 24 and 45 mg of caffeine, and black tea is between 14 and 70 mg.
To recap: Green tea has a mild flavor and awesome antioxidants; black tea boasts a stronger flavor and different health perks, such as theaflavins. Black tea usually has more caffeine than green, but still less than coffee.