What are the differences between Green and Black teas?

This is a 2 parts question. First is how are Green and Black teas compared to each other from a production stand point? Second is what and how are they different as end products? Now lets expend on them and discuss further.

Firstly, lets take a look at how Green and Black teas are produced. Green and Black teas are both produced from the same plant which is called Camellia Sinensis. The sub cultivars of each tea maybe different, but they all belong to the Camellia Sinensis family.

The oxidation process is what sets Green and Black teas apart. Green tea is very lightly oxidized (less than 1%-15%), where as Black tea is fully oxidized. The oxidation is a process which the chlorophyll in the tea leaves is enzymatically broken down. Tannins are also released during the oxidation. This oxidation process is often times referred to as "fermentation" in the tea industry.

Green and Black teas got their name from the colors of the produced tea leaves. Because most of the chlorophyll is preserved, Green tea still retain the green appearance of the plant. Black tea appear black because the chlorophyll is broken down.

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Secondly, lets look at the differences between them as final products. Although both types of tea are rich in antioxidants, Green tea is richer in antioxidants than Black tea due to a lower oxidation level.

Studies have found that Both Green and Black tea may help boosting our energy and keeping us alert. Black tea has more caffeine than Green tea. 1 g of black tea has 22 to 28 mg of caffeine, while 1 g of green tea has 11to 20 mg of caffeine. The energizing effect is why Black tea is a stable breakfast drink in many parts of the world.

Some long term studies have shown that Black tea is beneficial to our cardiovascular system. This means regular and long term consumption may help in maintaining a healthier heart.

For Green tea, researches show that the catechins and other nutrients in Green tea may help lowering the blood sugars. Drinking 2 to 3 cups of Green tea is also believe to be very beneficial in weight control.

The conclusion

In conclusion, both Green and Black tea are healthy and can be very beneficial to our health. However, in order to reap the benefits of tea, we need to establish a habit of consuming 2-3 cups of tea a day every day. So the key here is to find the teas that we love to enjoy. Because if we enjoy the experience of drinking tea, it is then very naturalto establish a long term and consistent consumption of this healthy beverage.

So if you are already a regular tea drinker, stick to your favorite teas. If you are new to tea, try different types of teas and find some that you love to enjoy! Cheers

Matcha is rich in antioxidants, fiber, amino acids, vitamins, carotenes and many other nutrients. It is delicious and nutritious. Add this superfood to your diet and enjoy all the great benefits. Matcha is  very versatile and easy to use. Whisk it up for enjoyment, mix it with drinks, smoothies, or shakes. Cook with it, baking with it, and just be creative with this wonderful ingridient. 

Matcha is a big energy booster and is packed with nutrients such as antioxidants, fiber, amino acids and many more.

The easiest way to add Matcha to your diet is adding it your smoothies and shakes. 

For two 12 oz. servings of smoothies. We blended 4 bananas, 5 strawberries, 1 grapefruit, and 1 heaping teaspoon of Matcha green tea powder.

Below is a link to our products

 https://www.beantowntea.com/matcha-selection/

Enjoy!

What is Cold Brewed Tea

Cold brewed tea is tea steeped in cold water for an extended period of time.

Pictured above is Sencha green tea cold brewed for 12 hours.

The process brews the tea leaves slowly, using time rather than temperature to release the flavors. Free form catechins(antioxidants) and tanning acids, which are good for the human body, are more dissolvable and readily released in cold brewing as opposed to regular hot brewing. In addition, the amount of caffeine released from cold brewing tea is only half of the caffeine released from regular hot tea brewing.

How to Cold Brew

• Use cold water or iced water to brew tea. (It takes longer to brew tea with iced water).
• Ratio of tea leaves to water is usually 1:50 by weight (you can adjust the ratio according to your taste).
• Put loose tea or tea bags into a water container filled with cold or room temperature water.
• Put the container into the refrigerator. * Do Not Put It In Freezer
• Tea leaves which come in stripped form such as green tea, black tea or flat/wavy Oolong tea (Pouchong) should be brewed in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. We recommend 4-12 hours.
• Tea leaves that are rolled such as Jade Oolong and Ti kuan Yin should be brewed in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. We recommend 6-12 hours.
• Strain the tea leaves and enjoy the refreshing cold brewed tea. And if you have excess tea left over, put it back to the refrigerator (remember to strain the leaves).