Why Green Tea Lovers also Share Love for Black Tea

Over time we have made you aware of the fact that all six types of teas are made one single plant Camellia Sinensis. Despite that, each of these teas are different from each other in some respects or the other. These changes are the result of the process carried out to make tea, after they have been plucked from the tea gardens. Starting from the colour and taste to health benefits and aroma, everything depends on the way the tea has been processed.Like every other type of tea, Black Tea and Green Tea have always been known for their refreshing taste and the benefits that they have to offer. Even though they differ in taste, colour and aroma, they have a lot to offer in common. A detailed analysis can help us understand better the similarities as well as the differences between the two.

Here are a few common benefits that the two have to offer:

Protect Your Heart:

Green and Black tea both are considered rich in a group of protective antioxidants called polyphenols. Specifically, both of them contain flavonoids, a subgroup of polyphenols. However, the difference lies in the type as well as the amount of flavonoids. The flavonoids in both green and black tea help to protect your heart. A study found that drinking green and black tea can lower your blood pressure as well. It is believed that people who drink 1–3 cups per day have a 19% and 36% reduced risk of heart attack and stroke respectively. Also, drinking three cups of black tea per day could reduce the risk of heart disease to a great extent.

Boost Your Brain Function:

Green and black tea both contain caffeine, only the amount of caffeine that they contain, may differ. The amount of caffeine in green tea is less as compared to black tea, which is 35 mg per cup, compared to 39- 109 mg for the same serving.

Caffeine not only stimulates your nervous system by blocking the inhibitory neurotransmitter adenosine but also aids the release of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Thus, caffeine can boost alertness and freshen up your mood instantly.

Green and black teas also contain the amino acid L-theanine, which is not present in coffee. Thus, these teas can be a very good replacement to coffee. There is slightly more L-theanine in green tea than black tea, though the amounts can vary considerably.

Other than this, depending upon the flavonoids and antioxidants present in them, there are some individual benefits of these two.

Presence of EGCG in Black Tea:

Green tea is an excellent source of the potent antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate which is considered the most powerful of all the anti-oxidants present in it and is responsible for many of green tea’s health benefits. Some of them are – protecting the body from Cancer cells, Alzheimer’s disease. Other than this, it will also help to protect your liver and keep your body and mind calm.

Beneficial Theaflavins in Black Tea

Theaflavins are a group of polyphenols that are unique to black tea, formed during the fermentation process. 3–6% of all polyphenols in black tea are a result of these theaflavins. Theaflavins too offer many health benefits. These polyphenols protect fat cells from damage by free radicals to support your body’s natural antioxidant production.

A study also shows that theaflavins present in black tea can lower the risk of plaque formation in blood vessels by reducing inflammation and increasing the availability of nitric oxide, which helps your blood vessels dilate. In addition, theaflavins significantly reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In fact, theaflavins in black tea may have the same antioxidant capacity as polyphenols in green tea which would again give rise to some common health benefits.

Another small difference between the two is that black tea is fermented whereas green tea is not. When Black Tea is made, the leaves are first rolled and then exposed to air to trigger the fermentation process. This reaction causes the leaves to turn dark brown and allows the flavours to intensify. On the other hand, green tea is pan-fried to prevent fermentation and thus, is much lighter in colour than black tea.

Which One Should You Choose?

As discussed above, both green tea and black tea contain powerful compounds that offer a number of health benefits. From keeping your immune system healthy to promoting heart health and weight loss, they have quite a lot of benefits to offer. If you need a solution to any of these problems, then good news is that you can choose the one that suits your taste the best.

The best thing about drinking tea is that, there are no side effects so you can surely experiment with their taste by mixing them with either spices, honey or milk and make the best cup for yourself.