Green Tea Forum

MTHall49 · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 17

Anyone know if there is much of a difference in the health benefits of the best White Tea vs the best Green Tea? (Best in this case means best in terms of having the most potent health benefits)

linzoy · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Posts: 6

White tea has more antioxidants, and less caffeine, so I believe it's healthier. I like green tea better though, it tastes better.

wehayley · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 194

This may be a strange analogy, but think of it this way: two people on a rollercoaster, one loves it and the other is dreading every minute. The one who loves it will generate positive, beneficial responses in their body. The one who hates it will generate responses that are negative, even to the point of subverting their immune system or creating illness.

On paper the benefits (as I understand them) are pretty much as linzoy stated. BUT, if you really love green tea and don't care much for white, the benefits of drinking green are likely going to surpass white in the long run. Plus, you'll be more likely to drink more.

The benefits of the two are similar enough where your like or dislike will probably swing the results. Obviously, the same could not be said for... uh, let's say tea and muddy water (no matter how much you like mud)...

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

I think Wehayley's analogy is a good one. A bit extreme in terms of the illness... If you drink a drink you don't like, you may get an upset stomach, but the negative disposition torwards it is not going to create an illness in my opinion. It could however create a more negative mood which on some level can effect the immune system. But, in a sense, this is splitting hairs...

Ultimately, my opinion is that one should drink the tea they enjoy. And, I hate to say it, but if you're not fond of tea at all, why drink it? There are many ways of improving your health. Eating more fruits and vegetables for one would have a profound influence on ones health in my opinion. That being said, if you like tea consider yourself lucky becasue it does appear tea is unique in its capacity to be beneficial to health.

In terms of white tea having less caffeine, I really doubt this. The newest data I've seen has conveyed that caffeine is a complex issue and the level of oxidation doesn't necessarily play any role. For exmaple, gyokuro is very high in caffeine while bancha is not. They are both green tea however, same level of oxidation. I have always been under the beleif that yiin zhen is higher in caffeine than most green teas for example. The leaves are very young and caffeine packed in my opinion. I know this is a controversial issue. I read a very good article a ways back regarding what exactly gives tea its caffeine ----> http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/information/INFOnl_V13N1_Article_page1.asp
I wouldn't recommend green tea from this vendor, but the article is informative.

At the end of the day, I think green tea is much better in flavor than white tea. Furthermore, there is much more variety of taste as well. Try Yutaka Midori and Miyabi for example and you will understand.

Who knows, maybe green tea has unique properties that white tea does not even though it is believed that white tea may have more antioxidants!

At the end of the day, I believe we should drink what we enjoy. And, maybe the health benefits of white and green are so similar anyways.

Chip · Posted: Jan 07, 2007 9:55 am Post subject:

wehayley · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 194

Hi All,

My point is that if you engage in something you enjoy - all else being equal - you will likely derive greater benefit. The rollercoaster was simply to make the point graphic.

Most of what I've read indicates that pound for pound, white tea has less caffeine than green. Obviously, as Chip indicated, how much you use has to be factored in...

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

Caffeine level has never been a consideration for me at all. I know some freak out on it but I for one want it!

For awhile we were importing and selling some really nice silver needle white tea from China. It tasted pretty good but it didn't sell well and it was a real headache to get through Japanese quarantine so I gave up on it.

wehayley · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 194

Because of my occupation I tend to keep up on this sort of thing, and most of my reading indicates that caffeine in small amounts is generally fine, beneficial actually. In larger doses, such as what you find in many of today's energy drinks, it can create problems for some people.

I often recommend white and green tea to clients for various reasons. I've never had reason to recommend that someone not drink tea. The benefits of tea vastly outweigh the small amounts of caffeine it carries, and as I said, small amounts of caffeine have been shown to provide positive benefits.

Beyond that, there are lots of others factors that come into play: bodyweight, what else (food) you've ingested and how much, time of day, level of activity, etc...

embeijing · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 06 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

My understanding of the health benefits of white versus green is that white is just a little bit better. The reason being that white tea is picked and dried and packaged. There is no other step in there as there are with greens. Green teas are picked, dried - then steamed, rolled, wok fried or whatever depending on the style of green.
Therefore it would make sense that due to the minimal handling of white teas - that you are getting more of the antioxidents and health benefits since you are drinking tea made from the leaves basically straight off the plant.
White peony is one of my favorites. I think it has a more interesting flavor than white silver needle. However, the silver needle -bai hao yin zhen- is touted as the best. This is because it is the first silvery bud of the tea plant - whereas white peony also includes two leaves with the bud.

novice_crafter · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 16 Jan 2007 Posts: 6

silly question- does white tea contain as much "theanine"? That lovely little addition is why I use green tea as my primary source of caffiene=) Nothing like a nice mellow energy that aids in concentration- vs the jitters and making my short attention span even shorter!

I think the caffiene content isnt that important- as with green tea you can reduce it to a much smaller level simply by drinking the second "brewing".

Honestly I think its great that both teas contain antioxidants but you probably get more from fruits/veges. So I would probably drink both if I had a nice batch of white tea around but I dont think I could live without green tea=)

wehayley · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 20 Jun 2006 Posts: 194

The point about antioxidants and tea versus vegetables is well taken. However, the type of antioxidant has to be considered. The best known antioxidants are vitamins C, E, and betacarotene; fruits and vegetables are very high in these. Other very powerful antioxidants are the flavonoids EGEC and catechin. These are found most abundantly in tea plants and in vines. These are also water soluble and readily pass into tea's liquor. Tea's also high in vitamin C, but it is destroyed at temps over 86/30 degrees f/c...

As for theine, it's apparently the same molecule as caffeine, but the difference is how it's packaged by nature. Coffee contains more theine than tea. The theine in coffee is in a free state and is released very quickly into the blood stream (making coffee and "excitant"). In tea, theine is chained with polyphenols, which are not fully digested, and other bonds which are more slowly digested. So it's released into the bloodstream more gradually (and therefore a 'stimulant"). This is why tea's buzz is more mellow, but longer lasting.

Theine is more water soluble than polyphenols, so pouring off the first steep will result in a more mellow buzz (not that I plan on doing that)...

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

FYI, gyokuro and matcha are higher in theanine and lower in catechins. The reverse is true of sencha.