Insight

I think everybody knows tea. Our lives are tightly connected to that plant but do you really know the differences between each one? What are the benefits and downsides of black, green, and matcha? I will try to do my best to explain it to you very simply and not so long way. Of course, there are more types of teas out there, I just wanna explain those most common ones. All of them are made from the same plant called Camellia Sinensis. All of them contained EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) but not all of them equally. Black tea has the smallest amount of that remarkable polyphenol, matcha the most of it. All of them have pros and cons and u have to decide which one to pick or not.

Black tea

How is black tea made? Leaves need to be wilt (or wither), roll, oxidize, and dry. During rolling releases enzymes and essential oils. It is during the oxidizing process tea changes its color from green to brown. Drinking black tea every day increases fat loss as well as helps the liver to get rid of fat, can prevent lung damage from smoking, its antioxidants and phytonutrients can start skin healing processes, it’s good for upset stomach and treating diarrhea, it’s also used in hair care, it is blood thinner, has an anti-inflammatory effect, and I’m sure has other great benefits. And now what downsides our black tea has! Black tea has the most caffeine of all teas so drinking many cups a day is unsafe. High caffeine levels from tea can damage adrenals, sleep disruption, or even insomnia, which can increase blood pressure. Also, kidneys are at risk of getting stones from high levels of oxalates in black tea. Can cause:

1. nausea
2. heartburn
3. headache
4. dizziness
5. pregnancy complications

The outcome for me: I think pros are equal cons and I don’t like a taste of that kind of tea so for me no. I don’t drink black tea but feel free to drink it or use it as a topical product. It’s totally your decision.

Green tea

So green tea leaves are quickly heated by a pan firing or steaming and dried right after harvesting to prevent their oxidation. This way they preserve their green color. Studies suggest drinking it in the morning or as a pre-workout because of its caffeine and L-Theanine content. We can apply all (or almost all) benefits of black tea to green as well just green is more potent in all of them (or almost all of them). Green tea can also help with acne pimples and scares as a topical agent on its own or as an addition to your favorite face cream. The main agent that helps for everything from anti-inflammation to skin is a compound called EGCG. It’s a very strong and potent antioxidant agent for longevity as well. For a sufficient daily amount of EGCG, we need a lot of cups of green tea though, which is not possible and also not recommended and I will explain why. In my eyes is green tea a lot better than black tea but even this one has its own minuses. Drinking much of it worsen:

1. Anemia
2. Anxiety
3. Bleeding disorders

When it’s drunk on an empty stomach can cause liver damage and stomach disorders by its high toxicity. On the other hand, some studies recommend drinking it on the empty stomach so…??? Conclusion: I don’t drink it on the empty stomach and I also don’t drink it every day. Rather than that, I take EGCG as a supplement. I don’t take those oxalates with it and take a sufficient amount of what helps. I like the taste of green tea though so I enjoy it from time to time.

Matcha tea

Black and green are made after leaves are harvested but the journey of matcha started even before. How is that possible? Let’s dive in. Tea plants for matcha tea are grown in shades. Yes, literally in shade without or very little sunlight to let them fight for the living, and that’s why they release a lot of life protecting and life-saving properties. That’s why is matcha tea so dark. Leaves are ground into powder when are properly dried. That kind of tea is primarily grown in Japan. The process is long and requires a lot of labor so that’s why is matcha so expensive. Also, for its benefits. Matcha is very high in EGCG. It’s the most researched polyphenol recently. It helps:

• the cardio-vascular system
• fight diabetes type 2
• to fight cancer
• weight loss
• longevity

and many others. We still don’t know how beneficial it is. Of course, we can apply for all black and green tea benefits here as well. In my opinion, is matcha the safest and healthiest of all teas but even here we have to say, in moderation!!! When is drunk in high amounts there are many minor and no harmful side effects occurring on resistant persons which get used to drinking coffee. Yes, matcha tea has a lot of caffeine so that is why somebody can experience the side effects of black. Some studies suggested a lot of matcha can cause cancer of the esophagus but…

Preparation

Please don’t put milk in your matcha. The milk sticks to the polyphenols, which alters (not in a good way) the bioavailability of the matcha, and all the goodies just flush through. Smelly water results in smelly matcha tea. Use filtered water or bottled water to ensure that your matcha will taste amazing every single time. Never brew it with boiling water. This is one of the main reasons why your matcha tastes bad. We can actually apply this advice to all tea brewing procedures. All of the teas can be drunk while fasting. They have no significant impact on fasting and they even doubling autophagy because of caffeine and polyphenols but their antioxidants properties stop the production of your own antioxidants which are more beneficial so feel free to enjoy them if you decide so.