Green Tea: Different Types and Benefits

Overview

Did you know there are many types of Green Tea?

If you know then you must be a Tea nerd, also you must have explored so many teas. However, there are many benefits and there are some types which may help you in various health conditions. In this guide we discuss about which tea can give you best benefit for weight loss, cholesterol, diabetes, and thyroid. You also get to know about green tea variants so you know which one will be best for you.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is Green Tea?
3. Types of Green Teas
4. Which Green Tea is Best for Weight loss?
5. Which Green Tea is best for cholesterol?
6. Which Green Tea is Good for Diabetes?
7. Which Green Tea is Best for Thyroid?
8. Conclusion

Introduction

Sip your way to a healthy day. By drinking Green tea you are getting so many health benefits. Because it has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties. These can help you in various health problems. Also be aware of the aspect that it contains caffeine so It can be a bit troublesome for the people who are caffeine sensitive. Also it can cause some side effects by having too much in one day. Moreover, it originated in China, a country rich in tea history.

What is Green Tea?

It comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant. After harvesting, the tea leaves are quickly heated through pan firing or steaming and then dried to prevent excessive oxidation. Especially a brewed one is typically green, yellow, or light brown in colour. However, Green Tea contains caffeine. Moreover there are many types which differ rom the tastes, caffeine content, and benefit. There are products from green teas too for example, Green tea extract and green tea deep cleanse mask. These different types and these products almost all of them have similar health benefits compared to green tea. We should also try it without sugar that may help us more.

 

 

Different Types of Green Tea

There are many types it can go upto 12 different varieties. We will be discussing about 8 type of different ones.

1. Decaf 

The tea undergoes a decaffeination process. Its origin is Sri Lanka. The Camellia sinensis plant goes trough a Decaffeination process. This process is to make the caffeine content amount lower. Additionally it also contains caffeine but still lower amount than any tea. It’s best for the caffeine sensitive people and the ones who are trying caffeine withdrawal.

2. Sencha

A Chinese monk introduced Sencha tea to Japan and taught the art of rolling tea leaves instead of grinding them into a powder. Nagatani Soen, a tea merchant in Uji, Kyoto, developed the technique further, by steaming and drying the best green tea leaves before rolling them. The tea made by this painstaking process is Japan’s most well-known tea today. It has a moderate level of caffeine.

3. Matcha

Farmers create matcha by finely grinding specially cultivated and processed green tea leaves, which originally developed in China. However, japan perfected the vibrant green color we associate with modern matcha, and today, most matcha is produced there.The Japanese believe that drinking Matcha tea enhances meditation. However matcha has a lot of benefits and we shouldn’t overlook the fact that it contains high level of caffeine. It won’t be good for caffeine sensitive people.

4. Jasmine Leaf

Fresh jasmine flowers are kept with the tea leaves overnight, allowing them to infuse the leaves with their fragrance as they open. This process is repeated up to 10 times, giving the tea a strong jasmine fragrance and flavour. It also has high level of caffeine. This is universal favourite tea.

5. Gunpowder Tea

Gunpowder Tea features tightly rolled pellets that preserve freshness and aroma. It’s a unique tea originated from Chinese alchemists and is known for its strong, toasty flavor. There are numerous benefits for example, its rich in antioxidants, also helps in some medical problems. There are potential side effects. Which mainly happen because of caffeine content. For example nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, headaches, migraines, and heart palpitations. These only happen to the ones that are caffeine sensitive and only if consumed in higher levels.

6. Hojicha

Hojicha was created in the 1920s, when thrifty tea merchants tried to make the most of leftover green tea leaves by roasting them in porcelain pots over charcoal. This was originally found in Japan. Because of its mildness, it is a popular tea to serve during the evening meal, before sleep, and preferred for children and the elderly. Hojicha has a much lower caffeine content compared to others 0.13 g of caffeine for every 100 g. It also has the similar benefits as green tea.

7. Lotus tea

Fine green tea leaves wrapped in fresh lotus flower buds create a unique flavor and fragrance. This tradition comes from King Tu Duc of Vietnam’s Nguyen Dynasty. Legend has it that the king’s staff would row across the lotus lake in the palace garden to gather the flowers. They would wrap green tea leaves in the lotus buds and leave them overnight to soak up the flower's scent. Every morning, the artisans would bring back the fragrant tea leaves to brew the king a refreshing cup of Lotus tea. Today, this traditional practice remains unchanged, with artisans using approximately one thousand newly bloomed lotus flowers to produce just one kilogram of authentic Lotus tea.

8. Dragonwell Tea

This is made from hand-plucked leaves during the first flush of spring. After being harvested, the leaves are roasted immediately in woks and heated to the perfect temperature. The story of this tea dates back to 250 AD when villagers in China prayed to a dragon deep within the earth for water during a drought. Miraculously, the drought ended, and the village was named Dragon Well. In the 17th century, Emperor Qianlong visited Dragon Well and was so impressed by the tea's quality that he granted royal status to the village’s 18 Dragon Well Tea Trees.

 

Which Green Tea is Best for Weight loss?

Green tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet. It’s loaded with antioxidants and various plant compounds that may benefit your health. However, most studies on weight loss have focused on extracts or supplements, not the beverage. However it contains bioactive substances like caffeine and EGCG, which can have powerful effects on metabolism. There are various studies that shows matcha is the best one and there are some which shows other types are better but if we only look at the most overall health benefits, Matcha will be the best option. If you are looking for the fat-burning benefits of catechins, perhaps sencha is the best choice, just make sure you brew it with hotter water. It all kind of depends upon what you enjoy the most.

Which Green Tea is best for Cholesterol?

While every other green tea has similar benefits some differ from each other. The best one for cholesterol is Matcha. Matcha is a concentrated form. The leaves are ground into a powder, allowing you to ingest the entire leaf, which may provide more health benefits than regular tea. Although human studies on matcha are limited, an older animal study suggests that matcha may reduce the risk of kidney and liver damage while lowering blood sugar, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels. Additionally, matcha is more concentrated in antioxidants. If consumed higher than the recommended level it may cause some health problems.

Which Green Tea is Good for Diabetes?

Green tea itself is good for Diabetes, however if any of them show better results in diabetes prevention then its the better choice. Daily consumption of tea catechins may help in controlling type 2 diabetes. The extract has many naturally occurring biological components of which polyphenolic epicatechins are predominantly active. Additionally, Its better to consume the extract or try drinking matcha. Which has more antioxidants. Matcha is almost good for overall health benefits. It is a more concentrated version.

Which Green Tea is Good for Thyroid?

Green tea may help with thyroid disease specifically, hypothyroidism who need to lose weight, but its effects are rather minimal. You should avoid drinking large amounts of green tea or extracts because they may interact with thyroid medication. However, it is unclear whether compounds in the tea are solely responsible for this or if the anti-cancer benefits are due to the fact that people who drink green tea may be more likely to adopt a healthier lifestyle in general. Now we found out that it can help but its not a proven fact that it can help Thyroid.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion while green tea may have numerous benefits it still differs from its different types. Different teas have different benefits but are similar. Also most of the side effects can only cause if we consume higher than recommended levels. If we try to avoid consuming it in higher levels we could stay healthy. This blog has guided you through which type of green tea can benefit you most in some diseases, and also discussed about the various types of green teas. Don’t forget to try out different type of Teas there are many to try out for example, Pu-erh Tea.

Q&A Section

Q1. Is green tea more healthier than any regular Tea?

A1. Yes, its rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.

Q2. Does green contain caffeine?

A2. Yes, a cup usually contains around 25 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce serving.

Q3. Which type of Green Tea is Best?

A3. Matcha is the best one if you consider the overall health benefits.