There's few things better than a brew - but how do you take yours?
Green tea has never been more popular - walk into most supermarkets and you'll find a whole section dedicated to different flavours and blends. But is it the super drink it's made out to be? And for those of us who prefer a builders brew, are you missing out on loads of benefits? We've checked the research to give you the lowdown on both.
1. Caffeine
Although we might naturally associate caffeine with coffee, both green and black teas contain caffeine - 24-45mg per 237 ml in green tea and 14-70mg per 237ml serving of black tea (compared to 95-200mg in a 237ml serving of brewed coffee). If you don't like the effect that caffeine has on your body, then green tea is your best bet as it contains an amino acid which can help counteract the caffeine "buzz".
2. Taste
As always, taste is very much a matter of opinion but green tea does have quite a distinctive flavour which some people can find a bit hard to swallow (pardon the pun). Try adding a slice of lemon or pick up a flavoured green tea if you find the taste too bitter. Like a big hug in a mug, traditional English breakfast tea is one of the most popular tea choices in British culture (if you can't tell I'm a massive tea fan!)
3. Benefits
Weight loss, reduced risk of cancer and prevention of heart disease - is there anything green tea can't do? It's the antioxidants in green tea that give it its host of benefits, EGCG specifically, a phytochemical which is said to slow irregular cell growth - ie cancer.
With these impressive benefits - does regular black tea stand a chance? Black tea also contains antioxidants which have numerous positive effects on your body such as lowering cholestoral, however these are reduced when you add milk (and the lower the fat content of the milk, the more the antioxidants are reduced so ditch the skimmed stuff and stick to a splash of whole milk, or even better take it black).
4. Nutrition
As we've talked about previously, both green tea and black tea carry numerous health benefits and are great things to add to your diet. It's always good to remember that if you take your black tea the builder way (with milk and sugar) a lot of the health benefits can be lost, so hold the sugar and if you want to be super healthy then try swapping your milk for fresh lemon.
The Verdict
So as we've shown, both green and black tea are a great choice when it comes to sipping. Even if you can't ditch a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of milk in your black tea, it's still a much better option than some of the other calorific and sugar filled hot beverages available. However if you are super health conscious and only want the very best health benefits in your cuppa, then stick to the green stuff!
