# black tea? green tea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894 "2002-05-08T14:09:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/1 "2002-05-08T14:09:58Z")
A recent study in the news (yesterday, I think) says that black tea and green tea have something in them that is good for you or will prevent some awfull thing happening to you. I have never seen any kind of tea except green-colored stuff. What are they talking about? And is Lipton–you know, the cheap stuff you see everywhere–one of the green teas that will cure all your ills or whatever? Why don’t they just say, “Amazing health benefits from everyday, regular tea!” Or is it something else? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/2 "2002-05-08T14:12:30Z")
From the [rec.food.drink.tea FAQ](http://www.enteract.com/~robchr/tea/faq.html): > [@](#): > > **1.2. What are the different kinds of tea?** > > The three main categories are green, black, and oolong. All three kinds are made from the same plant species. The major differences between them are a result of the different processing methods they undergo. Black teas undergo several hours of oxidation in their preparation for market; oolongs receive less oxidation, and green teas are not oxidized at all. > > There are, of course, many different varieties within these three main categories. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/3 "2002-05-08T15:23:21Z")
The [Upton Tea website](http://www.uptontea.com) has a lot of information online about tea and how it’s manufactured. It says the following about green and black tea: > [@](#): > > **Green Tea:** > In the processing of green tea, freshly plucked leaves are spread out in pans or bamboo trays to dry. Once most of the water has evaporated from the leaves, they are quickly heated to prevent any fermentation from ruining the delicate leaves. In some mechanized processes, the leaves are warmed in metal pans to induce vaporization of the leaves’ moisture. Often with high-quality green teas, the leaves are twisted or rolled to create distinctive shapes that gracefully unfurl during infusion. > > **Black Tea:** > After withering, the leaves that will be processed in the orthodox manner are rolled 2-6 times for a period of up to 30 minutes each. The leaves are then fully fermented to produce a black tea. The expert tea manufacturer will determine the precise time at which to stop the fermentation by observing the color, smell, and general appearance of the leaves. A quick firing of the leaves halts oxidation without imparting a burnt flavor onto the leaves. > > With emphasis shifting to production efficiency, the majority of tea produced today is not orthodox. In 1925, it was discovered that commercial grade tea could be produced from unwithered tea leaves if they were first shredded using a tobacco cutter, and today the CTC (crush, tear, curl) machine is widely used. Using this machine, lightly withered leaves are processed in such a way that fermentation time can be cut in half. The distinguishing characteristic of a CTC tea is its uniform, granular appearance. Differences in processing account for much of the differences in the taste and chemical properties of green or black teas (and orthodox and CTC teas). So I suppose it’s not unreasonable to think that one or the other might be “healthier” due to these differences. On the other hand, the Upton Tea site also says that > [@](#): > > The specific variety of tea bush that is used also plays a major role in the amount of caffeine in tea. Green teas are generally produced from Camellia sinensis sinensis shrubs (China variety), and these leaves have a tendency to be slightly smaller than those produced from the Camellia sinensis assamica shrubs (Assam variety) – used primarily for black teas. These China varietal teas may have a slightly lower caffeine content. So I suppose the source of the tea leaves may also make one tea “healthier” than another. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/4 "2002-05-08T17:53:03Z")
Your typical cheap bagged tea (e.g. Lipton “Orange Pekoe and Pekoe Cut”) is black tea. However, Lipton and many other manufacturers have been making some inexpensive green teas in response to the recent demand for green tea due to its much-touted health benefits. Green tea is usually labeled “Green Tea”. If it just says “Tea,” it’s probably black. In general, green teas have less caffeine because caffeine is created during the fermentation process. They also have a lighter flavor than black tea. Herbal “teas”, on the other hand, are made from other plants, and don’t contain the leaves of the tea plant. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/5 "2002-05-08T18:49:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Podkayne \* > **In general, green teas have less caffeine because caffeine is created during the fermentation process.** I’m not sure it’s correct to say that fermentation creates the caffeine, but I admit that the information I’ve found on this subject is pretty confusing. The Upton Tea site says: > [@](#): > > Despite what many erroneously believe, green teas do not necessarily have less, or more, caffeine than black teas. Some will argue that green tea has 1/3 the caffeine of black tea while oolongs are slightly more caffeine-rich with 2/3 the caffeine of black tea, but this is simply not true. Caffeine content is not related to level of fermentation; instead, it is more closely aligned to the type of leaf used. On the other hand, this page [http://agronomy.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/CROP/Tea/Tea.htm](http://agronomy.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/CROP/Tea/Tea.htm) flatly contradicts the above and states that: > [@](#): > > The longer the fermentation process, the more caffeine contained in the final product And finally, this site [http://www.winghopfung.com/winghopfung/abouttea.html](http://www.winghopfung.com/winghopfung/abouttea.html) says that > [@](#): > > Most of [green tea’s] caffeine remains bonded with its tannins and some experts believe this causes much less caffeine to be released into the body system. So I guess the relationship between a tea’s level of fermentation and the caffeine buzz you get when you drink it isn’t well understood. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/6 "2002-05-08T19:52:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Herbal “teas”, on the other hand, are made from other plants, and don’t contain the leaves of the tea plant. ``` There are some people who just don't understand that "tea" is a specific plant whose leaves are boiled to make tea. ``` A: “Would you like some tea?” B: “Oh, yes, that would be very nice.” A: “Well, what kind would you like? I’ve got …” (names several “herbal teas.” B: “Umm … do you have any actual tea?” A: “What do you mean? These are all tea.” ``` Ugh. These are the same kind of people who say "chai tea." "Chai" _is_ "tea," goddammit! ``` ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/7 "2002-05-08T21:12:29Z")
Agreed, **chukhung** , on the variability of caffeine in various tea varieties. Measured caffeine levels also vary according to how you infuse the tea (temp of the water, steeping time, etc.) My personal empirical experience is that the green teas provide seem lower in stimulants than most blacks. YMMV. Another amusing but not terribly rigorous note on caffeine and tea: Tea contains theobromines, the same caffeine-like chemicals found in chocolate. (Theobromine comes from _Theobroma_, aptly, “food of the gods”, the scientific name given by Carolus Linnaeus, bless his soul, to the cocoa tree.) Theobromines are mild stimulants, themselves, and are said to inhibit the uptake of caffeine by the body, giving tea drinkers a mellower and longer-lasting high than consumers of baser beverages like cola or coffee. And, **acsenray** , mong tea snobs, “herbal teas” are known as “tisanes.” Signed, Podkayne Tea snob 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/8 "2002-05-08T21:33:53Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Podkayne \*\*\* > Signed, > Podkayne > Tea snob 😉_\* You, Sir or Madam, are a person of refined tastes and superior intellect. My only regret is that I can’t share with you a pot of my 2002 first-flush Darjeeling that just arrived in the mail today. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/9 "2002-05-08T22:22:52Z")
It was first reported that green tea had certain phytochemicals that were healthful. So there was a rush for green tea. The large companies started to produce it, of course. They always jump on the bandwagon when the health nuts find something good. However, recent literature indicates that both green tea and black tea are equally beneficial. [This](http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/n190.html) is one of many sources I’ve read indicating that all tea is good for you, except for the herbal teas, which don’t contain the phytochemicals. Other sources were more specific and named the specific phytochemicals, but I can’t find them right now. ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/10 "2002-05-09T04:25:34Z")
Thank you Podkayne and barbitu8 for answer to my questions, and thanks to others for offering more than I ever wanted to know about tea! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/11 "2002-05-09T10:29:51Z")
As I understand it (having discussed this with a teahead who gave me Kazuo Okakura’s _The Book of Tea_), green tea’s taste isn’t as mellow as black tea. You can’t make green tea as strong as you would black tea, because it would taste too harsh, so you make it less strong. That would the main reason for its delivering less caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/12 "2002-05-09T13:07:14Z")
Hmm. I have also seen “white tea” on a menu - what is that? (It wasn’t meaning with milk, incidentally, it was a type along with green and black, and it was Chinese). ---
**Author:** ![Stinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@Stinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/13 "2002-05-09T13:34:55Z")
“white tea” is warm water I believe. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/14 "2002-05-09T13:47:14Z")
No - it was definitely some sort of specialist tea category. It was one of those tea-snob cafes where they have a menu with 50 different teas, with the prices of a pot of each varying on the perceived-exquisiteness of the tea. The white tea was among the pricier. I seem to remember I had it, but it wasn’t white, it was brown. I’ll try a Yahoo! search… … ah yeah here we go: > [@](#): > > **White tea > White tea does not refer to black tea with milk, but rather to a specific form of tea in which the leaves and buds are simply steamed and dried. whites have the least amount of caffeine. These teas should be steeped in water well below boiling and for at least 4-5 minutes. Recent health studies have been very encouraging on the anti-oxidant benefits of white tea.** [http://www.fmltea.com/](http://www.fmltea.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/15 "2002-05-09T14:39:22Z")
**Jomo Mojo** , it is true that green tea must _not_ be brewed with boiling water, or it gives a very bitter taste–from the tannins, I guess. It should be brewed with water between 160 and 180[sup]o[/sup] F. White tea is wonderful, also . . . but subtle. To my husband (I love him dearly, but he has the palate of a peasant) it is indeed nothing more than warm water. White tea is hardly fermented at all. I will salve my envy over **chukhung’s** Darjeeling (Ah, the Champagne of teas!) with a pot of White Needles. 🙂 My Darjeeling connection hooks me up whenever he goes to India. I’m running low . . . I’d better start giving him guilt about how he never calls his mother. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/16 "2002-05-09T19:57:00Z")
The phytochemicals in tea do not refer to theophylline, theobromine, or caffeine, but to certain antioxidants which are present in the tea tree. All tea leaves from the tea genus contains these antioxidants, no matter how it is processed. Teas not made from the tea plant, such as herbal teas, do not contain these beneficial antioxidants. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/17 "2002-05-09T20:27:25Z")
[catechins](http://www.biomed.lib.umn.edu/hmed/990815_dc.html) ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/18 "2002-05-09T20:39:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > **All tea leaves from the tea genus contains these antioxidants, no matter how it is processed.** Are there any studies that look for differences in antioxidant levels of teas made from leaves from China bushes (Camellia sinensis sinensis) as opposed to teas made from Assam bushes (Camellia sinensis assamica)? If, as suggested elsewhere in this thread, the two types of tea bushes produce different levels of caffeine, it seems possible that they might produce different levels of antioxidants as well. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-tea-green-tea/107894/19 "2002-05-10T01:01:26Z")
It seems that all varieties of camellia sinensis have the same or similar chemicals. [http://www.natmedpro.com/nmp/Camellia.htm](http://www.natmedpro.com/nmp/Camellia.htm) [http://www.tea.co.uk/cgi\_gen/reslib/2001080102.htm](http://www.tea.co.uk/cgi_gen/reslib/2001080102.htm)