Saturday! How I love thee. :)
I wasn’t always a huge green tea fan like I am today.
When I first started drinking green tea, I thought it was bitter and not overly enjoyable.
Green tea is an acquired taste much like wine; after time, you begin to appreciate the flavour and enjoy experimenting among different types. As I drank it more, my love for green tea grew and grew.
I also started to do a lot of reading about green tea because I wanted to know everything I could about it. I turned to one of my favourite books called ‘Foods That Fight Cancer‘ by Drs. Beliveau and Gingras.
What is so good about green tea?
- It is green ;)
- Flavanols, more commonly known as catechins, make up 1/3 of the weight of a tea leaf. Catechins are thought to be the compound responsible for the anti-cancer activity in green tea.
- Catechins possess anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties that allow the plant to resist invasion by a large number of pathogens.
- The most important catechin in green tea is known as EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate- now you know why they abbreviated it!) as it has the highest anti-cancer activity of all.
- It contains 4 times less caffeine than black tea
- Tea can become the ‘soul’ of one’s diet, representing a daily symbol of relaxation, meditation, and good health.
Not all green tea is created equal:
- The catechin content of green tea varies widely based on the type, area of cultivation, diversity of the plants used, harvest season, and processing techniques. Just because it says green tea on the label does not mean that it will possess high amounts of catechins.
- Further, the brewing time of the tea largely influences the final catechin content.
How do I know what types of green tea are good to drink?
- As a general rule, Japanese green teas have a much higher EGCG content than Chinese green teas.
[Source]
As you can see, Japanese green teas are superior in their EGCG concentration as compared to Chinese green teas. I always purchase Sencha because it is difficult to find Gyokuro and Sencha-Uchiyama tea in my area.
This is the 4’Oclock loose leaf Japanese Sencha tea that I am in love with.
In summary:
- Select Japanese green tea whenever possible
- Allow your tea to steep for 8-10 minutes which favours the extraction of catechins
- Drink freshly brewed tea whenever possible
Now that I have been drinking green tea for about 8-9 years, I couldn’t imagine not drinking it. I probably drink about 6-7 cups a day now! I also drink lots of herbal tea (Chamomile, lavender, and peppermint tea, etc) in the evening.
Little known fact: I often drink chilled green tea while working out as I find that it gives me a bit of extra kick!
Are you a tea lover or coffee lover? Why or why not? What types do you drink?
Eric and his family are the ones who got me drinking regular black tea. My mother in law is Irish and my father in law is English and they both grew up drinking tea. Eric used to get chilled tea in a bottle as a baby!! Apparently it is very common in Ireland…crazy, eh? I never liked black tea as much as Green tea though. I love how green tea makes me feel- healthy and energized.
I’ve never drank a cup of coffee in my life. I don’t have anything against coffee at all, I just got hooked on tea first and never yearned for anything else.
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I’m off to eat my new favourite hot breakfast:
I’m calling it cake because it is just that good. Exhibit A: Cake Batter.
I discovered it is also awesome COLD right out of the fridge. I had it for dessert one night and it was so yummy.
I’m making my next overnight batch on Sunday and will pop them in the oven early Monday morning. I’m thinking apple pie and pumpkin pie…yum! I’m going to play around with the nut to oat ratio too and will report back with my new recipes.
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Ron White Charity Shoe Drive
On the way to our in laws today, we are dropping off a bag of shoes for Ron White’s Charity Shoe Drive. If you are in the GTA and have gently worn shoes/boots, please consider donating them for those in need. It is a bone chilling (-16C/4F) today so please consider helping those in need of warm feet.
Even if you aren’t in the GTA, you can always drop off shoes to your local charity drop box!
Will blog from the in laws. Going to workout this big, strong heart and be rewarded with happy endorphins in return.
In my next post, I will be talking about how my first day of NOT multitasking went…OH BOY! lol
Thanks for all the great info on Green Tea! I’m always on the lookout for the Matcha ( powder ) tea but when I do find it it’s always to dang expensive! Maybe it’s time I hit up some of the more local places in Honolulu? Anyway, great post :-) Aloha! A
I couldn’t agree more–tea is definitely an acquired taste, and one that develops fully over time. I’m so glad I love it!
THanks for all of that interesting info :)
I tried green tea a year or two ago and didn’t like it. Last month I tried it again and fell in LOVE with it! It gets me going in the morning and is easier to make at work than coffee.
I’ve become an avid tea drinker over the last six months or so. I start my day with an oolong tea and mostly drink a maté throughout the day. I also love a variety of green tea, and I think I might try drinking it chilled during my workouts–sounds brilliant!
I didn’t like green tea too much until I found some varieties that had fruit flavors– like raspberry and citrus! Yum!
your hubby had tea in his bottle? that is fantastic! i like english breakfast tea but love your idea about having some chilled tea when you work out. i also enjoy ginger tea de-caf to help digest sometimes. great post!
I need to find some Sencha! I love loose leaf tea the best, too. Thanks for all the information on it:D
Your breakfast cake looks amazing!
That was really informative thanks so much for that! I’m need to go find some Sencha!
I am totally addicted to green tea…. I love it….especially sencha ;P xx
SO looking forward to the apple and pumpkin pie breakfast cake recipes!!
And thanks for the info about green tea…I’m definately going to look for sencha at my grocery store. I generally only drink water, and sometimes a coffee in the morning, but it would be nice to add some healthy variety to the mix!
I love green tea’s complex flavors- bitter with a sweet note. When you eat something salty (ie soy sauce) and sip green tea the tea magically sweetens itself! (My mom actually pointed this out.)
I would love to study the tannins in green vs black tea as a research project… that would be interesting!
You are making me feel guilty for avoiding the free green tea in my office ;-)
I love green tea too, it gives me such a nice boost!
In the car and wishing I had a tea right now!!!! Brrrr
you’ve never had coffee? omg girl, its probably for the best. its addictive. sooooo good.
but it sounds like tea is probably healthier for you…
I love tea. I drink mostly black tea, occasionally green tea. I have recently discovered chai (love the spice).
I got hooked early on diet coke (I know). I’ve mostly given it up now. I also, like you, have never had a cup of coffee. (And I’m almost 40 and spent years in the Navy, it’s a darned miracle). Unless frappucinos count (and I don’t think they do). I don’t drink those any more either, those were during my fat days.
My cabinet has English Breakfast, Green, Irish Breakfast, Oolong, a few types of herbal tea, and Earl Grey.
I used to be the same way, now I love green tea! I love all types of tea. Green, herbal, black… it is so warming!
xo
K
I love both coffee and tea. I generally stick to black tea with a bit of cream- my grandmother used to make it like that for me when I was little! I can’t believe you’ve never had a cup of coffee- that’s actually really cool.
Thanks for the 411 on green tea. I have recently become “addicted”, but not 6-7 cups addicted. Geeze, girlie. That’s a ton! I love tea & coffee at different times of the day. I can NOT believe you’ve never(?) had coffee? Don’t judge it until you’ve tried it : ) Are espresso drinks as popular in Canada as they are in the US (aka Starbucks)?
Thank you, Angela! I LOVE teas and coffee…mostly herbal tea for sure! I’ve only purchased bagged tea in the store, but now find myself longing to discover more! My mom gave me Christmas money to buy “tea stuff”. I’ve been hanging onto it until I had time to research the best kind, brand, etc. Today I placed an order online for several types of loose leaf teas. I got organic sencha (because you so beautifully outlined the benefits), coco chai rooibos, chamomile citrus, set of 6 wellness sampler tins, set of 6 chocolate truffle sampler tins and a mesh tea infuser. I’m diving into this loose leaf thing head first! I’m so excited…can’t wait for it to arrive! It was -15 F here in Nebraska last night (not counting the windchill)! I can’t get enough warmth right now. Thank you, once again, for a very informative and inspiring post.
One more thought…I’m a big time coffee-lover, too! You must try! :) It’s an acquired taste as well…but oh so wonderful once you’re hooked! I have to limit myself to 1 piping-hot cup per morning. Then it’s tea or water for the rest of the day. On special occasions (like and evening spent with my mom), we’ll have coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream mixed in…heavenly!