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
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!
I love tea and coffee – cup of coffee with breakfast in the mornings and then tea throughout the day (green or peppermint usually – I haven’t drunk black tea since I stopped drinking milk about a year ago).
i am a total coffee drinker! i’ve been trying to work my way to drinking more tea, but if i do, it’s almost always green tea. maybe it’s because i’m japanese and grew up on that stuff, that its what i’m used to…i’m trying to expand my horizons to other teas out there. hahaha.
I love green tea, thanks for the informative post. I try not to drink too many caffeniated beverages as they really hype me up and I recenlty started drinking coffee black (when I have it) and I’ve discovered that I really enjoy it black (and the reduced calories are not even missed). BUT I love me some green tea. It’s my go-to fav.
I love my morning coffee and the occasional cappucino/espresso, but my thing is tea for sure. I always loved it, but living in England turned me into a black tea addict of the first degree and at one point I was drinking about six cups a day (gasp). Now I’m down to about two cups of black tea and a couple of cups of green or herbal tea a day. And ,my tea drinking is a source of real amusement to my family–it’s like I’m the first Puerto Rican to sip tea or something, as far as they’re concerned :-)
What is the difference b/t coffee and espresso? Ive always wondered. :)
you guys are making me want to try coffee now! haha
I never drank coffee, ever… until a year ago and now I’m a solid AM coffee drinker. I know it’s probably not the best for me but it makes that morning commute so much happier.
That being said, the rest of the day I drink copious amounts of tea, but always tea bags. This post was super informative. I’m definetely going to hit up the local tea shop next week and introduce myself to loose tea and how to brew it. Thanks!
Hi. I just stumbled across this site, and find it very uplifting and informative. I like decaffinated tea and coffee. My favorite tea is cold Arizona green tea. I used to not like tea, but my friends just kept giving me more, and now I like it. I like learning about the health benefits, too.
How much ECGC in gunpowder green tea Angela?
Would LOVE to know,many thanks!
I absolutely adore coffee, and was raised with tea. My parents are both from Ireland, and tea is a natural instinct for me, although I love the richness of coffee. Currently on a juicing de-tox to precede my new raw food diet, I believe coffee will be in my past. I am thinking my good friend ‘green tea’ will be my morning addition/replacement for coffee.
Thank you for your blog! I am having a blast reading your recipes!
I loved green tea from the moment I first tried it. I think it’s because I tend to like earthier flavors. I used to drink coffee too, but with my last pregnancy I gave up all caffeine, so now I just stick with water and spearmint tea.
I am definitely a coffee person (and maybe a bit of a starbucks addict) but also enjoy a good cup of tea.
I keep tazo zen green tea in my desk at work, and matcha powder/looseleaf at home. I love putting a bit of matcha powder in my green monsters – gives them a bit of a kick!
great idea RE: powder in GM!
Coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee… But after 10 am, I drink tea: cinnamon, peppermint or rooibos.
Did you say CINNAMON tea??? Sounds right up my alley!! What kind do you buy? or do you just make it with cinnamon stix
Harney & Son’s Hot Cinnamon Spice tea is the best tea I have ever had: http://www.harney.com/Hot-Cinnamon-Spice/products/225/
I agree–I love this and always get it at Gloria Jean’s!
Green Tea is my favorite, I love drinking it with no sugar. Plain Green tea is the best.
This was great, I knew green tea was good for you, but I never knew all of this.
Im in love with Tazo African Red Bush, and Honeybush tea. SO delicious – and they smell so good. I could not make it through the day without my morning coffee though. Ive tried.
Hi, longtime lurker, first time commenter here :)
Like a lot of other people I never knew green tea was an acquired taste. I like it, but I usually sweeten it with a bit of honey. Maybe I should give the unsweetened version another chance!
HI! I am a both a coffee and tea lover. I drink a cup of one or the other every morning before I go to work. I didn’t discover my love of tea until a few years ago when I realized all of the options besides black tea (which I definitely don’t love). I drink green sometimes, but I also love yerba matte and any herbal tea with ginger. My favorite green tea at the moment is Genmaicha…a Japanese green tea that contains some roasted rice. It is delicious.
I just got a ton of new teas for Christmas! I’m trying a new blueberry blend from McQuarries tea shop right now. Mmmm. I also got a maple cream ( YUM), a Stash caffeine-free sample pack (too weak :P) and some knock-out green tea from my friend’s mom in Taiwan. Once I drink all of this (next year?) I’ll have to try some blends from Japan!
I absolutely love tea. I drink usually 2 cups a day. I’ve been getting more into herbal and green teas lately rather than just black tea.
Do you ‘brew’ your tea with a teapot with infuser, or do you do each cup as you go? What do you prefer? I want to get a tea pot with infuser, but don’t know what kind to get.
Thanks for a very informative post!!
i use a pot with an infuser!
Angela- I work part time for a tea store called Teavana (check out their website, they ship to Canada!), so I sell, custom blend, and drink tea ALL DAY! You are spot on with the health benefits of green tea and I am psyched that people are catching onto the wealth of good things tea can do for you! For all the black tea drinkers out there, black teas are known for their cardiovascular benefits as they keep the vessel walls soft and are thought to stave off heart disease. For those drinking Tazos honeybush tea, that’s a rooibos or red “tea” technically an herbal as it comes from an african red bush and not a tea leaf! Rooibos is amazing for those who suffer from seasonal allergies or digestive issues. It’s also naturally caffiene free and is often given to babies for colic. All tea is great for hydration and as such your skin, but white teas (the least processed of all tea) are the highest in antioxidants are especially good for your skin. I even take my used white teas leaves,once they’ve cooled,and mix them with a touch of honey and apply them to my face! The honey has natural antibacterial properties and the application of the white tea removes puffiness from the eyes and redness from the skin. Mix with a bit of aloe for winter chapped skin or sunburn too. If you want me to ship you anything, just let me know, I’d be happy to do it! My fave of our green teas is the ‘Golden Jade’ deliciously velvety and really high quality, so you can use it for multiple infusions! Ok, I’m done now- I just get so excited talking about tea!! Thanks for the great post!
Recently I’ve gotten into ordering chai tea at Starbucks, but otherwise haven’t tried it much at home. This might sound silly, but how do you make tea???? Seriously, I’ve just never learned!
xxoo
Heather
i’ve tried looking for this tea, can you recommend places to buy this brand of green tea?
thanks,
linda
I’m not much of a hot drink lover, but tea trumps coffee for me 100 times over. I love to have all different types of teas around – green, black, herbal, decaf – so that if I have a tea craving, I have something to suite my mood. Sometimes I drink it straight, sometimes with a little milk & agave. My favourite is probably matcha, especially when done as a latte. Yum!
Hi
I absolutely love your website. You are so positive and give such great tips for healthy living. I read your posts everyday and incorporate a lot of what you do into my life. Thank you!
I was wondering where you got your cute “tea cups” in the picture above. I would love to have a couple for my afternoon “tea breaks”
Take Care
Betsy
i’d love to know on the tea cups as well. enjoyed this post… thanks so much for the informations!
i luv green tea..
I love drinking green tea but mostly I use normal green tea brands I also want to try Japanese green tea brands but couldn’t afford it right now.