Yoda

Green tea vs Black tea

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On the Lipton boxes, it shows that green tea has only slightly more antioxidants than black tea, and I love black tea--so that's what I drink. I do feel that the tea has a nice energizing effect over and above what I experience from either coffee or straight caffeine in pill form.

 

A friend swears to me that green tea is a far superior mood booster and energizer than black tea. I bought some, so I'll check it out.

 

Any thoughts?

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Hey Yoda,

 

I'm not a specialized tea expert, persay, but I am in fact an avid drinker and cultivator/merchant of its varieties. Green tea and Black tea are pretty close, and many people have argued that both are higher in antioxidants than the other. In a sense, they are different types, but do generally the same thing for you internally. Both are excellent sources for antioxidants, while Black tea alone delivers a surprise: a natural content of bioflavinoids similar to that of equal serving from oatmeal, contained within its liquid thickness.

 

It seems that most often people like one kind more than the other, also.

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According to my 30 min. google search, grean tea has more catechins and EGCG (said to be very good for you) than black tea (6:1 ratio) but the studies that look at both green and black tea seem to be pretty even-handed, so maybe the catechins and EGCGs morph into good stuff during the process of making green into black tea.

 

I'm not a fan of the taste of green tea, but maybe I can aquire it.

 

Here's a seriously nice overview of benefits:

 

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:-uN4N...ck%22+tea&hl=en

 

 

Bone strength and a 24%(!) improvement in endurance exercise in mice are featured benefits. Also, the Japanese are noted for smoking a lot yet having a low incidence of lung cancer... perhaps tea is the secret weapon?

 

Two Trees, do you have a website of your teas? My address is Kyle B@ird$en, 22 Cedar Field Ct, Columbia, SC 29212 if you have a catalogue, samples, etc. Thanks!

 

-Y

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monkey - i love the kambuscha tea as well. they have a line at WholeFoods which i fancy. one flavor they carry is a gingerade and it's wonderful. i get it in the cold drinks section.

 

yoda - were you trying to decide between the benefits of green and black tea? i'm late in the thread here. were you taking taste into consideration or just health benefits? just my two cents, i prefer oolong. i was turned on to it after visiting this little website years ago: http://www.oolongtea.org/

 

oh yeah, but my all time favorite tea to drink is yerba mate. i've got the little gord and straw, and a booklet that tells you the traditional ways to prepare it for meaning. such as "with honey - means long friendship... with sugar - means you are in love." pretty cute :rolleyes:

 

(i made those up, btw, i forget what the booklet says.)

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I'm big into combining different teas. I'll throw some Cellestial Seasoning Zinger type teas in w/ some cheap Lipton & make great iced tea (I'll also throw in some Vanilla extract, float some lime & lemons). Add a fruity wine like Merlot makes a very nice sangria.

 

Whole Foods has some dried fruit teas sold by the ounce, like Carribean and Sangria. I'll throw a small handful of those into a pot, add in Constant Comment or Earl Grey.

 

Winter time is great for traditional green tea w/ toasted rice(genmai?) A store in China town has these incredible tea balls, a half inch round, that blossom up in hot water. They're green tea w/ an incedible light smoky taste. Beware, I tried to buy them at another tea shop, and it was 10X more expensive and just not as good.

 

I also have a wide variety of Yogi Teas. They have an excellent Ginseng tea, and I'll use there medicinal teas as a first resort.

 

Peace

 

Michael

 

Making a glass of tea, I stop the War. What book is that from?

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oh yeah, but my all time favorite tea to drink is yerba mate. i've got the little gord and straw, and a booklet that tells you the traditional ways to prepare it for meaning. such as "with honey - means long friendship... with sugar - means you are in love." pretty cute  :rolleyes:

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I love mate out of that straw thing. It's the best way to drink it. You can even drink regular tea that way.

 

Yoda, green or black, it's all good for you. Just stay away from those caffine pills (and go easy on the coffee).

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Noni didn't do anything for me, but green tea is rockin my world. Caffeinated is better than non-caffeinated, but they are both good. -Y

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Green tea helps process chi cultivation practices. Ken Cohen in Way of Qigong says that tea dispels dampness, clears heat and promotes the function of the liver to spread and harmonize the qi. "This is an important benefit for qigong students... virtually all experts in qi control--acupuncturists, martial artists, calligraphers, qigong players drink tea regularly."

 

Amen to that.

 

I've heard that white tea was reserved for royalty as it is even more beneficial than green tea, and harder to collect. Anyone tried white tea?

 

-Yoda

 

 

Just googled white tea. So here's the deal, the darker the tea the more it's been refined and the more EGCG it has lost. So white tea tends to have the highest concentration of EGCG thus the strongest benefits. I know green tea shouldn't be brewed in near boiling temperatures, and I'd imagine that the same is true for white to avoid bitterness.

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I've had some white tea. It fine, it didn't seem all that flavorful. I think the Republic of Tea makes a few types. If most of Republic of Teas's stuff is 6 to $9,l the white is 11 to $13. Still much cheaper then starbucks. But then isn't isn't everything.

 

Speaking of tea, I had a bunch of limes that I wasn't using quickly. I sliced two thinly, coated them lightly w/ sugar and put them in a zip lock baggie. Very nice addition to my teas. I don't like things too hot.

 

Oh and 20/20 had a report on green tea yesterday. It said despite evidence that populations that drink more green tea have lower cancer rates, and despite mice tests showing mice are more resistant to toxins and cancer, they COULD NOT MAKE THE CLAIM GREEN TEA WAS A CANCER PREVENTATIVE.

 

I consider myself a sceptical person. But they seemed to be bending over backward to come to the conclusion they wanted. That is a poor scientist and a poor sceptic.

 

Peace & Tea

 

Michael

 

I think the quote, "Making a glass of Tea I stop the War", was from a Christmas Humphrey book on meditation. It was a story of man wanting to go to Korea(?) to study meditation, and being asked/stopped at the airport by customs wanting to know why he wanted to go to a war zone. Something like that I think

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Speaking of tea, have any of you participated in a traditional Tea Ceremony. I've done it twice at Zen Festivals. Very worthwhile. The tea is a powdered green variety. Tastes almost like a powdered green drink like Barley or alfalfa.

 

The ceremony itself is a wonderful practice of kata in the common place.

 

Peace

 

Michael

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I've had some white tea.  It fine, it didn't seem all that flavorful.  I think the Republic of Tea makes a few types.  If most of Republic of Teas's stuff is 6 to $9,l the white is 11 to $13. 

 

We bought some Republic of Tea white tea and it was Not Very Good - lacked flavor so thoroughly that it was like drinking hot water with a bit of pale green food coloring. Not recommended.

 

However, a local coffee shop had white tea by Ceylon Teas Inc and we bought a large box and have been pleased with it. The flavor - while more subtle than green or black - is definititely available and it is very smooth.

 

I drink it and my body smiles.

 

Wonderful tea and warm friends to you all,

Charlie

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Would you say the smile energy is more powerful in white than green tea?

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After a side-by-side taste test this morning with two cups of tea brewed at the same time with the same water, etc. the white tea wins by a bicuspid.

 

However, this was a sighted taste test rather than a blind one so I'm not sure that I can count on my own neutrality. YMMV. B)

 

Warm tea, warm thoughts, and warm friends to you,

Charlie

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Uncle Lee's is a company that sells boxes of 100 white tea bags for 5$. Not the highest quality stuff, but sufficient, I think, and great if you're on a budget. One could probably have a coop order it for them. - j

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I am fixin' to get a fancy teapot and I was wondering what ya'll think would be best material wise between a japanese cast iron and a chinese brass tea pot..... it would be for black and green teas and not for herbs so......

 

I am curious about any input and information you have on teapots and materials and all that.

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When it comes to teapots...I've gotta go with either stoneware or steel,

 

or nothin'.

 

Good ol' large sized teaballs (steel) are my choice most often. They make it easy...and if you have guests or plan on drinking it excessively-I really enjoy those teamaker pots that come with the clear plastic pitchers with blue lids. They work great!

 

-Michelle

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When it comes to teapots...I've gotta go with either stoneware or steel,

 

or nothin'.

 

Good ol' large sized teaballs (steel) are my choice most often. They make it easy...and if you have guests or plan on drinking it excessively-I really enjoy those teamaker pots that come with the clear plastic pitchers with blue lids. They work great!

 

-Michelle

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o the strainer part..... i like to throw it in there and chew the occasional leaf my self but i know most folks dont like that.

 

I am specifically thinking about the japanese cast iron tea pots ( http://www.holograms.bc.ca/tetsubin/tea-pots.htm ) as opposed to a chinese brass one like this ( http://imagehost.vendio.com/preview/ta/ali...dao/3.21252.jpg )

one thing I am wondering is for whatever reason.... is one material better than the other.

one reason could be like in chinese medicine you are not to brew herbs in metal.... but how about tea? and I would be steeping not brewing..... stuff like that.

 

 

and another tea question...

 

I have read some stories of hermits who brew a tea to help in meditaion but it never saus what it is. Is there one certain kind or various kinds? Herbal, Green, Black or mixed?

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What about white tea? Everyone speaks off black and green tea. I usually, drink green tea, but sometimes change it up and drink black. However, I have never tried white tea, but heard it was better than black or green tea.

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