Green Tea Vs White Tea !
Green tea vs white tea
We are all hearing about the tremendous health benefits of green tea, but how does it stack up against white tea, and what are the differences?
Before discussing the differences, it is important to know that all tea comes from the same shrub, the Camellia Sinensis and that the reason for the different names is twofold.
Firstly green tea is picked when the leaves are fully open and white tea is picked before the leaves are open and still covered in white hairs (hence the name).
Secondly, green tea is partly fermented - less than black tea which is fully fermented, but more than white, which is not fermented at all.
Antioxidants are decreased with the fermentation process. It is these antioxidants (polyphenols / catechins) that makes green tea so popular for health conscious
people.
Antioxidants
The young white tea leaves contain antioxidants in quantities 3 times greater than those picked for green tea. This is why many people drink white tea.
To give you a comparison, 1 cup of white tea contains approximately 12 times as much antioxiodants as fresh orange juice.
Caffeine
White tea contains about 15mg. of caffeine per cup compared to green tea's 20mg.
Both have far less than any coffee. There are variations due to the variety of tea, the cut and length of the leaf and the method of steeping.
Flavor
White tea looks pale gold and is imbued with a sweeter and more subtle taste than green tea which is sometimes described as having a 'grassy' aftertaste.
White tea is a speciality of the Chinese province Fujian. Most popular cultivars are Da Bai (Large White), Xiao Bai (Small White), Narcissus and Chaicha.
Price
White tea is hand plucked from special bushes, during only a few days of early spring, and treated in a delicate manner.
Due to this, white tea is up to 3 times more expensive than green tea. However, less white tea is needed to get an infusion.
So, green tea vs white tea?
Doubtless, drinking green tea daily is an excellent habit that will give you lots of rich and powerful antioxidants to boost your health.
But perhaps you could go one better and drink white tea as part of your daily health regime?
|
