Your Complete Guide to Green Tea

What Is Green Tea?

You may not know it, but green and black tea come from the same plant. Green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis (Sinensis) plant and has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. While most black tea is made from a variety of the Camellia sinensis plant primarily found in India called the Camellia Sinensis (Assamica).

The Camellia Sinensis (Sinensis) plant typically thrives in sunny regions that enjoy cooler temperatures. With a high tolerance for colder temperatures and conditions, the Camellia Sinensis (Sinensis) plant grows in the mountainous regions of a few countries but is native to China. The Camellia Sinensis (Sinensis) leaves are used to create both white and green tea blends.

Full of enzymes, amino acids, and other dietary minerals, green tea has become a trendy, recommended drink for health and wellness. Many coffee shops, both big and small, now offer green tea specialty drinks, but nothing quite beats a good cup of green tea brewed in your own home. Whether it’s first thing in the morning or late at night, green tea is a welcomed addition to the lives of many.

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Origin Of Green Tea

Green tea dates back to the Han Dynasty in 206 - 220, consumed for medicinal use. It wasn’t until 400 years later that tea consumption was for pleasure during the Tang Dynasty. Today, “tea” refers solely to green tea in China.

The Tang dynasty was important for tea because it helped form tea’s overall tradition and ceremonies. Chinese author Lu Yu wrote “The Classics of Tea,” which is considered extremely important in tea culture during this period. This book describes how drinking green tea may affect five vital organs, the shapes of tea plants, flowers, and leaves, and how to grow tea leaves.

Green tea didn’t spread west to Europe and America until recently, as it has been prolonged.

Health Benefits Of Green Tea

Green tea has been consumed for its health benefits since its inception. Green tea’s health benefits include improved cognitive function, improved dental health, cancer prevention, heart health, inflammation reduction, and more with antioxidants and vitamins!

Green tea is packed with antioxidants to help fight off free radicals and work to keep your body free of disease.

Free radicals are the single oxygen atoms that work against your body, damaging cells by reacting with other molecules. With too many free radicals floating around in your body, you can end up suffering from severe health conditions and lesser concerns such as wrinkles. Antioxidants work to fight off free radicals and limit their spread while positively boosting your health, both inside and out.

Did you know that green tea may help to improve your memory? Green tea has been shown to help some with improved brain cognitive function and working memory.

Some research also suggests that the blend can assist with common neuropsychiatric disorders such as dementia. This finding is because green tea is made from unoxidized Camellia Sinensis (Sinensis) leaves, which are abundant in antioxidants. Studies have also shown that potent brews may reduce the risk of stroke or help fight prostate cancer.

With an abundance of naturally occurring polyphenols, green tea may help to limit the spread of cancerous cells or restrict their development altogether. 

Green tea has been shown to interfere in cell replication, leading to tumor cell death. It may also have the ability to slow the formation of blood vessels around tumors. These traits, partnered with green tea’s ability to repair cell damage due to its high concentration of antioxidants, makes its potential for fighting off cancer high.

Next, those same polyphenols that are working to fight off cancerous growth may also be helping your dental health. Partnered with the fluorides produced naturally from this wholesome blend, green tea can improve your dental health by preventing cavities and reducing plaque. Other hot drinks like coffee or hot chocolate might be bad for your teeth, but not green tea.

Green tea does have the unique ability to boost metabolism. Green tea has been shown to increase the metabolism by 4% each day during 24 hours, making it the perfect tea to incorporate into your daily routine for those who are more health-conscious of are actively working to lose weight. Green tea is not a quick fix, but it can significantly support your overall exercise plan.

Green tea may also help you drop cholesterol points. This impressive tea is a natural source of potent catechins, which may help to lower LDL or bad cholesterol. But like its ability to boost your metabolism, green tea is not a complete solution to managing your cholesterol, but it can certainly help when added to a daily routine.

Green tea may offer drinkers any number of heart health benefits. Those same catechins helping to lower your cholesterol can also reduce the risk of heart diseases by protecting the cardiovascular system. Plus, with added saponins, green tea can help to lower cholesterol, improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and aid in arthritis relief all in one!

What Does Green Tea Taste Like?

Green tea has grown in popularity due to its fantastic health benefits and light and refreshing taste. There is a broad range of flavors you can experience when drinking a cup of Green Tea. Whether you are looking for sharp and grassy or light and sweet, Green Tea is sure to satisfy.

There are many types of Green Tea. We create traditional, matcha, and wellness Green Tea blends at Full Leaf Tea Company. Each loose leaf Green Tea blend is made from the finest ingredients that our team has painstakingly selected by hand.

Green tea and matcha may come from the same plant, but they have two different flavors. Green tea is a grassy, earthy brew, while matcha has a rich buttery flavor. Matcha comes in powder form, while green tea can come in already bagged tea bags or a loose-leaf blend.

How Much Caffeine Is In Green Tea?

Natural green tea has a moderate level of caffeine. Depending on how strong the tea is, there can be 40mg of caffeine per 8 oz of tea. The average cup of coffee can have around 100mg of caffeine.

Green tea is the perfect drink for late-night study sessions or afternoon pick-me-ups. With just the right amount of caffeine, Green tea won’t give you the jitters, but it will help to keep you alert and focused.

How Do You Make Green Tea?

Add one tsp of green tea to an infuser. We recommend letting the tea steep for 2-4 minutes in eight ounces of almost boiling, filtered water. After the tea has steeped, remove the tea leaves from the liquid and enjoy!

We also offer a wide range of tea accessories outside of delicious green tea blends that can enhance your green tea enjoyment. Start with our Natural Paper Drawstring Tea Bags for a quick and natural way to brew your favorite green tea blend. Try our Full Leaf Vacuum Flask Tea Infuser if you’re looking for a more mobile solution. This unique infuser was designed to make tea brewing on the go a snap while keeping your finished drink hot all day.

ut if you’re a mug fan, then you might enjoy our Full Leaf Signature Leaf Infuser, which was specially designed to be used repeatedly throughout the day while being easy to transport or clean.

Where Can I Buy Green Tea?

Green tea can be found online! Shameless plug: As of writing this, we sell 21 different green teas. We’re USDA certified organic, and our products are vegan and free of GMOs. To top it all off, we have over 10,000 positive reviews, so feel free to try us out!

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