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Black tea vs. green tea?

TheAppleCore

TheAppleCore

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Jul 14, 2007
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I'm simply wondering if anyone else notices a difference between the caffeine-related effects of black tea and green tea. Perhaps it's my imagination, but green tea always seems to give me an edgy, anxiogenic effect, whereas black tea seems to provide a subtle and relaxing stimulation, if anything.

Also, I suppose now that I've opened the thread, feel free to discuss other aspects of black and green tea.
 
Black tea has more caffeine than green, so I'm wondering why you experience those feelings?

I prefer green, simply for that taste. I can drink five or six cups a day (during the winter, mostly), and not feel any caffeine related jitters. Coffee, on the other hand, has produced in me more than one panic attack...

I drink guayusa tea now, if I want the caffeine buzz of coffee... unless I've eaten a large meal beforehand, in which case I'll drink a cup or two of coffee (like I did this afternoon, and I'm still buzzy!)
 
Just like coffee, tea is roasted to achieve it's darkness and flavor. Heat destroys caffeine so the lighter the roast, the higher the caffeine content in the end.
 
I definitely prefer Black Tea over Green Tea, though some Green Tea's aren't bad. I usually drink this brand called Stash. Right now I'm enjoying the Ginger Peach. They have a nice Licorice Spice and Chai Spice I like as well. Their Chamomile is good too. I don't really like their Green Tea variety though. Plain Ole Green Tea has a very strange taste to me, it almost reminds me of Salvia in that it feels papery and pointy. I know this description is a strange one but it's the only way I can really describe it.
 
I love Earl Grey with milk.... seriously earl grey with milk its like warm sweet treasure that make me relax and enjoy the day

Changed said:
Are you saying that green tea has more caffeine than black?
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I am interested in this aswel,I tought black have more caffeine?
 
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Black tea sure feels like it has more caffeine in it. Drinking green tea in the morning doesn't stimulate me at all, but black tea works for me, I find it way more stimulating.
 
Black tea has around twice the caffeine of green tea.
Green tea is fermented, not roasted (though hojicha is roasted +fermented green tea - with half the caffeine of "regular" green tea).
The green tea in Japan is really different from any I had in China. What I found in the US was much more like what was in China. Japanese sencha green tea is really amazing. I drink at least one cup almost every day.
But I also love Darjeeling (Black).
To tell the truth, despite the fact that black tea has twice the caffeine as green tea, I sometimes feel like a strong cup of green gets me going better than a cup of black tea.
 
I agree, Black Tea makes me feel more relaxed and mellow whereas a green tea usually leaves me feeling perked up and ready to go.
 
slimvictor said:
Black tea has around twice the caffeine of green tea.
Green tea is fermented, not roasted (though hojicha is roasted +fermented green tea - with half the caffeine of "regular" green tea).
The green tea in Japan is really different from any I had in China. What I found in the US was much more like what was in China. Japanese sencha green tea is really amazing. I drink at least one cup almost every day.
But I also love Darjeeling (Black).
To tell the truth, despite the fact that black tea has twice the caffeine as green tea, I sometimes feel like a strong cup of green gets me going better than a cup of black tea.
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thank you
 
Interesting info, indeed. I'm going to have to try to source some Japanese sencha now. My curiosity has been piqued.
 
i live on green tea i import from china. the stuff is a godsend, and i swear by it as a way to avoid an alcohol hangover (drink it before bed). i gets me through every day, and although i like black tea on occasion, i always go back to my green staple.
 
Doesn't have that effect on me at all; green tea is a smooth, light buzz, while dark tea can be almost as good as a cup of coffee in the right amount and strength. I like them both, though; I prefer green tea in the evening, and dark teas before noon. :)

And props to whoever mentioned Japanese green tea; matcha rocks my socks.
 
The caffeine of green tea affects me whereas I feel nothing from coffee or black tea. I don't really know the reason, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the way green tea is fermented that makes its caffeine process differently?
 
tea-caffeine-chart.jpg


jwallace - stash black chai is my absolute fav tea. the green chai is not bad either :)

also, i just did a search and it appears that yerba mate tea has on average 80-85mg of caffeine per serving.
 
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chrissie said:
also, i just did a search and it appears that yerba mate tea has on average 80-85mg of caffeine per serving.
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I'm sure we've all heard that yerba mate has a different effect than tea/coffee's caffeine... Wikipedia says it acts more on the muscles than the nervous system.

But yeah, I just drank a nice big cup of Stash black Chai and I'm feeling good right now. Quite sedate, not jittery at all like coffee. Very enjoyable.
 
I have read in numerous sources that the caffeine content in green tea does not affect you because the L-theanine 'cancels' it out. L-theanine is great for helping with anxiety and it can act as a mild sedative for some people.

I actually prefer white tea to green tea or black tea because it tastes less grassy (less chlorophyll I assume) and studies have shown that it has a higher antioxidant content.

I love sweetening it with either guava syrup since it has a low glycaemic index or failing that I use Stevia leaves to sweeten it. I grow the Stevia myself since in the natural raw state - the leaves themselves - it tastes a lot better than the Stevia extracts you can buy at the supermarket which always have a terrible bitter aftertaste in my opinion, unlike the leaves.

Having said all this I tend to mostly drink normal Tetley decaffeinated tea after about 3PM and either non-decaf tea before then or just straight up coffee if I want to wake up.
 
I'm really interested in the caffeine content in tea. I'm looking for a tea that tastes decent but doesn't have much caffeine in it. I drink Earl Gray vanilla type tea. I should look into these teas more :). I only like to have coffee once or twice a week, but I like to have a warm drink in the morning, don't want to get addicted to caffeine :p ... good info here!! :)
 
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