Green Tea v.s. White Tea! I can't see the difference!

[muie]

Who can taste a true difference between Green and White tea? I bought some really cheap Chinese Green tea (100gs for $2-$3 type deal) and then I bought some really expensive Chinese Fujian White Tea. Both of them pure without any aromas or essences. I heard that white tea was supposed to be less bitter than green tea as well as contain less caffeine and even more antioxidants. I honestly don't see a big differrence, do other people see a difference?

btw, both kinds of tea were infused for the same amount of time (had it for half a minute, 1 minute and times ranging from 1-3min).

 

[maloxx]

ummmmmm... at the risk of sounding stupid....... one should be green and one should be white.....

 

[8ft-Sativa]

contain less caffeine and even more antioxidants

WTF Green Tea has NO trace of caffeine in it anyway Sounds like the hyped marketing of a new 'traditional' tea'.

Go with the green tea, millions and millions of Asians can't be wrong.

 

[caff]

^ Um, yes it does, just less than ordinary tea. It's all from the same plant, just different parts.

 

[8ft-Sativa]

Well every single box off green tea I have ever drunk say's 'caffeine free' on the side.

 

[Dave]

Then they were decaffeinated. Green tea has plenty of caffeine pound for pound. Per serving it's less than coffee, but that's true of all tea.

OP-- You don't want to steep white tea for very long, 30 seconds is a good benchmark. However you can re-steep it a few times with no real degradation in flavour. I don't know what kind of green tea that you're getting, but I've found that white tea is much milder than green tea. Good stuff, but not cheap, and not really useful if you're looking for a strong flavour or caffeine kick. It's the sort of tea to have over the course of a long, rainy day at home, over a good book or even just contemplating the rain.

 

[pw1024]

Green Tea most definitely has caffeine in it. white teas have such a little amount of caffeine that it is almost not present. I find I can taste the difference between green tea and white right off the bat. Green tea has a stronger flavor as stated above, and white tea is very mild. If you are really into tea you should look into getting a nice white tea infused with peaches and lavender. just make sure you don't use boiling water and only steep it for 30 seconds to a minute depending on the tea, or you will scorch the leaves and make it taste bitter.

 

[a thing]

All types of tea come from the same part of the plant and have caffeine. The difference is in how long they are allowed to oxidize, which is stopped when the leaves are dried. Black tea is the most oxidized, then oolong, then green, then white. Caffeine content goes in that order too (with black having the most).

Personally, I do not think white tea is worth the price. Oolong is my favorite, although I cannot find it in decaf so I do not have it much. I usually have green, but sometimes have black.

 

[delta_9]

Each kind of tea has it's own benefits, you just have to find what works(and tastes ) best for you.
I actually like to use green and white tea in the same cup. :D
I tsp green and 1 tsp white for my morning tea.

 

[Dave]

a thing-- white tea has its place, but it's a premium drink and isn't meant for day-to-day consumption. Oh, and fully agreed on the oolong. It's been a while, but I do love a pot of Taiwanese Oolong on a lazy Sunday morning.

 

[naturalhealth]

Yes, I agree that there's a difference. Green tea does have caffeine in it, although not a lot I don't think (definitely less than coffee, and I think less than black tea). White tea is basically caffeine free, and I think tends to be more floral in taste and aroma. Green tea has a sharper taste, although you can find so many different flavors you're bound to find one you like. Oolong tea is also great, and comes in different flavors. From what I understand, oolong tea has quite a bit of caffeine, and you can never find it caffeine free (although I think if you take the teabag out pretty quickly, you get a less caffeinated tea). Green tea, white tea, and oolong teas all have tons of antioxidants in them, so very healthy. Just try a few and find which ones you prefer.

 

[Nibiru]

WTF Green Tea has NO trace of caffeine in it anyway Sounds like the hyped marketing of a new 'traditional' tea'.

Certain green teas can actually be high enough in caffeine to approach some black teas. They're generally very low, but there are exceptions. There are dozens upon dozens of different takes on processing tea in the world, and there are literally hundreds of regions in many different countries that grow tea, a lot of them that have their own locally bred varieties and traditions relating to harvesting and growing and processing. It's really quite variable because there are things like stage of development before harvesting, soil makeup, climate, how oxidation is prevented and all sorts of other things that effect the chemical content of a particular type of tea.

 

[a thing]

From what I understand, oolong tea has quite a bit of caffeine, and you can never find it caffeine free (although I think if you take the teabag out pretty quickly, you get a less caffeinated tea).

Yeah but then you do not get the full taste. Combining a decaf green and black comes kinda close.

 

[Dave]

Most of the caffeine comes out in the first steeping, and you shouldn't steep a green or oolong for all that long anyway. I find that the second steeping still retains a lot of the flavour.

 

[deaf eye]

my girl got me some japenese bath salts for xmas
for some reason it came with 1 green tea bag
and was so awesomely delicious

it tasted like green

 

[delta_9]

Yeah but then you do not get the full taste. Combining a decaf green and black comes kinda close.

I dont know how well that would work, the temperature difference at which green and black tea should be steeped and how long they should steep is just too much IMO. I mean, if you dont mind your tea being slighty bitter then go for it
Green tea should be steeped in 82°C-85°C water for 2-3 minutes and black at 95°C-100°C water for 4-5 minutes.

 

[Dave]

I disagree. Your temps are right, but the times are too long. I've heard 1 minute for green and 3 for black, tops. But I like to re-steep tea though, so that may make a difference.

 

[delta_9]

Eh, those are just averages. You could definately add or subtract a minute in either direction and be fine.
I steep twice as well. I like my first steep to be short and my second to be longer by a minute or so.
I guess it just depends on your taste. I sometimes like my tea to be strong, and ever so slightly bitter.

 

[a thing]

I dont know how well that would work, the temperature difference at which green and black tea should be steeped and how long they should steep is just too much IMO. I mean, if you dont mind your tea being slighty bitter then go for it
Green tea should be steeped in 82°C-85°C water for 2-3 minutes and black at 95°C-100°C water for 4-5 minutes.

I do like my tea slightly bitter. It is part of what makes tea tea.

 

[Nibiru]

I disagree. Your temps are right, but the times are too long. I've heard 1 minute for green and 3 for black, tops. But I like to re-steep tea though, so that may make a difference.

Man, I just chuck a lot of lung ching, some kind of other chinese green or oolong, sencha or bancha in the bottom of an oversized mug, pour the water in and pick any of the stems that like to float out of the mug and drink it from the mug once it's cooled enough to drink, since the leaves sink to the bottom. Then I do another steep or two depending on how strong it was in the first place. It's how the Chinese do it when they use a gaiwan. Some other teas I'll treat differently, and use a teapot but there are no rules to how you make tea other than don't use water that's too close to boiling temp. It's really about your own preference, how strong you like it and what kind of tea you're using. Me, I like mine pretty strong usually, but some teas are better brewed not too heavy.