Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as cheaply as possible.
Then I'd buy a good multivitimin. Tea isn't your answer. Freshness and the processing of the specific green tea are the top factors in getting the most out of your tea. Ultimately you want the freshest and least processed green tea possible. Probably Bancha/Sencha would be the best balance of price/performance.
If you are only into green tea for the supposed health benefits, like I said look elsewhere. Eat a pomegranate, or some blueberries... you'd get more out of it. All the hype surrounding green tea is just that, hype. Now if you drink green tea, eat healthy, exercise normally as part of your daily life you may see some benefit.. outside of that you won't get much. Or buy a green tea extract from the store, whatever miracle you believe it will provide will be hundreds times more concentrated in that and not require the time, investment, or knowledge of the real nature of green tea.
- Dominic
I eat raw fruits and vegetables, salmon, fish oil, and nuts. So I eat healthy. I just got through watching tv shows on PBS by 3 different health experts, and they all recommend green tea for helping to raise metabolism. So I'll take their word for how beneficial green tea is. Also, now that it's winter, I need something hot and healthy I can drink every day. I just went out and bought a box of green tea from the market and I ordered some chinese green tea from Upton Tea Imports.
I'm not disputing them, but 9 times out of 10 when I get asked about all these "wonderful" health benefits from green tea it is by someone who has no inclination to actually eat good, exercise, or even care about the actual green tea. It isn't a miracle drink, its tea. It's been around for thousands of years, millions of people have drank it daily from young to old and none have ever exhibited remarkable benefits that would make anyone stand on rooftops and shout out the virtues of green tea.
It may have a slight effect on metabolism, it does contain antioxidants, it is warm. But as I stated there are many more beneficial things to eat/drink if you are purely after health benefits. Drink green tea because you enjoy it, not for some supposed benefits. If you don't enjoy it, drink black tea, or oolong, or jaegermeister... they'll have about the same level of benefit to you.
And as with anything, if you eat nuts/fruits/salmon/etc. would a fresh stream caught native salmon be better than one that has been in the bottom of your grocery store's freezer for a month? Same with tea.
- Dominic
I'm not a biologist, but I try to pay attention when new studies relating tea to health surface. I doubt that there's anything in print relating green tea quality and freshness to the various chemical markers scientists think affect human health. But if you stay with it, appreciating the tea you put in your mouth will certainly pay psychic benefits, and there's lots of evidence that mood affects health. Besides, you only have one life, so why drag yourself through it? By the way, you can probably get a lot of pleasure from tea without spending amounts of money that would bother you.
/Lew
What is your definition of "health benefits"? Some people think more energy is a benefit, some - longer life, some deseaseless life. These things are not always combinable due to age, genetics and many other factors. Before you clearly define your context and /or your goals no precise answer may be given.
Sasha.
"GreatArtist" wrote in news:1167408061.258518.282320@
79g2000cws.googlegroups.com:
At one point I was referred to an alternative MD who recommended EGCG (one of the most common phenols in tea) in 500mg capsules as a cancer fighting agent. But it's a far cry from downing two or three of those a day to *enjoying* a Yunnan or Taiwan white, aged raw Pu-erh, Margaret's Hope Darjeeling or even a bag of cheap Taj Mahal Assam.
Dominic is right, tea is not a miracle drug, but a subtle drink capable of many variations and the basis of a good many cultural rituals (see HobbesOxon's contribution to the thread "Tea Etiquette" above). It has some health benefits, doubtless, but to ignore the main uses to which it has been put lo these many centuries is really missing the point, not to mention depriving yourself of one of life's pleasures. Didn't the British used to have a saying, "A little of what you fancy does you good?"
BTW, I still take the EGCG and other things... but try not to neglect to relish tea unless extraordinary circumstances prevail. Ozzy
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