Benefit of green tea?

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


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Oct 13th, '16, 14:59
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Re: Benefit of green tea?

by jayinhk » Oct 13th, '16, 14:59

EmilyH wrote:
KrisM wrote:doesn't tea oxidize once you've opened it?
Technically yes, Kris. But the oxidation that occurs with tea processing is controlled oxidation. It involves raised temperatures [applying heat]. The type of oxidation your tea experiences once you open it is passive. This is also why you should ideally store your tea in air-tight containers.
Storing it airtight is also controlled oxidation of a different kind. :D Emily's totally right about the raised temperatures. Different types of tea oxidize differently, and in the case of heicha and other dark teas, there is bacterial and fungal fermentation going on too, both natural and post-fermentation, along with the oxidation. I'm drinking Wuzhou liu bao that is airing out and improving as the storage aromas dissipate!

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Oct 13th, '16, 15:07
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Re: Benefit of green tea?

by Emily@Adagio » Oct 13th, '16, 15:07

jayinhk wrote:
EmilyH wrote:
KrisM wrote:doesn't tea oxidize once you've opened it?
Technically yes, Kris. But the oxidation that occurs with tea processing is controlled oxidation. It involves raised temperatures [applying heat]. The type of oxidation your tea experiences once you open it is passive. This is also why you should ideally store your tea in air-tight containers.
Storing it airtight is also controlled oxidation of a different kind. :D Emily's totally right about the raised temperatures. Different types of tea oxidize differently, and in the case of heicha and other dark teas, there is bacterial and fungal fermentation going on too, both natural and post-fermentation, along with the oxidation. I'm drinking Wuzhou liu bao that is airing out and improving as the storage aromas dissipate!
So true! I totally forgot about that. I've had a few teas I've had to air out in the past. Sometimes the process can improve the flavor. I think the problem with leaving certain teas out is if they are very minimally oxidized, or already very oxidized. You don't want to pull it too far out of the teas own "oxidation comfort zone", if you know what I mean.
Last edited by Emily@Adagio on Oct 18th, '16, 11:00, edited 1 time in total.

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Oct 13th, '16, 15:25
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Re: Benefit of green tea?

by jayinhk » Oct 13th, '16, 15:25

The way I see it, if it's green/white/yellow/red/oolong, you want to keep it dry, and control oxidation after processing. It's pretty much only black teas (as in hei cha) that you want to continue to oxidize. Aged oolongs are popular too, however, and a little air exchange is desirable in aging those teas. I've had poorly stored Taiwanese baozhong that tasted like shu pu erh! That was pretty interesting. :)

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Re: Benefit of green tea?

by janet11 » May 5th, '17, 23:25

One of the more powerful compounds in green tea is the antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), which has been studied to treat various diseases and may be one of the main reasons green tea has such powerful medicinal properties.

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Re: Benefit of green tea?

by beforewisdom » May 23rd, '17, 15:18

cateahouse wrote: What is the benefit of green tea?
I don't think anyone knows. I read a book about green tea several years ago. It made the point that studies done on green tea really aren't done on green tea. The studies were done on extracts of single chemicals researchers thought would be beneficial. The studies were also done on rats, whose physiology is almost nothing like human beings AND they were given enormous quantities of those extracts, more than a human could drink from tea.

Assuming green tea has some health benefits, it probably isn't enough to override a poor diet, pollution, lack of exercise, and other poor lifestyle choices. Think of all of the millions/billions who drink green tea who still get sick and die like the rest of us.

I asked this question when first coming to TeaChat a long time ago and the advice I got still stands in my opinion

Drink green tea because you like it.

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