I was actually just discussing the same thing with someone elseentropyembrace wrote:I think studies on health benefits of tea are really missing something important. They can say things like green tea has less caffeine than black tea so it's healthier....but wait...which green tea and which black tea are you talking about? Or they could say green tea reduces the risk of cancer...uhm...well which green tea are you looking at? Is Long Jing better or worse at fighting cancer than Sencha?
Anyway I think the health information out on tea is way too generalized and really applies only to trashy supermarket blends. We drink an amazing variety of tea that just isn't represented in the research or our western culture in general.
I just think any 'clean' tea is going to be healthy so I don't worry about it and enjoy.
However, if you're really interested in the subject then you can do a small amount of research to figure things out. One thing that the studies do offer is a valid comparison between things like green vs black tea; if I remember right it's that polyphenols get converted to theaburgins during oxidation. If that's not right then the point still stands that there are different balances between the types due to things like oxidation. Other things, like amino acid content, will vary between tea producing areas like wulong from Taiwan vs Wuyi mountain. I agree with the sentiment to trust your body, however. Try the widest variety, and if there is something that you need then you will gravitate to it naturally (if not crave it). If you don't then the chances are that you won't notice any real differences between them.
The thing is that tea has a wide range of benefits; it can remedy a number of problems nutritionally. So what's "best" really depends on what you're looking for. However, if you're just looking for something healthy then it doesn't really matter - tea is good for you, period. Black (red) tea probably won't benefit you like the others will, unless you are looking to remedy something that its chemistry specifically benefits, but beyond that just drink what you like.
When it comes to drinking tea for the benefits you'll find that a lot of the people seriously into tea got there because it helped with a health problem. It's not a silver bullet cure or a magic weight loss potion, and the weight loss craze should probably be stemmed, but I don't think there's anything wrong with drinking tea for the benefits; the fact that someone is here probably also means that they are interested in drinking better quality tea as well, or else they would simply be at their local supermarket looking for the box with the most labels suggesting its contents are healthy. Drink tea for whatever reason appeals to you, and try lots of different kinds; you will find what works for you and you'll also find a whole new world of sensory experiences to explore