Three cheers for the green, white and black…tea, that is
Do you remember years ago when the selection of tea on the grocery store shelves was limited pretty much to English Breakfast, Chamomile and good ol’ Lipton?
Now there are SO many choices and many of us have NO clue what the differences are. Personally, I only started drinking tea in the last few years. I just wasn’t a big fan.
But the more I read, the more I felt I should—and now I love it!
However, I was curious as to the million different teas that are now available, so I decided to do some research.
So, what is the difference between green, white, and black tea, etc? Let’s explore…
Green tea, black tea and white tea all come from the same tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference liesin the ways the leaves are processed.
Green tea leaves are not fermented, they are withered and steamed. Black tea and oolong tea leaves undergo a crushing and fermenting process.
Tea leaves destined to be sold as white tea undergo even less processing than green tea leaves. Instead of air-drying, the unwithered leaves are merely steamed.
All teas from the camellia tea plant are rich in polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant. These antioxidants scavenge for cell-damaging free radicals in the body and detoxify them. Continue reading