If you're seeking the healthiest green tea, you've landed in the right spot! 🎉
In this article, we'll explore the best green tea to drink for optimal health. Spoiler alert: it's matcha! From its unique cultivation to its meticulous preparation, matcha stands out as the top choice.
Let's dive into why matcha is the healthiest green tea and explore some other excellent options. Plus, we've got some great tips on how to enjoy green tea in various delicious and healthy ways.
Ready to discover your new favorite health boost? Let's get started! 🍃
Healthiest Green Tea Video
Healthiest green tea
So right off the bat, the healthiest green tea would have to be matcha powder, and there are a couple reasons for this.
Each stage of matcha, from the cultivation to the processing and preparation is almost perfectly designed to create the healthiest green tea to drink, so it is a good example to study.
Let’s briefly explore what makes matcha the best healthiest green tea, and if you want to learn more about it, you can always refer to this guide 👉 What do Scientists say about Matcha Benefits? Find Out Here
Cultivating the healthiest green tea
One thing that makes matcha the healthiest green tea to drink is the cultivation of the tea plant itself. Matcha is shaded for 3 weeks prior to the harvest. When the plant is cut off from sunlight, it develops less bitterness and more of this sweet savory flavor.
It also develops more caffeine and theanine. Theanine is thought to buffer some of the negative side effects of caffeine, and this could be why matcha drinkers report having a longer lasting, calm alert feeling that lasts throughout the day.
Processing the healthiest green tea
Once the leaves have been harvested, the work has only just begun! The tea then needs to be steamed and dried. The producers will also remove the stems from the leaves, as these are thought to detract from the flavor.
By removing the stems, all that remains are the flavorful, nutrient dense leaves. Then the leaves are ground into a fine powder in a large stone mill. This fine powder will then be mixed directly into water to make a delicious bowl of matcha tea.
Preparing the healthiest green tea
When you drink matcha, you are consuming the entire leaf, along with all of its nutrients. This means you are getting more antioxidants, caffeine, theanine and chlorophyll per sip than any other tea. This is the main factor that makes matcha the healthiest green tea.
So what green tea is the healthiest? That would have to be matcha, because of the unique cultivation, processing and preparation of this special tea.
Honorable mentions for healthiest green tea
Even though we have crowned matcha as the healthiest green tea to drink, there are a few other contenders. Let’s go through a list of a few teas to find the healthiest green tea besides matcha.
Gyokuro
So what green tea is the healthiest besides matcha? That would have to be gyokuro! Gyokuro undergoes the same long shading process as matcha, which means that it has a high content of caffeine and theanine and a sweet and savory flavor.
Gyokuro is sometimes considered “the Emperor’s tea” because it used to be the tea of choice for the Emperor himself. If you’ve ever tried this tea you’ll know that the Emperor had great taste!
Bancha
So what is the healthiest green tea to drink if you are sensitive to caffeine?
That would have to be bancha of course! This tea is made from the older leaves of the tea plant, which gives it a milder flavor and a higher nutrient profile.
This green tea is great for digestion and is often drunk after a meal. Some studies even suggest that certain components of this green tea may have a protective effect against kidney stones.
The tea is also very affordable, making it the healthiest green tea to drink if you are on a budget. If you want to find more inexpensive green teas, we recommend you follow this guide 👉 List of the Best Cheap Loose Leaf Green Teas
Sencha
So what green tea is the healthiest if you want a little bit of caffeine but not too much? Sencha is a great tea in between bancha and gyokuro. This is actually the most popular type of green tea in Japan, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t loaded with health benefits!
Sencha is very high in catechins like EGCG, which are the components responsible for a lot of the health benefits of green tea like weight loss, flu prevention and anti-aging. If you want to really extract a lot of catechins from your sencha, we recommend using hotter water!
Kukicha
Finally on our list of the healthiest green tea types is kukicha. Kukicha is a stem tea made from the stems and leaves of the tea plant. The additional stems gives the tea a mild, strawlike flavor, higher mineral content and less caffeine.
Like bancha, this is also a great tea to enjoy in the afternoon or evening. If you are interested in finding low caffeine teas to drink later in the day, you might really like this guide 👉 8 Lowest Caffeine Tea: from Lowest to Highest
What makes it the healthiest green tea?
Now that we have discussed what is the healthiest green tea, let’s talk about a few of the benefits green tea can have. Here is a list of the 4 most interesting potential benefits of green tea.
If you want to take a deep dive into this subject, we have the perfect article for you 👉 Is green tea good for you? A Tea Expert Weighs in
#1 Weight Loss
Green tea is celebrated for its potential to aid in weight loss. It contains compounds like catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which can enhance metabolism and promote the oxidation of fats.
This can lead to an increase in calorie expenditure and potentially contribute to weight loss efforts. Additionally, the mild caffeine content in green tea acts as a stimulant, boosting energy expenditure and supporting the burning of calories and fat.
#2 Flu Prevention
Is green tea good for a cold? Yes 🎉
Green tea has a long history of being used for its potential immune-boosting properties. It is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, which can help strengthen the immune system. The catechins in green tea may inhibit the growth of viruses, making it a potential tool in flu prevention.
While it's not a guaranteed shield against the flu, incorporating green tea into your daily routine can provide your body with an extra line of defense, especially during flu seasons.
#3 Anti-aging
The antioxidant-rich composition of green tea makes it a powerful ally in the fight against aging. Green tea's polyphenols, such as EGCG, help combat free radicals that can damage skin and accelerate the aging process.
Does green tea help to get a younger looking and healthier skin? Yes! Regular consumption of green tea may help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots, resulting in more youthful-looking skin.
#4 Good for kidneys
So right out of the gate, is green tea good for kidneys? The answer is yes. Green tea is generally considered good for kidneys as long as it is consumed in a reasonable amount. There are a few reasons that make green tea good for kidneys, and we’re going to discuss them in the next segment.
Healthiest green tea drinks
So now that we’ve covered what is the healthiest green tea, let’s talk a bit about the healthiest green tea drinks.
When we’re talking about green tea healthiest drink usually means a drink that contains green tea and only a few simple ingredients that are good for your health. Here are some of our favorites:
Unsweetened Green Tea - Healthiest green tea drinks on the road
If you’re looking for the healthiest green tea drinks on the go, make sure you go for unsweetened bottled teas. Just because a drink is sold as “tea” does not mean it is healthy. It can be loaded with sugar and other ingredients, making it just as bad for you as other soft drinks.
Of course these bottled teas won’t taste nearly as good as the green tea you prepare yourself, but if you have no other option, it can do the trick!
Cold Brew Green Tea - Healthiest Green Tea for the Summer
If you want the healthiest green tea to drink during the summertime, a simple cold brew can be a great option. While packaged iced tea mixes can be loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients, you can make your own equally delicious green tea with just leaves and water.
Simply add 5 grams of tea leaves to a glass (we like the Shizuku Sencha for cold brew) and then pour in 500ml of cool or room temperature water. Let the leaves sit undisturbed for 3 hours, pour through a strainer and voila! You have one of the healthiest green tea drinks you can make.
If you want to become a cold brewing expert in only a few minutes, we suggest you read this complete guide here 👉 Cooling Off and Chilling Out with Cold Brew Green Tea
Simple Matcha Latte
Even though matcha is considered the healthiest green tea, it is often mixed with a lot of not-so-healthy ingredients. That’s why if you’re looking for the healthiest green tea, we really recommend you use a small amount of plant based milk and little to no sweetener.
For a matcha latte, we recommend you use the matcha latte powder. It is made from later harvests so it is much more affordable and the stronger flavor is well balanced by the milk.
If you want to learn how to make the perfect matcha latte, this is the article for you 👉 Make an Iced Matcha Latte Just Like Starbucks Barista
Matcha Green Tea Smoothie
If you want the best healthiest green tea, one tip you can try is a matcha smoothie. While this matcha powder is a little bitter on its own, it works great when you combine it with fruit and juice.
While matcha lattes can contain additional fat and sugar, smoothies contain mostly healthy whole food ingredients. Try a teaspoon or two and see how you like it!
Healthiest Green Tea - Final Thoughts
So if you’re looking for the healthiest green tea, there are a couple considerations to make. The first is what you are looking for in terms of health benefits and the second is what your overall lifestyle looks like.
What is the healthiest green tea for people sensitive to caffeine?
As we mentioned before, a lot of the healthiest green tea can be quite high in caffeine. This is something you may want to watch out for if you are sensitive to caffeine or if you prefer to drink your tea in the evening.
So what is the healthiest green tea for people sensitive to caffeine? Teas like bancha and kukicha are still quite healthy for you, and they have a small fraction of the caffeine compared to a regular green tea. Try these two teas for yourself and see how you like them!
What is the healthiest green tea for an active lifestyle
While ceremonial matcha is probably the healthiest green tea you can find, we understand a lot of people might not have the time to prepare it properly.
The good news is, you can just add a small pinch of matcha to your morning smoothie and still take advantage of all its health benefits!
