It's no secret that drinking tea is good for you. Tea has been an integral part of traditional medicine and is revered as a cure-all in many Asian countries. The Chinese and Japanese have consumed this tea to improve health for centuries. It's even promoted in Western medicine as a way to treat symptoms of the cold and flu.
What is Tea ?
Tea is one of the most frequently consumed beverages in the world. There are two main categories of tea: true teas and herbal teas. In addition, there are flavored teas that combine a true tea base with herbal infusions.
True Tea
True teas are made using the leaves of the tea plant known as Camellia sinensis. These teas include green tea, white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and black tea. While these teas are made using the same leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the difference in color and taste arises from the production process.
Green tea and white tea are the true teas, which undergo the least processing. These teas are not oxidized. The leaves are harvested and dried to prevent the chemical reaction that turns the leaves a dark brown or black color. As a result, these teas retain their natural green color and are considered among the healthiest teas.
Black tea is fully oxidized while oolong tea is only partially oxidized. Pu-erh tea is aged and considered a post-oxidized tea. These true teas offer a range of health benefits, but are considered slightly inferior to green tea. The caffeine content of true teas varies between the different types and on how the tea was produced.
Herbal Tea
Herbal teas are made by infusing fruits, roots, herbs, leaves, and stems of a variety of plants. Herbal teas are also commonly called herbal tisanes. These teas boas health benefits that differ from true teas since they contain various compounds. Some of the most popular herbal teas include ginger tea, peppermint tea, and chamomile tea. Herbal teas do not contain any caffeine.