If you feel like you’re drinking too much coffee and you’re interested in migrating over to tea, but don’t know which kind of tea to drink, this article is for you.
Black Tea
There are so many different black teas you can get: Persian, earl gray, english breakfast, chai, etc. Black tea has the highest caffeine content of any kind of tea. It’s still good for you and has antioxidants, but when you compare black tea to green tea, the green tea will have MORE antioxidants.
Black tea goes through a fermentation process, meaning a lot of the antioxidants get oxidized. When they’re oxidized, they’re not as strong, but this doesn’t mean it’s not good for you …I still drink a lot of black tea.
I find that black tea really settles my stomach. This is definitely a cultural thing – growing up Persian, I would have black tea whenever I’d have a stomach ache or after meals …so this could definitely be a placebo effect (your mind can affect the way you feel).
Green Tea
I love to have green tea in the mornings (especially with citrus). For breakfast sometimes I’ll have oranges, pineapple or blueberries with some green tea – the combination is amazing.
Green tea is not fermented or oxidized, so the antioxidant content is very high. It fights cancer, is heart healthy, can help with healthy weight loss and is great for your skin – I can’t say enough great things about green tea.
Matcha
This has been a new trend lately. Some trends can be fads, but matcha is not one of them. Matcha is a type of green tea, but the way it’s grown is a little bit different – it’s still the same leaves, but matcha leaves are blocked from direct sunlight, giving it a little higher antioxidant activity.
Matcha comes in powder form, whereas most green teas come in tea bags. The powder is just ground up leaves, and because you’re getting all of that dissolved into the water, you’re getting a higher amount of tea. So higher antioxidants, but with that comes higher caffeine.
When going between matcha and green tea, use your judgement. The caffeine difference between matcha and green tea is pretty significant.
How to make matcha:
- Put hot water in a mug.
- Pour in the matcha powder.
- Whisk with bamboo spoon/whisk. (This makes sure you’re getting the most benefit out of the matcha. Don’t stress if you don’t have one.)
- Enjoy!
Matcha tends to have more of a bitter taste, so I like to add coconut milk or oat milk.
White Tea
I love white tea, and a lot of people don’t know much about it. Of all teas, white tea is the least processed. There hasn’t been that much research on it, but it’s thought to have less caffeine and higher antioxidants. It’s a really light taste, so experiment with it, especially if you’re sensitive to caffeine and still want the antioxidants.
Herbal Tea
There are SO MANY different kinds of herbal tea and so many different benefits to them. Herbals can still be pretty strong – just because something is natural, doesn’t mean that it’s not potent. For the most part, any kind of herbal tea you’re buying at a health food store will be completely fine.
The benefits can range from relaxation to lower blood pressure, better skin, better circulation, less bloating …it’s limitless. Herbal tea is naturally CAFFEINE-FREE. *If you get tea that says “sleepy time,” it won’t make you sleepy, it just doesn’t have caffeine. You don’t have to worry that drinking chamomile tea during the day will make you feel sleepy. The only kind of tea I can think of that would make you sleepy is something like kava because this herb was used years ago for anxiety and relaxation.
Caffeine Scale (highest → lowest):
Black Tea → Matcha → Green Tea → White Tea → Herbal
Let’s Talk Lattes
A latte is just steamed milk with either coffee or tea. You can make a green tea latte, black tea latte, etc., so you can make this vegan (with whatever non-dairy milk you like).
Whenever I’m getting any kind of tea latte, I always specify because sometimes places add their own sweeteners and powders. If you want a latte that isn’t super unhealthy, ask them to take a regular tea bag, add steamed non-dairy milk (½ water, ½ milk), and you’ll make your own latte!
One of the reasons I stopped drinking coffee so much was that there’s so much good tea out there, and I liked experimenting with different ones. I’ll have a coffee maybe once a week, but I’ve kind of kicked that habit …and I used to LOVE coffee. You can pick and choose your teas, and have fun with it :).
