Recently as a companion of infamous green and black tea, white tea is gaining popularity. Some people may even argue that it is better in nutrition terms than its green and black counterparts. It offers a higher level of antioxidants and very low amount of caffeine. People who tend to consume tea because they want to avoid consumption of caffeine should consider consuming white tea because it has all the necessary qualities.
It is also a great choice to consume as a substitute for green or black tea because the amount of caffeine in this is very low in comparison to others. However, the actual level of caffeine may indeed differ from plant to plant, but in general, the quantity is lesser than its green and black counterparts. There has not been that progress in researches on white tea when compared to another counterpart but as per the studies already completed or going on we can say that there are a lot of benefits of consuming white tea and you must consider buying a tin of it next time you are at the supermarket.
WHITE TEA
Just like black tea and green tea, it also originates from an evergreen bush called Camellia synesis. This bush normally originates from India and China. Although it has been gaining popularity recently, the term white tea has been coined for a very long time. It has also been mentioned in the Song dynasty.
In today’s world, this white tea is harvested in China’s Fujian each spring. It is also a type of tea that requires the least amount of processing, there is no oxidizing or heating involved in the case of white tea. It has a very delicate flavor. There are a large number of varieties in white tea that a consumer can choose from.
In the past, it was a luxury because it was very expensive not to mention difficult to find in the United States. Now in recent years, it has become more commonly available in the United States and also more affordable. You can go to any renowned supermarket and get your hands on a tin of white tea. It is now even becoming very popular in the United States because of the quality it contains that helps in controlling obesity and we all know that the US has a big problem of obesity.
HOW TO PREPARE
Moving on from history, let’s learn how do we prepare white tea for home consumption. It is highly recommended that you use spring water to get the best white tea. The flavor of white tea as mentioned above is not that strong and it is very delicate so it is best to steep this tea inside frankly hot water with a temperature of around 76 to 85-degree celsius.
Some sources recommend to steep it for a longer period, another claim that it should be kept only for 3 to 4 minutes. You can personally choose the period that you will steep the white tea for as per your liking of the flavor.
We also recommend you avoid drinking white tea with honey, sugar, cream or milk because it has a very delicate flavor and it will get ruined if it mixes up with one of those things.
AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE
As we have mentioned above the content of caffeine inside the white tea is limited. It is certainly true the level of caffeine inside the white tea plant is less than its green and black counterparts but the truth is the amount of caffeine depends upon individual plants. Certain plants have more amount of caffeine content than some other water plants. It also depends upon the place where the specific plant was grown. Traditional white tea that was grown China is known to have less amount of caffeine than tea plants from any other part of the world that may have the caffeine content more. As per your needing, you can ask the seller or vendor to tell you the amount of caffeine in the tea leaves that you choose to buy.
HEALTH BENEFITS
White tea is not that popular among scientists for researchers as well as its green and black counterparts. So it has not been researched enough, but from what we can tell from all the ongoing research there are certain health benefits of white tea.
OBESITY CONTROL
It comes out as a very good news for obese people that consuming white tea helps you lose weight. As per the research study conducted in 2009, there are key anti-obesity effects in the white tea plant and it is believed that white tea components reduce or break down the existing fat cells that ultimately lead to a reduction in obesity.
CANCER PREVENTION
There is no cure for cancer, but it can be certainly prevented if a person consumes the right nutrition. In the case of white tea, researchers found out that it has a high level of aberrant crypts. This is a precursor to colon cancer.
SKIN EFFECTS
As you mentioned above, it contains antioxidant components. Antioxidants lead to cure many skin related diseases and they also protect the skin cells from harmful ultraviolet rays. It has not been completely supported to use white tea as skin treatment but it is a good chance that it will pass that test as people are currently using it for skin treatment and seeing results.
CAFFEINE CONTENT
There is very less amount of caffeine in white tea, the exact quantity depends on the plant that you are choosing to buy. The amount of caffeine content may be higher on some plants or low in others. Any ingredient that contains caffeine may have some level of side effects on the consumers as per the FDA. A typical cup of black tea or green tea would contain at least 30 to 50 mg of caffeine and white tea will have less amount but that amount will still have some effects.
