Green Tea vs Black Tea, what’s the difference?

With roots in Asia, tea is a worldwide staple drink that carries us through our days, from beginning to end. Go to any grocery store, and you’re likely to find a wall of tea to choose from, but have you ever stopped to consider how tea is made? Or how do the various types of tea differ from one another? Believe it or not, as you’ll learn, some of the wide tea varieties come from the same plant. Here, we delved into the specifics of some of our favorite types of tea to discover what makes them unique and deserving of a place in our kitchen cabinets.

Green Tea

If you want to taste the pure, grassy flavor of the Camellia sinensis plant, try green tea leaves, which briefly get heated after they’re picked to prevent oxidation and preserve their natural qualities. Depending on the variety, green tea can taste vegetal, floral, clean, and so on. 

A cup of green tea typically contains between 30 and 50 milligrams of caffeine and a high percentage of polyphenols, antioxidant compounds that protect the body against disease. Energizing and soothing, green tea is a perfect beverage for mornings and early afternoons.

Black Tea

Black teas are made from Camellia sinensis, which is also the base of all other teas besides herbal varieties. The majority of Camellia sinensis’ commercial cultivation takes place in Asia, and likely originated in China. The most obvious difference between different kinds of tea is the amount of time the picked tea leaves are oxidized before they’re dried. Oxidation browns the tea leaves and alters their flavor, transforming them into something richer and darker than their fresh beginnings.

Black tea leaves have been oxidized for a long time in order to develop a malty, full-bodied flavor before the drying process. You’ll often find that black tea leaves are crushed into small pieces, which encourages oxidation. For the most part, smaller leaves indicate a more concentrated cup of tea. A cup of black tea tends to contain between 40 and 60 milligrams of caffeine, and can support heart health thanks to the presence of flavonoids. Due to its caffeine content, you might be better off enjoying a cup of black tea earlier in the day, such as with breakfast or lunch, and not right before bed. However, since the amount of caffeine in a cup of black tea is relatively low, many people aren’t bothered by it.