THE BENEFITS OF TEAS: HOW TO PICK THE HEALTHIEST TYPES

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site.

Maybe it’s a cold and rainy morning and you need a gentle energy boost. Or you want to linger over a relaxing beverage after lunch with a friend. Perhaps you simply want to wind down at the end of a busy day.

The perfect drink for all these situations, and one found in the pantries of more than 80 percent of U.S. households? A fragrant cup of tea, with a squeeze of lemon or a little milk or honey, or enjoyed as is, with nothing added at all.

But what’s actually in that English breakfast or chamomile tea you’re sipping? At its most basic, tea is a mix of water and dried plant material. What many people think of as true teas like black (such as English breakfast, Earl Grey and Darjeeling), green and white are all made from the leaves of one plant: Camellia sinensis. Their flavors and colors can vary from light and bright to dark and earthy.

Herbal teas — chamomile, peppermint and ginger, for example — are created from a wide variety of herbs and other plants. Technically, these aren’t teas (they’re officially called tisanes), but they offer similar pleasure and comfort, with flavors that can range from sweet to peppery.

Today, some enthusiasts even treat tea like wine, pairing different types with food that complements them. For instance, Shabnam Weber, a tea sommelier and president of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, says black tea goes well with beef, green with shellfish and white with peach-based desserts.

While you’re deciding which tea to brew, don’t forget the likely health benefits. The use of tea as a medicinal beverage appeared in written texts around the third century in Asia. And there’s growing evidence that those who regularly drink true teas may have a lower risk of a heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, cognitive decline and other health problems.

Substances known as polyphenol antioxidants — which fight cell damage and inflammation — are probably responsible for the protective properties of true teas. Herbal teas, some long used as home remedies, may have healthful effects as well. But with so many herbal drinks out there, their effectiveness can be harder to prove.

The caffeine that’s naturally found in black, green and white teas can also be good for you in moderation and “may help keep your brain and nervous system healthy,” says Michelle M. Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and author of “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea”.

Oolong teastrue and herbal teas, though, there has been concern about potential contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals, including lead. But when Consumer Reports’ scientists tested 30 popular black, green and herbal teas, they found little to be worried about with the vast majority of them.

How much tea should you drink? There’s no standard recommendation. Some experts suggest having two to three cups per day to get the benefits.

True teas

While the five main types of true teas below are all made from the Camellia sinensis plant, each one’s particular taste, aroma and appearance depend on when the leaves are picked and how they’re handled afterward. Their levels of healthful compounds may vary, too.

Black tea

What it is: This tea is made by crushing and drying the leaves, which releases an enzyme that darkens them — hence the name. Each kind is a bit different. English breakfast, for instance, is usually a blend of two rich-tasting black teas, while the oil of bergamot added to Earl Grey gives it a floral and almost sweet scent.

Flavor: Black tea has plenty of tannins, plant compounds that create the brew’s earthy flavor and slight but not unpleasant bitterness.

Benefits: People who often drink black tea may be less likely to have a heart attack, possibly because theaflavins — the polyphenols that dominate — help control inflammation and relax blood vessels.

Caffeine: 30 to 50 mg per eight-ounce cup.

Pu-erh

What it is: Dining at a Chinese restaurant? There’s a good chance the tea you’re served is pu-erh, which is made by fermenting damp tea leaves (sometimes for up to 30 years), allowing fungal mold to make the leaves less astringent, Francl says. The leaves are then twisted, sun-dried and rolled.

Flavor: Depending on how long leaves have been aged, this brownish-red brew can range from mellow to slightly bitter.

Benefits: Studies have linked pu-erh to lower risks of obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

Caffeine: 30 to 100 mg per eight-ounce cup.

Oolong tea

What it is: To create oolong, tea leaves are partly dried and then gently rolled, a process that can give them a yellow-green hue. Oolong is often part of Chinese wedding tea ceremonies, but it’s also widely sold in bags and loose for enjoying at home.

Flavor: Like other teas, the taste can vary quite a lot, depending on the growing climate and how the leaves are dried and rolled. Some oolongs are light and floral, others are heavier and more woodsy. “It often has many layers of flavors,” says Cindy Li, founder of Uproot Teas in Boulder, Colorado.

Benefits: Oolong’s primary antioxidants — which are known as theasinensins — may enhance immunity and reduce inflammation.

Caffeine: 30 to 50 mg per eight-ounce cup.

Green tea

What it is: These leaves are steamed right after picking, so they retain their green color. There are many types — like sencha, gunpowder, and Hojicha — each with its own characteristics. For the popular matcha, leaves are ground into a powder and whisked into hot water.

Flavor: It typically has a grassy, floral, fruity taste and slight astringency.

Benefits: Green tea is loaded with the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), among others, and may be heart-protective. One study found that a cup or two a day may cut heart disease risk by 11 to 16 percent. There has been buzz about potential cancer-prevention properties, too, but nothing definitive.

Caffeine: 30 mg per eight-ounce cup; matcha may have a bit more.

White tea

What it is: Made from young tea leaves that are dried right after being picked, white tea is lighter in both color and flavor than other true teas. While some may be sold simply as white tea, you may also spot boxes and tins labeled as, say, white peony (a.k.a. bai mudan) or silver needle, once so prized that they were reserved for royalty.

Flavor: You can expect a delicate floral and grassy taste.

Benefits: White tea has the highest levels of antioxidants, including EGCG, of all true teas — so sipping it often is likely to confer the benefits of all true teas.

Caffeine: 35 mg per eight-ounce cup.

Herbal teas

Herbal tea can be crafted from a wide variety of plant materials, including herbs, flowers, spices, roots, fruits and bark. Unlike true teas, most herbals have no caffeine. Some contain just one ingredient, others a blend. Here’s what to know about four popular herbal teas.

Chamomile

What it is: Dried chamomile flowers are used either whole (which you’ll typically find in loose tea) or broken into pieces (which is how it usually appears in tea bags).

Flavor: This popular tisane is mildly floral and sweet. Li recommends loose, whole-flower chamomile for the best-tasting brew.

Benefits: Chamomile has a reputation for being a sleep remedy, and research bears that out. In a study published this year in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, scientists found that drinking chamomile tea before bed led to better slumber. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, may improve digestion, and has traditionally been used as a diuretic.

Ginger

What it is: Whole ginger root that’s dried and sometimes ground, which releases its flavors when hot water is poured over it. Some bagged or loose ginger teas you’ll see in stores or online, like the one from Yogi, also contain other herbs, such as lemongrass or licorice root.

Flavor: Much like fresh ginger does when it’s added to foods, this tea tastes somewhat peppery and slightly sweet and has a strong and spicy aroma.

Benefits: Ginger has traditionally been used to ease indigestion, nausea and constipation. Research also suggests that the tea may reduce inflammation and that it has some cancer-preventive properties.

Rooibos

What it is: You’ll most often see this under the name rooibos, but it’s also known as red bush tea. Rooibos comes from the dried leaves and flowers of Aspalathus linearis, a plant that grows in South Africa. Rooibos tea is sold loose or in bags on its own and is often used as a base for various herbal blends or flavored concoctions like Celestial Seasonings’ Madagascar Vanilla Rooibos Tea and Harney & Sons’ Holiday Herbal.

Flavor: Rooibos has a flowery taste with a woodsy essence. It’s naturally sweet enough that you may not need to add any sugar or honey.

Benefits: Like so many fruits, vegetables and spices, rooibos is full of the potent antioxidants known as flavonoids. Some research suggests that this tea may help reduce high levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood sugar.

Peppermint

What it is: The dried leaves of the peppermint plant.

Flavor: Peppermint has a sharp and minty taste. You can sip loose or bagged peppermint tea on its own (it’s pretty widely available both ways) or temper its strong flavor by choosing a blend like Bigelow Tea’s Mint Medley, which also contains its milder cousin, spearmint. You might also want to try other combination teas that include peppermint. These may have ingredients such as ginger, licorice root or even chocolate. Some of the latter, such as the Art of Tea’s Dark Chocolate Peppermint Tea, may have some caffeine, so you’ll want to double-check ingredients lists if you’re looking for a relaxing beverage to sip before bed.

Benefits: While the scientific research on peppermint tea has been limited, this beverage has long been used as a home remedy to aid digestion and ease gas and bloating. But if you have the chronic heartburn known as GERD, take it easy: Peppermint tea may worsen it.

Copyright 2024, Consumer Reports Inc.

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Read more at ConsumerReports.org.

2025-01-06T19:05:55Z