I like my tea strong and black. I drink anywhere between 6 and 12 cups
of it a day, in addition to three or four large glasses of iced tea
daily. I've never been overly fond of green tea, but I'm going to try
and work some of it into my diet for the health benefits. This is
going to be somewhat of a chore for me -- whenever I'm sipping on a mug
of green tea, I'll be thinking that I could be drinking a strong, milky
cup of Assam instead. What is the recommended amount of green tea that
should be consumed on a daily basis to get the maximum health benefits?
There's so much conflicting information out there.

Thanks.

The info I've heard is that black is almost as high in antioxidants as
green, so if you drink black rather than green, you would just drink a
bit more. It sounds like you're already far beyond that. The other
question is do you want variety, or to cut down on additives. Toci
Pat wrote:

...

Pat wrote:

Green tea is a great change of pace from black and other more fermented
tea, while I don't know about it having any more/less benefits than any
other tea, I will say it is my favorite. It takes some time to gain an
appreciation for it, but I would venture to guess you might be
surprised.

Thanks for the advice.

Right now I am finding the colour of the brew a little off-putting and
miss the robust flavour of black tea. Adding a little lemon seems to
help (something I don't do with black tea, unless it's iced), though I
think I've overlemoned the cup that I'm sipping on right now. I guess
through trial and error I'll come up with the right combination,
eventually.

Pat

Dominic T. wrote:

Pat wrote:

Oh, Pat! We have to talk.

For Jeebus sake, put the lemon down slowly and step away! The
lightness, sweetness and freshness of green tea is where it's at, it
will just take a bit of effort and the right tea to come around. I can
enjoy and appreciate black teas, Pu-Erh, and oolongs as well as my main
love of greens... you just need to get started right.

What kind of green tea are you drinking right now, that you had to add
lemon to?

I like black teas that are strong and smooth, mostly Assam based, like
Yorkshire Gold or the breakfast blends. I used to be really into
Ceylon teas, but lately they seem weak and insipid to me.

The green tea I'm drinking right now (and I can see everyone
collectively cringe) is a sencha (according to the label) by Twinings.
I wanted to start with something that was easy to obtain, as well as
something that I didn't have to buy a huge quantity of, in case I
didn't like it.

The Twinings green is not bad, but frankly it is rather tasteless
compared to the black teas I'm used to. I never add lemon or sugar to
black teas. A small amount of milk, sometimes, if it's really strong
tea -- or if I'm drinking tea without eating anything, because plain
black tea sometimes upsets my stomach. The milk seems to prevent that
from happening. Lemon just doesn't taste good to me in hot black tea
and sugar has no place in any tea of any kind, IMO.

Someone once gave me a black tea by Whittard's of Chelsea that was
flavoured with jasmine and it was one of the worst cups of tea I ever
tasted. I think it put me off jasmine for life.

Pat wrote:

OK, then try a Kukicha. It is actually twigs and stems from the tea,
and used to be the lowest form of tea to give to commoners and
workers... now it is highly revered. It is actually almost a in between
of a black tea and a green. A nice smooth flavor that is a little
roasted/nutty flavored, but very good.

Pat wrote:

Hi, Pat!

It sounds as if you're in the UK, with your mention of Whittards and
Twinings, is that correct? If so, do please drop me an e-mail: davidc
at robots dot ox dot ac dot uk, and I'll quickly put some decent, fresh
samples of green tea in the post.

As a poster above rightly said, by buying Twinings/Whittards you're
paying a high price, and the result is guaranteed to make you dislike
green tea! I used to have the same thing before I realised that there
was more to tea than this. :)

Proper greens can be nutty, creamy, floral (without the addition of
flowers or chemical perfumes!), and a true delight. Posting here is
your first step towards a better green-drinking life. :)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Pat wrote:
...should be consumed on a daily basis to get the maximum health
benefits?

Hi Pat,
all those different teas (differently grown and processed greens,
blacks, oolongs, Pu-Erhs, ...) have different positive effects on our
health, black teas no less than green teas, so if there is...