Black, green or peppermint? The health benefits of different types of tea

You have probably heard the good news that tea is healthy, but much of the rigorous research into its benefits – and there is a lot of it – has looked into the tea consumption habits of people in east Asia, where green tea is the go-to.

The issue for us in Britain is that we love to put lashings of milk and sugar in our mugs, whereas people in other countries tend to drink teas of all kinds, green, black or otherwise, with hot water only. A person in this country drinks three cups of tea on average every day, which can sneak a hundred extra calories into your diet each day, along with the potential for tooth rot and Type 2 diabetes.

Thanks to the flavonoids in green tea, many of which are also found in black tea, this beverage has a reputation for improving metabolism, lowering cholesterol and even improving blood pressure. Some experts believe that the casein in milk binds to the flavonoids in black tea and prevents them from working as effectively, hence why green tea has a much more health-friendly image.

But the jury is still out on whether this actually happens when tea is mixed with milk – and the black tea we prefer is actually an oxidised version of green tea, hailing from the same ordinary bushes, and as such is still very healthy.

“People assume that green tea is much healthier than black tea, but really there’s very little difference between them chemically,” says Alex Probyn, a master tea blender, and founder of the bespoke tea company Blends For Friends. Indeed, you can enjoy “up to four or five cups of black tea a day” and see benefits to your health so long as it’s sugar-free, says Sam Rice, The Telegraph’s nutritionist.

Black tea

Black tea contains the highest concentration of flavonoids when it comes to traditional teas, research suggests. Its dark colour is a dead giveaway, and it’s the fermentation process that gives black tea this special health boost.

Flavonoids have a number of medicinal benefits, including anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Some have also been shown to have neuroprotective and cardio-protective effects. Other foods rich in flavonoids include dark chocolate and blackberries.

While research on the health benefits of black tea is less abundant than that on green tea, the existing science provides much hope for our nation’s prized beverage. Black tea specifically can lower blood pressure, one study suggests. “The compounds in black tea make it especially good for cardiovascular health and for lowering cholesterol,

Green tea

Green tea is the real superstar when it comes to teas: it contains an enormous range of catechins, a kind of polyphenol known to be especially good for protecting your heart and boosting your brain health, and a number of studies suggest that drinking copious amounts of green tea can offer some protection against a range of cancers. The most potent of the catechins in green tea is known as EGCG, and some research indicates that a diet rich in it could ward off both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Yellow tea and white tea are made from the same leaves as green tea and are both very similar in that they are both unoxidised, “but yellow tea is tea that changes colour a little bit during the drying process”, says Probyn, by being wrapped up and heated while damp in a process called “yellowing”. “It’s very rare, though some green teas are sold as yellow teas just because they look yellow in colour.” Yellow tea will taste more mellow than green tea, but comes with very similar health benefits.

It might be worth giving white or yellow tea a whirl if you’ve never gotten on with green tea. If you do dabble in them, you should use water that has been left to cool for at least a few minutes, as yellow and white teas are very prone to scalding.

Oolong tea

Oolong tea, sometimes referred to as “blue” tea for its blue-green colour after drying, is “somewhere between green and black tea” in terms of the manufacturing process, Probyn says. “It’s semi-oxidised, for somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on the manufacturer and the specific kind of oolong they want to make.” This means that it might be seen as “the best of both worlds” when it comes to taste and health benefits. “It’s highly underrated,” Probyn says. “If someone doesn’t enjoy the bitterness of green tea, or the richness of black tea, then oolong can be a great alternative to either.” It’s best brewed with water, that’s slightly less hot, to preserve the nuanced taste of the tea, which can be quite expensive.

Some research suggests that drinking oolong tea regularly may promote better heart health, and can even protect your teeth and bones. One study even suggests that people with Type 2 diabetes who drink six cups of oolong tea a day for 30 days may find their blood sugar levels reduced. Oolong tea still contains a fairly high amount of caffeine, however, possibly even more than standard black tea, depending on the brand and how it is brewed, so it might be best to keep to just a cup or two if you aren’t a tea drinker already.

Mint tea

Peppermint tea is drunk even by people who don’t bother with herbal teas very often. Spearmint tea, a less popular form of mint tea, is sometimes blended into teabags with its more popular cousin, along with lemon balm, a citrus-y mint leaf. Mint teas of any kind “have been used for a long time to support digestive health”, Rice says. “There are some studies to show that peppermint tea in particular can give relief from indigestion and nausea, though they’re usually carried out with peppermint oil rather than peppermint tea itself.” Mint teas can be brewed with fresh leaves, as well as dried leaves in tea bags. There will not be a notable difference in the health benefits of one method versus another.

Anecdotally, many people with IBS report that peppermint tea especially can calm their symptoms. Being naturally caffeine-free, it is certainly easier for people with sensitive stomachs to tolerate than traditional teas.

Ginger and lemon tea

Ginger and lemon tea is often consumed by people who suspect that they have a cold coming on. Ginger has “potentially antiviral properties”, says Probyn, and the lemon involved comes with a hit of vitamin C too, which helps support the immune system (however, lemon tea contains very limited amounts). You can also add honey which has been proven to help soothe sore throats.

There is also some evidence to suggest that ginger tea on its own can alleviate nausea, osteoarthritis pain and menstrual cramps, and can also support blood sugar control.

Chamomile tea

Chamomile tea “may be seen as a natural barbiturate [a type of sedative]”, says Probyn. It acts as a mild sedative by working on the brain’s benzodiazepine receptors, which is why many people drink it before bed to help them sleep. Some research shows that it may be especially helpful for older adults who struggle to get enough rest at night. A recent review of studies found that chamomile tea has been shown multiple times to help people get to sleep, and stay asleep too.

Rooibos tea

Rooibos has a reddish-brown colour, like black tea, but comes from a different shrub that grows in Africa. “It tastes pretty similar to many people when they drink it with milk,” Probyn says. It can therefore be a good stand-in for people who are looking to cut down on their caffeine consumption, or a helpful option for those who like to have tea after dinner in the evenings. It also contains a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin, meaning that it even comes with some of the health superpowers of the black tea we know and love.

How is tea made?

Whether it’s green or black – or indeed oolong, yellow or white – all tea that’s actually “tea” comes from the camellia sinensis tea plant. The shrub has been cultivated and grown across the entire world, but is native to parts of East Asia such as Japan, China and South Korea. Tea leaves are naturally caffeinated.

“Tea has been commonly drunk in China for the best part of the last 5,000 years at least,” says Probyn. By contrast, Britain only got hooked on tea about four centuries ago, when Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of King Charles II, introduced it in court in 1662 and made it a sought-after status symbol. Just two years later, the East India Company placed its first tea order, for 100 pounds of China tea, to be shipped over from Indonesia. That increased to an annual order of nearly 5 million pounds by 1750.

Herbal teas are made through much the same process as green and black tea. The raw ingredients used in each type, such as peppermint leaves or ginger root, “are dried and then chopped up so that they can be brewed in much the same way as a conventional tea,” says Probyn. For this reason, herbal teas are naturally caffeine free (unless blended with tea leaves into a tea bag).