Green Tea

ladyluck5_28
ladyluck5_28 Posts: 13
in Food and Nutrition
I have been wanting to try green tea, have heard it is so good for you. But with so many different brands of tea out there it can be a bit overwhelming. So which brand is best to use, and what is good to put in green tea if anything at all? I do drink coffee daily, but I drink the Maxwell House lite or Folgers lite, never drink full caffeine coffee, and I don't drink soda, so would regular green tea have more caffeine in it than what I am used to drinking in my coffee? or should I go with decaf? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Replies

  • rachaela06
    rachaela06 Posts: 167
    I drink Lipton Cranberry Pomegranate Green Tea every once in a while for something different. It's relatively low in caffeine and has a nice flavor, I'm not a big tea drinker. The cranberry and pomegranate has some other health benefits. It's a nice treat for something different, you can make it hot or cold.
  • domeister
    domeister Posts: 7
    If you are able to access a Chinese herb store in your town, ask for High Mountain Green Tea. It is NOT bitter. It is loose leaf tea. You can throw a few balls in and actually re use those leaves 3-4 times. It is amazing.
  • ssanto
    ssanto Posts: 53
    my fav right now is the republic of tea's pomegranate green tea - no caffeine and it's delicious as is - no need to add sugar. also tastes great hot or cold.

    they also have a ginger peach green tea that is pretty tasty
  • KateCon912
    KateCon912 Posts: 200 Member
    Green tea has a lot less caffeine in it than coffee. I recommend Yogi brand.
  • Amberchalon
    Amberchalon Posts: 207 Member
    I like the real hard core matcha style green tea--but if you are new to Green tea, try any of the Yogi-Tea brands
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
    I use Lipton green tea bags with no additives. But you can use honey, lemon or splenda or equal. In moderation of course
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I love Celestial Seasonings Honey Lemon Ginseng Green tea. Not too heavy and has a nice taste.
  • caytee118
    caytee118 Posts: 55
    Or the Republic of Tea makes a nice Honey Green Tea
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    Try to stay away from lipton, they test their teas on animals (strange I know, but they do it...) I would say Celestial Seasonings is the best... They have one that's got an elephant on the box and it's got white tea with the green so it's less bitter, therefore you need less sweetener with it. Green tea ice cream is good, green tea makes a great seasoning too (kinda like parsley) The caffeine in green tea can vary from 30 to 50 milligrams... Decaf coffee has 2mg and instant coffee has 62mg... It's probably about the same as your less caffeinated coffee. You could get decaf green tea, but I'm not sure how easy or hard that would be to find.
  • missashley884
    missashley884 Posts: 188 Member
    any plain green tea in the bags, not those premixed drinks , loaded with sugar. just plain green tea! i like tazo and yogi
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I brew loose leaf mostly. Whatever smells good. I love genmaicha.
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
    I like Tazo Green tea. Some green tea is bitter to me but Tazo isn't (to me). Tea shouldn't have more caffeine than a cup of coffee. If you don't drink full caffeine in coffee, then I don't know if it compares or not.
  • wanderinglight
    wanderinglight Posts: 1,519 Member
    One thing to know...don't let it steep too long or it will become bitter!

    I didn't like green tea at first -- it was either bitter or it tasted like grass to me. Everyone was always raving about how healthy it was and so I kept trying to "like" it.

    Then I learned to 1) buy high quality loose leaf tea (if possible -- like the poster above mentioned, a Chinese herb store is a great place to look) and 2) ONLY steep it for 1--2 minutes. Now I really like a cup of it in the morning -- I'll brew it first thing, let it cool and then drink it only slightly warm.

    If you are lucky enough to have a tea or spice shop near you, they sometimes have the most amazing green tea combinations. Right now I'm drinking one that has lemongrass, lemon peel and ginger in it. It can be expensive buying the whole tea but you can actually reuse the leaves for a second brewing because the tea is so light...and the experience of getting away from the dried up Lipton bags is really nice!
  • scloyd
    scloyd Posts: 327 Member
    I drink 2-3 cups of loose leaf green tea every morning. Seldom do I drink tea bag tea. I order from Teavana.com usually with free shipping. My favorites are Blackberry Mojito & Morrocan Mint. I like to add a half of teaspoon of honey to my tea.

    I also enjoy Rooibos Teas from Teavana.

    Teavana has locations all over the country. Check them out.
  • acole75
    acole75 Posts: 3
    I like the Celestial Seasonings tea...they make green tea infused with white tea and I think it's very good....I put splenda in my tea but you can use honey or lemon or even cream if you prefer...I love tea and I've found the Celestial Seasonings brand is the best.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I put honey in my tea, but I don't drink green tea (unless it's flavored with something, like a fruity flavor or a chai) because it's too bitter for my taste.

    Green tea has lots of antioxidants, but white and black teas do, as well.
  • lbunger
    lbunger Posts: 2 Member
    I love Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate!
  • frootcat
    frootcat Posts: 194 Member
    Which ones are good as cold tea? I was looking at the supermarket the other day and it seems you have to brew them hot and then chill them... Are there any you can brew cold?
  • conniehv40
    conniehv40 Posts: 442 Member
    I bought whatever I find reasonably priced in the grocery store. I make hot about 6 cups of hot green tea at once, wait for it to cool and put it in a container in my frig. I drink it over ice throughout the day/week. The caffeine has not bothered me one bit.
  • BubbleGumKisses
    BubbleGumKisses Posts: 156 Member
    right now I'm drinking one with purple acai and blueberry... called powerfruits, I drink it plain, my mom puts some sugar in hers
  • Dannib55
    Dannib55 Posts: 50
    I like ginseng oolong loose tea from China and it is great for a morning and afternoon pick me up
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I use the Trader Joe's brand green tea. Green tea always tastes grassy to me, so I make a big 2 quart pitcher with two green tea bags and two mango tea bags. I add 1/4-1/3 cup of sugar.
  • RachFace1000
    RachFace1000 Posts: 154 Member
    a cup of green tea has about 1/4th of the caffeine of a cup of coffe
  • bethmac_va
    bethmac_va Posts: 65
    I am currently using Kirkland (Costco) Ito En Matcha Blend green tea. It's wonderful!! You can also order it on Amazon. There are cold-steeped instructions on the box. Supposedly, from the research I've done, cold steeping retains more of the anti-oxidants in green tea, not to mention how quick and easy it is! The bags are nylon type mesh, making it more like loose tea. More expensive of course, but I think well worth it.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    I have been working on switching from coffee to tea. Slowly!

    I like green & Chai - with just a little honey for sweetness.
  • PrinnyBomb
    PrinnyBomb Posts: 196 Member
    Do you mean regular green tea (bags) or proper Matcha green tea powder? Matcha is way better for you than regular green tea bags (132 times better to be precise) though it has a very unusual taste that takes some getting used to. I'd say I drink at least one cup a day and have done for about 8 months. I used to take a little bit of sweetener with it to blunt the taste but now I'm used to it and drink it without :)

    If you're going for Matcha then you'll need to find a japanese store or some chinese stores carry it. It is quite expensive for a small pot but you don't use much.

    If regular green tea, then Twinings do quite a nice blend, plus they do one with peppermint which is lovely :)

    Debbie
  • valerie521
    valerie521 Posts: 140 Member
    I have a box on my desk as we speak. Typically I like "caffenated" tea more than decaf but I accidentally
    bought a box of Good Earth Decaf Green Tea (Lemongrass flavored). It is sooooo good. I love the lemon grass
    flavor and dont put anything in usually BUT if I want a little sweetness, I'll add a small amount Agave
    Nectar

    YUM !!
  • Titanuim
    Titanuim Posts: 331 Member
    Gunpowder loose leaf tea is fab. If you are going the teabag option I think the Lipton brand Jasmin Green Tesa is awesome. The best way is to just dip the tea rather than brew it the way you would do with traditional tea. Green tea is awesome once you get used to it - antioxidant and zero calories and is yum after a while.
  • frootcat
    frootcat Posts: 194 Member
    I am currently using Kirkland (Costco) Ito En Matcha Blend green tea. It's wonderful!! You can also order it on Amazon. There are cold-steeped instructions on the box.
    Woot! Went over to Amazon and read some reviews... Definitely putting on the next Costco shopping list. Thanks!
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    Which ones are good as cold tea? I was looking at the supermarket the other day and it seems you have to brew them hot and then chill them... Are there any you can brew cold?
    I brew my tea cold. It releases less caffeine and more catechins (the good things). I do a green/oolong mix because I'd heard mixed news on which had the most benefit.
    .
    I started out using bags- 4 Choice organic oolong and 5 World Classics Green tea and berry in a orange juice pitcher (with a lid so I could shake it a bit). Leave it overnight in the fridge and it's ready in the morning and not bitter. Decant into bottles, leaving the tea in the pitcher, then refill with more cold water and back in the fridge until tomorrow. I'd get 2-3 steeps using bags-the steeps take longer but release even less caffeine.

    Now I've started using loose tea from a local tea shop- http://www.gongfu-tea.com/ (they have online ordering too). It's a little more pricey but I get more steeps before the tea is too weak. I'm trying the Green Snail Spring and Milk Oolong now. The Milk doesn't work for cold brews but it's fantastic for a hot, sweet tea.

    If you have a local tea shop, check them out-you can smell and sample teas to see what you like. I've still got my bags as well-I'm not a tea snob. :) but the good quality loose leaf does make a better tea and the re-steeps make it worth the price.

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