Do you guys have nutritional data on green tea??

[soykan]

Hello there, there seems to be more than one brand of Japanese green tea and have so far tried only two, general Sen-Cha and Sen-Cha with roasted rice. I can't read the Japanese text on the packages so I am curious on what it contains. Also how much caffine does green tea have compared to coffee anyway?? I had a whole pot of green tea (5-teaspoons of leaves) and I am still feeling sleepy on the way to work. Maybe I am just immune to it all??

Can green tea really do the job of vitamin C?? What benefit does the roasted rice have?

[epigene]

Hi soykan,

Green tea doesn't have caffeine at the level of coffee does and does not make you alert when you're sleepy.

The health benefit found in green tea is in "catechin" found in the leaves, polyphenols that work as antioxidants.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsHerbs/GreenTeach.html

Rice is added in "genmai-cha" for the fragrance and does not contribute to the level of catechin, although it may add to your carbohydrate intake!

To obtain catechin from green tea leaves, you can either brew tea or "eat" it. Some health fanatics in Japan go to the extent of drying the leaves after brewing and using it as food, although the leaves no longer have the fragrance or taste.

The green teas that contain catechin are "sen-cha", "ban-cha" and "matcha (powdered green tea)." Other teas such as "hoji-cha" also contain catechin, but I've been told the level is lower.

Personally, I think you should just enjoy the tea for what it is and just take the health benefit from it as "extra bonus." Having "too much of a good thing" has its down side, and it applies to tea, too.

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by epigene

Hi soykan,
Green tea doesn't have caffeine at the level of coffee does and does not make you alert when you're sleepy.
The health benefit found in green tea is in "catechin" found in the leaves, polyphenols that work as antioxidants.

Is something related to the catechin level then what is "extracted" or reduced in decaffeinated varities ? I was told that those didn't have the same health benefits are normal green tea. Not that I've ever seen real decaffeinated green tea in Japan....well, there was one time in a vending machine at Shinjuku station. I was very happy since I can count on being up 1-2 more hours that night, after the first few cups.

[nice gaijin]

I prefer Yerba Mate for alertness. Coffee and teas rarely do anything for me in that department.

[Gacktpause]

Until very recently I actually worked for a tea company that got me hooked on sencha. I also became familiar with above mentioned teas: genmaicha, matcha, hojicha, kukicha, bancha, ichiban sencha, gyokuro (a finer type of sencha with more delicate leaves).
I,too, have to suggest that you first acquire the taste for these delicious green teas, and let the health benefits be the outcome, not the motive, for this enjoyment.
Although I do not know the statistics or whatnot, green tea is praised for antioxidants, chlorophil, etc that help prevent cancer. And yes, many of the health-benefits are extracted during the decaffeinating process. I have also found the general experience of sencha to be completely lost in decaf, for whatever reason. While an excellent tea for all hours of the day, no, green tea is not a coffee-esque waker-upper.

Tea + health is a huge bang right now. Google it. It's everywhere.

Enjoy!

[Elizabeth]

Originally Posted by epigene

The green teas that contain catechin are "sen-cha", "ban-cha" and "matcha (powdered green tea)." Other teas such as "hoji-cha" also contain catechin, but I've been told the level is lower.

Bancha, hojicha and genmaicha, basically anything with toasted rice which sometimes pops open and looks like popcorn, are the best evening (sleeping) teas. It's done through a roasting process which lowers the caffeine level.

Personally I could take or leave those but am hopelessly addicted to Gyokuro which unfortunately contains about the same amount as a cup of good ol' black tea.