Though health benefits claimed in tea marketing are often exaggerated or just plain untrue, a cup of tea does contain many natural compounds that are good for the body and mind. One of the most fascinating is L-Theanine, an amino acid first isolated from tea in 1949. Found in only three plants across the world, theanine is key to the unique characteristics that have made tea so popular for thousands of years.

Most tea drinkers expect at least a hint of bitterness in their cup. While not all teas are prone to bitterness, it is a common component of tea flavor, especially in mass produced teas. There are many ways to mitigate the bitter taste of tea, like lowering water temperature, shortening the brewing time, or simply adding milk and sugar. But what creates the natural bitter flavor in tea leaves, and why are some teas more bitter than others?

Many people start drinking tea for the health benefits provided by antioxidants from the Camellia sinensis plant. Study after study has proven the positive effects of regular tea consumption, and makers of mass produced teas are eager to market this selling point. Unfortunately, not all teas are created equal, and marketers often take advantage of tea’s healthy reputation to sell sub-par products. Bottled iced teas, popular for their grab-and-go convenience, are some of the worst offenders, with research showing that they rarely live up to the health hype.

Tea has a well established reputation as a healthy beverage. Thanks to modern marketing, in fact, almost any discussion of tea includes some mention of health benefits. The humble Camellia sinensis tea plant is often presented as downright miraculous, with claims that it will clear skin, halt cancer, or melt body fat. For the most part, these claims aren’t true.

But tea is good for your health, especially when it is fresh and naturally grown. In this article, we’ll cover the reasons tea has historically been adopted as part of a healthy lifestyle, and how to see through the miraculous marketing in order to choose healthy teas today.

Matcha, or powdered green tea, has become Japan’s most famous type of tea. Originally adapted from powdered teas popular in China during the Tang Dynasty, Japanese matcha has since evolved into an utterly unique type of tea, central to the precise and complex Japanese Tea Ceremony. Today, it is popular worldwide, and used in many non-traditional ways, like matcha lattes or baked goods.

We often use analogies to help new tea drinkers relate to unfamiliar teas. We find that It is easier to understand traditional teas in the modern context of third wave coffee, single origin chocolate, or even locally sourced vegetables. More than anything, though, wine makes an apt comparison, from the vast array of grape varieties to the aging potential of certain bottles. For wine lovers with developed palates, tea can offer a new (and nonalcoholic) world of taste and knowledge to explore. Here are five reasons people who appreciate wine will also love tea.

White and green teas are both commonly touted for their minimal processing and beneficial antioxidants. Many sources cite differences in processing, caffeine, or antioxidant levels as defining features between the two types. But among dubious health claims and heavy marketing, it can be hard to tell what, exactly, makes these two types of tea so different. Most teas categories, including green teas, are defined by the steps used in processing, but the definition of white tea is a little more specific. In this post, we’ll break down the differences between the two styles based on the four components of any tea’s identity: variety, provenance, harvest date, and craftsmanship.

The advantages of drinking green tea are nothing to scoff at, but brewing the leaves in water only extracts a portion of the available nutrients and antioxidants. To get the most out of your green tea leaves, you can also eat them!

For the best flavor and maximum nutritional value, it’s best to seek out green teas made of the young buds of the tea plant that are picked in the springtime. These baby leaves are naturally sweet and tender, much like baby spinach or arugula. In Hangzhou, where high quality green teas are an integral part of local culture, some tea drinkers are even known to eat the leaves straight from their cup after brewing.