For the Love of Tea, Part 3: Health Benefits of Tea

Do you love tea? Your favorite cup of tea has health perks! Learn more about the health benefits of tea and why you should love it even more

When was the last time you had a really great cup of tea? For me it has been a little while: I’ve been drinking a cup of decaf, low-acid, cold-brewed coffee each morning and I have been having herbal tea in the afternoon and evenings. But it has been too long since I had a great cup of black or green tea!

It has also been a bit too long since I’ve written a post about tea. I started a blog post series a while ago dedicated to tea, and haven’t added to the series in a couple years. We were raised drinking tea in our house as a daily morning ritual, and I preferred tea over coffee for many years. I didn’t start to drink coffee regularly until I was well into my 20’s (late bloomer haha).

If you’re working on improving your diet and eating better, swapping sweet beverages for tea (without added sugar, of course) is a great way to cut daily calories and get more antioxidants in your day with your favorite tea.

For the purpose of this post, we’re going to focus on benefits of “proper” teas sourced from the camellia sinensis plant. We’ll save the myriad herbal tea blends and other teas (rooibos, yerba mate, etc.) for another day 😉

P.S. Here’s a simple recipe I whipped up with Pique Tea crystals!

Health benefits of tea (camellia sinensis)

Tea comes in several basic varieties depending on how they are processed: black, green, white, oolong, and dark tea {1} (not to be confused with black tea). All these teas have similar nutrient profiles since they both come from the camellia sinensis plant, but they are processed differently so their phytochemical make-up still differs between varieties.

All proper teas have polyphenols from the source plant, which are natural plant chemicals that act as antioxidants and provide the health benefits of tea. Green tea is higher in polyphenols since it is not oxidized like black tea, but black tea still has a good amount of these healthy plant compounds.

The polyphenols in tea include catechins, theaflavins, tannins, and flavonoids, and probably a few more that we haven’t discovered yet! These compounds in tea give it the powerhouse benefits that people have loved for thousands of years.

Here are just a few of the possible health benefits of tea (check out my list of sources at the end of the post):

• Lowered LDL cholesterol {3}
• Reduced risk of atheroschlerosis (artery hardening) {2}
• Reduced risk of ovarian cancer {2}
• Reduced dental plaque {4}
• Improved cardiac muscle function {5}
• EGCG (a polyphenol in green tea) works as an antiviral agent {6}
• Lowered risk of kidney stones {2}
• Decreased risk of osteoporosis {2}
• Prevention of stomach cancer {7}
• Increased fat burning after exercise {8}

There are plenty of things that these natural plan compound can help us with! People are still doing studies on the health benefits of tea (mostly on green tea and the EGCG compound), but some studies are inconclusive and need more research. Of course, the antioxidants in tea and any other food can best help our health in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Innovations in tea

Tea has some amazing health benefits, but it does require some water and brewing – not always convenient when you’re traveling. Now you can get those awesome health benefits a bit easier with Pique Tea. Pique Tea creates single-serving crystallized tea so you can take it with you anywhere, and it has been crafted to maintain the antioxidants and flavor. It’s delicious! 

Pique Tea was inspired by cha gao, an ancient tea process where pu-erh tea is made into a paste and preserved in small blocks so it can be stored and transported. The cha gao method began in the Tang Dynasty over 1200 years ago, and is still made to this day.

Pique Tea comes in 4 varieties: 2 black tea (Earl Grey and English Breakfast) and 3 green teas (Sencha, Mint Sencha, and Jasmine). The Jasmine green tea and the Earl Grey are both delicious chilled for summer! These tea crystals are packed in single-serving pouches so you can enjoy your cup of tea anywhere, hot or cold.

All the Pique Tea varieties are organic and sourced from India, China, and Sri Lanka, and are harvested at peak freshness and antioxidant levels. The tea is slowly brewed and crystallized, preserving the antioxidants and flavor.

Disclaimer: this information is intended to be informational only and is not intended to replace the advice of your qualified healthcare professional.

Sources: 

1. Phenolic content in tea. Wikipedia
2. Black Tea – MedlinePlus
3. Black tea consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol… – PubMed
4. Anti-plaque effect of a synergistic combination of green tea and Salvadora persica L…. – PubMed
5. Green tea extract catechin improves internal cardiac muscle relaxation – PubMed
6. The green tea molecule EGCG inhibits Zika virus entry. – PubMed
7. Inhibition of green tea polyphenol EGCG…on the proliferation of gastric cancer cells… – PubMed
8. The combined effect of green tea and acute interval sprinting exercise on fat oxidation… – PubMed