Finding a tasty green tea

Drinking green tea has allegedly many health benefits but for many traditional tea drinkers in the U.K. that is a bitter sweet positive.

Let's face it if you have tried drinking green tea you will likely already know it can be a bitter drink with an equally bitter after taste.

But these days there are many green tea options.

This woman likes Tetley decaffeinated, not sure how that works, green tea with honey. It is packed in convenient tea bags perfect for work and home.

Pop a couple of the bags into your work or travel bag and all you need is hot water and a mug or cup.

They do not need sweetener or sugar adding unless you have a very sweet tooth. Making a cup of it for a hard working NHS junior doctor pre-retirement I was surprised that he wanted a couple of spoons of sugar adding. But he was an Asian doctor used to drinking hot sweet milk free tea.

The latest good buy green tea bag is by Heath and Heather retailing at £1.49 for 20 bags from Aldi.

Looking online Holland and Barrett have the same product retailing at £2.49 for 20 bags. At time of writing though they are on offer as a "buy one get one half price deal."

So not cheap either way.

This woman opted for the organic green tea and Moroccan mint variety. Packed in a pretty floral box as soon as the outer cellophane was broken a rush of mint filled the air. The bags are individually wrapped so that gives you an idea of the strength of the mint.

The aroma as you make the drink is strong mint almost spearmint.

But unlike so many herbal tea bags the mint flavour translates into the drink.

For this woman is was a nice relaxing and refreshing cuppa, no sweetener needed. To be fair she does not take sugar in tea normally

The Benefits of drinking green tea

Drinking green tea can reportedly aid weight loss and help reduce blood pressure. There are also claims it can help reduce cholesterol, control diabetes and improve heart health.

​Note: Possible side-effects

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/superfoods/Pages/is-green-tea-a-superfood.aspx

GREEN TEA HAS BEEN USED IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE FOR CENTURIES TO TREAT EVERYTHING FROM HEADACHES TO DEPRESSION.

THE LEAVES ARE SUPPOSEDLY RICHER IN ANTIOXIDANTS THAN OTHER TYPES OF TEA BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY ARE PROCESSED.

GREEN TEA CONTAINS B VITAMINS, FOLATE (NATURALLY OCCURRING FOLIC ACID), MANGANESE, POTASSIUM, MAGNESIUM, CAFFEINE AND OTHER ANTIOXIDANTS, NOTABLY CATECHINS.

ALL TYPES OF TEA – GREEN, BLACK AND OOLONG – ARE PRODUCED FROM THE CAMELLIA SINENSIS PLANT USING DIFFERENT METHODS. FRESH LEAVES FROM THE PLANT ARE STEAMED TO PRODUCE GREEN TEA, WHILE THE LEAVES OF BLACK TEA AND OOLONG INVOLVE FERMENTATION.

GREEN TEA IS ALLEGED TO BOOST WEIGHT LOSS, REDUCE CHOLESTEROL, COMBAT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND PREVENT CANCER AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.

WE'VE TEAMED UP WITH THE BRITISH DIETETIC ASSOCIATION (BDA) TO EXAMINE WHETHER THE MYRIAD HEALTH CLAIMS MADE ABOUT GREEN TEA ARE SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE......MORE