Anytime is teatime in India. But for a nation of compulsive tea addicts, increasingly, the choice is green vs black tea. The traditional chai, made with black tea, milk and sugar, is comforting, and relaxing, with a decent caffeine hit, but that is not enough for the health conscious. 

Green tea has a different kind of buzz going for it. Full of antioxidants called flavonoids, the potential benefits of drinking green tea include protection against cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Some even swear by it for weight loss. Also, there is no sticky mouthfeel and sour after-breath as with chai, which is a big plus with socially savvy youngsters and office goers . 

But the flavour of green tea- that is an acquired taste for many. Honey, citrus, tulsi and mint can do only so much to make it palatable. 

Which begs the question: considering both black and green teas come from the same plant and differ only in processing, is there a big difference in health benefits. Simply put, do you have to drink green tea?

In reality, both black and green tea are rich in antioxidants, but differ in the composition of these molecules. Green tea is rich in catechins, whereas the fermentation and oxidation processes that turns green tea to black also lead to the formation of theaflavins and thearubigins, which are a less heralded set of antioxidants. 

Green tea definitely has more antioxidant capacity (around 25%) than black tea, but it is unclear whether this translates to a more potent health benefit. 

Most of the data on tea’s health benefits comes from population studies in countries where green tea is more popular, and it appears that people who drink 2-3 cups daily are healthier than those who don’t drink at all. Black tea has a similar though weaker effect. Just to be clear, we’re talking about the actual beverage here, not extracts or pills or herbal teas made from other plants. 

But these studies have significant flaws- which are common to all self-reported data and population studies : no two cups of tea are brewed the same or have the same antioxidant content, so it’s difficult to be certain about the findings even though the results are promising. You’d need a randomized control trial to establish tea’s health benefits on a firm footing, but that is not practical with beverages.  

But sadly, for chai drinkers, it appears that milk and sugar added to black tea lowers its antioxidant capacity. Milk, jaggery and sugar also add calories, which can be unhelpful if your goal is weight loss. 

The healthiest tea, whether green or black, is one without any additives. Most people would rather not drink tea at all than endure a bitter brew, even if it’s one loaded with polyphenols and other unpronounceable magic molecules. And to be fair, chai has its share of antioxidants and health benefits, although they’re less tangible than with green tea. 

One caution: Drinking steaming hot tea can cause cancer of the oesophagus, and it is better to let it cool to a comfortably warm temperature (55 degree Celsius) before drinking it.