Green Tea . . . Just what are you actually drinking?
My colleagues and I drink a lot of tea. We’re also suspicious of just about all food label claims.
So last year, we commissioned ChromaDex Laboratories to analyze 14 different bottled green teas for their levels of catechins, the powerful antioxidants that may help prevent prostate cancer and a host of other diseases.
Their findings: The amount of catechins (including a particularly potent kind called EGCG) varied widely, possibly due to the different types of unfermented leaves and brewing methods used. The highest score? Honest Tea’s Green Tea with Honey. One of the biggest disappointments? Ito En Tea’s Tea Lemongrass, which happens to be my favorite, since it doesn’t contain any sugar and has an interesting (how do you describe lemongrass?) taste. It contained only a small number of catechins. But yes, I still drink it as demonstrated by the photo of the empty bottle that sits on my desk. Here are the rest of the results.
Honest Tea Organic Honey Green Tea (16.9 oz)
Catechins per bottle: 215 milligrams (mg)
EGCG: 71 mg
Calories: 74
Caffeine: 97 mg
Taste: Well balanced, with slightly sweet with citrus notes.
Harney & Sons Organic Green (16.9 oz)
Catechins per bottle: 183 mg
ECGC: 59 mg
Calories: 40
Caffeine: 86 mg
Taste: Bitter, with heavy citrus notes and no detectable sweetness
Lipton PureLeaf Green Tea with Honey (16 oz.)
Catechins per bottle: 97 mg
EGCG: 22 mg
Calories: 130
Caffeine: 37 mg
Taste: Nice sweetness and a pronounced green-tea earthiness, with a light citrus taste
Snapple All Natural Green Tea Asian Pear (17.5 oz)
Catechins per bottle: 46 mg
EGCG: 25 mg
Calories: 120
Caffeine: 31 mg
Taste: A heavy dose of honey flavor that overpowers the majority of green tea taste, and no detectable pear taste
Ito En Tea’s Tea Lemongrass Green (16.9 oz)
Catechins per bottle: 28 mg
EGCG: 6 mg
Calories: 0
Caffeine: 48 mg
Taste: Earthy flavor that’s almost savory, the least sweet of all the bottled green teas
AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey (20 oz.)
Catechins per bottle: 39 mg
EGCG: 5 mg
Calories: 175
Caffeine: 25 mg
Taste: More like a syrupy soda than a green tea
The Republic of Tea Pomegranate Green (16.9 oz.)
Catechins per bottle: 9 mg
EGCG: 0.4 mg
Calories: 0
Caffeine: 25 mg
Taste: Floral notes, but the hibiscus and pomegranate drown out the taste of tea