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What is it?
Black and green tea both come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, so you’d expect them to have similar health benefits but, in fact, green wins out. It contains large amounts of special compounds called catechins [a disease fighting antioxidant], which are retained as a result of minimal processing. Green tea is simply steamed, rolled and dried, whereas black leaves are also left out in the open air, which allows different plant compounds, such as theaflavins [another type of antioxidant], to develop. They’re still beneficial, but in a different way. Green tea has a refreshing, though slightly bitter taste, and a lower caffeine content – around 40mg per cup, compared with 50mg for black tea and 80-100mg for coffee.