White tea or green tea – Guide to the better choice

White tea and green tea are very similar. They are both produced from the same plant and are the least processed kinds of tea you can find. Plus they share many health benefits. They both contain high doses of antioxidants, can help with weight loss and insulin resistance, and could help against ageing of the skin and brain.

Even though they are very similar, there are several big differences between white and green tea. While white tea is only minimally processed, just by air-drying, green tea is heated to stop the oxidation. Also white tea usually contains less caffeine and has a milder taste than green tea. Last but not least, white tea might be better for your health compared to green tea.

	Green Tea	White Tea
Processing	Leaves are steamed or pan-fried, then rolled and dried	Leaves are withered and dried, sometimes lightly steamed or baked
Flavor	Slightly vegetal, grassy, or nutty	Delicate, floral, or slightly sweet
Caffeine	Low to moderate caffeine content, less than black tea	Low to moderate caffeine content, slightly less than green tea

Caffeine content

The tea plant uses caffeine to protect itself from different insects and fungi that may attack it. This is the reason why tea leaves contain caffeine. Younger leaves, usually have more caffeine than the older ones. For this reason one might think that white tea, witch is usually made from young tea buds, has more caffeine than green tea. However, it is the opposite, because these young tea buds have more hydrophobic hairs, which make extracting the caffeine more difficult. [1] Also the soil and the climate where the plant grows can influence the caffeine content.

So the exact amount of caffeine in tea varies among the different brands. Generally, a cup of white tea contains between 6 and 55 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of green tea will contain 12 to 70 mg of it. [2] [3] Important to note is that these numbers are just averages. There are white and green teas out there that contain more caffeine than that.

Reducing caffeine content

Tips for reducing the caffeine content of your tea:

	What to do	What not to do
Water Temperature	Brew at lower temperature, around 160-170°F (71-77°C)	Brew at high temperature, water hotter than 194°F (90°C)
Steeping Time	Steep for a shorter amount of time, around 1-2 minutes	Steep longer than 5 minutes
Leaf Quality	Use whole tea leaves	Use teabags
Blending	Blend with other herbs, such as chamomile or mint, which are naturally caffeine-free	Blend with other kinds of tea, that contain caffeine
Decaffeinated	Do not forget that decaffeinated green or white tea, can still have caffeine left	Assume that decaffeinated tea, has all of its caffeine removed

If you want your tea to contain less caffeine, use loose tea leaves, instead of the usual tea bags. It is much easier to extract the caffeine from broken tea leaves and tea bags mostly contain very crushed tea leaves.

The way you brew your tea, has a big influence on the caffeine content as well. Usually the hotter the water and the longer you brew your tea, the more caffeine it will have. So when making tea, do not use water hotter than 194°F (90°C) and certainly do not steep for longer than 5 minutes if you want to limit the caffeine content. [4] If you decide to go for decaf tea, keep in mind that even though it will contain less caffeine, it most likely will not be 100% caffeine free. Also, the process of removing caffeine might reduce the amount of antioxidants and some of its other health benefits as well.

Which is better for weight loss?

Both white and green tea can help with weight loss. There are two main components in tea that can aid weight loss. These are caffeine and catechins. Catechins are very strong antioxidants. EGCG is the most abundant form of catechin found in green tea. Animal studies have shown that EGCG can help against insulin sensitivity, lower blood glucose and reduce body weight gain in animals on a high-fat diet. [5]

The amount of EGCG in white and green tea, varies a lot from tea to tea. But generally speaking, white tea often has more EGCG than green tea. [8]

According to a recent study from the University of Birmingham, consuming green tea extract (1200 mg catechins + 240 mg caffeine) every day for 8 days increases fat metabolism in healthy adults. It achieves that without stimulating the adrenergic system. [6] Even though caffeine alone increases the amount of energy the body uses in a day, it needs to be combined with catechin to be able to increase fat oxidation in the body. [7]

Is one cup of white tea a day enough?

When you are using white or green tea for weight loss, you have to keep in mind that although it helps the body’s metabolism, tea on its own will probably not make a huge difference. If you want to loose a lot of weight, you will need to make other lifestyle changes as well. Even though many studies show that green tea has a positive effect on fat metabolism and weight loss, there are also studies that contradict that. [8] This could be because there is a huge variation in the EGCG concentration between the different brands of tea.

According to various studies, people who drink a higher quantity of green tea are more likely to benefit from its positive effects. According to these studies you need at least 3 to 4 cups of green tea per day, to get the health benefits of tea. [9] Therefore in order to loose weight, you need to drink around 3-4 cups of tea per day.

Also, drinking 3 to 4 cups of tea per day lowers the risk of diabetes mellitus by one-fifth. This was shown by a meta-analysis based on 7 different scientific studies. [10]

How do you make white or green tea for weight loss?

What to do	What not to do
Drink without any sugar	Do not add sugar or other sweeteners
Drink without milk	Do not add milk
Drink tea regularly	Do not drink too much tea, as it may have adverse effects
Add other herbs or spices to your blend. For more details see list below.	Do not use old tea leaves
For best results, combine with a healthy diet and exercise routine	Do not rely solely on tea for weight loss

There are a few basic rules to keep in mind, when you are making white or green tea for weight loss. First of all, do not use any sweeteners. Even a teaspoon of sugar can lead to a significant spike in your blood insulin. Also avoid artificial sweeteners, because these can have other unhealthy effects on the body. [11] Third, do not add milk. Milk does not complement the taste of green tea the same way as it does with black tea. Also, when you are trying to loose weight, you have to avoid such unnecessary calories.

If you are looking for ways to make your tea more tasty without adding sugar, here is what you can do instead:

1. Add a few slices of fresh ginger

Ginger has many health benefits of its own and can add a delicious flavour to your tea. Just add a few slices of fresh ginger to the hot water and make your tea even healthier. Not only does it have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, ginger is also very good for your digestion. [12] [13]

2. Add a piece of lemon

Some people drink lemon water in the morning for weight loss. You could add a piece of lemon to your morning tea instead. The lemon will give it a fresh flavour and provide you with a vitamin C boost. For an even healthier option, you can add both lemon and ginger to your tea.

3. Try adding turmeric

Turmeric contains curcumin, which is known for its many health benefits. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and can be used in the prevention of many health conditions. [14] To make this tea, simply add some grated fresh turmeric to the hot water. If you want to, you can add lemon too.

4. Add ginseng

Next time you make white or green tea, try adding a few slices of dried ginseng root. Like ginger and turmeric, ginseng also has many proven health benefits. Ginseng could work against inflammation, help the immune system and improve the brain function, to name a few. [15] However, if you are a diabetic, taking certain drugs or pregnant, ginseng might not be right for you.

5. Fresh mint leaves

You can use any variety of mint to make this. Simply just add the fresh leaves to the hot water and then add your tea of choice. Mint can help make your breath fresh and could also help improve your digestion. Enjoy!

6. Coconut flakes

You can either go for normal the normal coconut flakes that come out of the package or you could choose to lightly toast them first. Either way, adding even a little bit of coconut to your tea could bring lots of flavour.

7. Dried pear or apple

When you have tried all of the above, but are still looking for some sweetness in your tea, do this: Add some dried pear or apple to your tea instead of sugar. Pear and apple can make a great addition to white and green tea and give it lots of flavour and sweetness. By the way, don’t add to much, a little bit here really goes a long way.

Is hot or cold tea better for weight loss?

According to some people, drinking green tea cold is better for weight loss. This really is a myth. The reason for this confusion is a study conducted by the University of Fribourg. The study demonstrated that drinking the South American yerba mate tea cold instead of warm, increased the amount of energy burnt by the body. [16] However, mate tea is a completely different plant from green tea. Because they are very different plants, these findings do not say anything about green tea. So for now, you are free to drink your tea hot or cold, whatever you like best!

Other health benefits of white and green tea

White and green tea have many other health benefits as well. There is some evidence that they could be very beneficial for women with PCOS and endometriosis. [16] In addition to that, they could also be effective against brain ageing [17] and could be good for the skin as well [19] [20].

Since white tea generally has more EGCG than green tea, we expect that it should also have more health benefits. But there have been almost no studies to investigate that, so at the moment it is still only a hypothesis.

Summary

Here is the taste comparison table for green tea and white tea:

Taste Profile	Green Tea	White Tea
Flavor Notes	Vegetal, grassy, slightly bitter	Delicate, floral, sweet, slightly nutty
Aroma	Vegetal, grassy, slightly seaweed-like	Delicate, floral, slightly honey-like
Aftertaste	Slightly astringent, slightly sweet	Lingering sweetness, slightly nutty

The main difference between white tea and green tea is that white is less processed than green tea. White tea is only air-dried, while green tea is usually heated, either steamed or pan-fried. Because white tea is less processed, it often contains more anti-oxidants than green tea. Because of this, white tea is better for weight loss and has a milder taste. So, white tea is slghtly better than green tea. But the differences between them are really very small. They have very similar effects on the body and both of them have similar health benefits. And at the end, it comes down to your personal preference.