Black Tea Benefits

Slofoodgroup Team October 23, 2021

What Is True Tea and How Can It Benefit Your Health? 

If you’re a tea drinker, you likely have a favorite variety; but did you realize many of the “teas” you are drinking are not actually classified as tea at all? You see, all “true” tea comes from the same plant. Camelia Sinensis, the tea plant, produces the only legitimate tea leaves, which are harvested and used to produce the three true types of tea:  green, black, and oolong. That’s right, herbal teas aren’t actually tea at all, but rather tisanes. That doesn’t mean they don’t host an array of their own health benefits—that’s just not what we are going to dig into in this article.

Regardless of whether you prefer green, black, or oolong, rest assured that because they come from the same plant, the beneficial elements are, for the most part, the same. Some may just be present in larger or smaller quantities due to processing methods. That said, we are going to make the benefits of  black tea the focus of this article. 

Beneficial Elements of Drinking Black Tea:

There are so many proposed benefits of incorporating black tea into your daily routine, including improved mental focus and the addition of important antioxidants  into your body, which are believed to decrease oxidative stress, keep viruses and other diseases at bay, and much more. Of course, we love the way it tastes, but here are some of the other reasons we love to drink black tea.

Black tea has large amounts of caffeine

Caffeine gets a bad reputation, but it is truly undeserved. As with any stimulant, it can become habit forming and when taken in excess and has been attributed to “jitters” and rapid heartbeat, but caffeine has actually been studied and deemed beneficial in moderation.

When it comes to tea, black has the highest levels of caffeine, not quite as high as coffee, but black tea also contains the amino acid, L-Theanine, which works together with caffeine to improve mental focus and alertness. If you suffer from brain fog, are living with ADHD, or just can’t seem to focus on work toward the end of the day, it might be worth sipping on a cup of black tea. 

Tea leaves contain polyphenols

Before we dive into why the polyphenols found in black tea are beneficial to your health, it’s important to first note what polyphenols are in the first place. In the simplest terms, polyphenols are antioxidants, which means they combat oxidative stress in the body. While they are certainly not magical molecules derived from the fountain of youth, research has proven them to be effective in offsetting free radicals, thus reducing oxidative stress from within cell structure.

Which means, when combined with overall healthy habits, they may assist in delaying the signs of aging and fighting many infectious or chronic diseases. Among the multitude of health benefits associated with polyphenols are its success in aiding in heart health, general wellness, blood sugar management, and more. Studies have even shown extreme promise of these specific  antioxidants in inhibtiing the growth of cancer cells and aiding in gastrointestinal health.

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There are actually many different types of polyphenols found in black tea, most notably catechins and theaflavins, with a list that expands continues to expand. Each has a host of claimed health benefits but they all work together to create a healthy body and alert mind.

With a rise in obesity, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune issues, and cancer, maybe it’s time we all switch out our daily cup of coffee for a well-brewed cup of black tea. 

At Slofoodgroup, we believe flavor and health benefits are only as good as the ingredients used. We have sourced pekoe grade loose leaf Ceylon tea leaves from Sri Lanka, grown and harvested without the use of pesticides and other chemicals.