Benefits of green tea: the biochemical perspective, without marketing

The green tea is particularly rich in polyphenols, and more specifically in catechins, including EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). These molecules help the body neutralize the free radicals involved in cellular aging.

The production process of green tea, which rapidly stops oxidation through heat, preserves these compounds. It is this step that biochemically distinguishes green tea from black tea, which is fully oxidised.

The green tea contains theine (chemically identical to the caffeine in coffee), but it is counterbalanced by L-theanine, an amino acid found almost exclusively in Camellia sinensis. L-theanine promotes alpha waves in the brain, associated with a state of alert relaxation.

It is this caffeine + L theanine pairing that explains the feeling of zen alertness from green tea, very different from the jolt of coffee.

Catechins are sensitive to heat. Boiling water destroys some of them and releases too much bitterness. Simmering water, around 70 to 80 °C depending on the tea, preserves most of them.

Filtered water, a period oftime short steeping time (one to three minutes), a teapot appropriate: these are the only three prerequisites. We also recommend re infusing your leaves, which the tea bag industry does not allow.

The benefits described above are those of a pure, organic, unflavored tea. A green tea masked by synthetic flavorings loses most of its sensory appeal and some of its biochemical value.

In Sartrouville, we sell only pure, loose-leaf tea, with its origin and harvest date. This is the non-negotiable foundation of everything you will read here about health.