Healthiest And High Quality Green Tea Brands

With more people getting conscious about good products that offer health benefits, the sales of best tasting green tea has exploded in recent years. Before it became popular in America and other Western countries, Chinese health experts classified green tea as a good health tonic, and highly recommended it to fight free radicals due to its antioxidant properties.

With the exploding popularity comes the question of how one can get the healthiest green tea brand. While the aroma is important, there are other features one should pay attention to while looking through green tea brands.

Can a good quality green tea help you burn fat or lose weight faster? Maybe, but certain steps must be present for that to happen. I will also examine the relation between green tea and cancer. While there are benefits derived from drinking healthy green tea brands, some of the wild claims by manufacturers can be called exaggeration.

I have also researched and included excellent green tea brands within this post, with the pros and cons stated for each product. Before answering if it is possible to use green tea to get weight loss, let’s take a closer look at what exactly is green tea extract.

What is Green Tea?

Green tea has been cultivated for centuries in India and China. Tea is the most widely consumed beverage worldwide. Green tea is also known as Camellia Sinensis. While the product offers many health benefits, some of the wild claims are still been studied and debated by scientist all over the world.

The three main types of tea are green, oolong, and black. The processing technique used is what makes them unique. The green tea we’re referring to in this review is derived from fermented leaves. Not only can you lose weight with green tea, there are brands that contain powerful antioxidants like polyphenols.

Antioxidants are powerful enough to fight off the damaging compounds that can alter cells in your body. These free radicals are able to alter DNA or cause cell death if not kept in check. They also play a significant role in the aging process.

Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants found in great abundance in green tea, and they have the ability to neutralize free radicals while correcting some of the damages caused.

It is common for Chinese and Indian traditional medicine practitioners to use green tea extract as a stimulant. A strong blend of the organic tea is also applied as a diuretic, which leads to increased urine production to eliminate excess waste.

Other common uses of green tea include regulating bodily temperature, treating gas, promoting digestion, to heal wounds and improve mental alertness.

5 of the Best Green Tea to Buy

Even when looking for green tea for weight loss, you should know that it is an acquired taste. Meaning you might have to sample several brands, to find the one you like. During my research for this review, I used my own personal experience, existing customer feedbacks, government records, manufacturer documents, and reliable scientific journals to bring you the following green tea products.

I have tried to answer the question is green tea healthy? Now let’s answer the next obvious question commonly asked in online health forums – what is the best green tea to drink? The top green tea brands found to provide the most value for the money are:

1 – Bigelow Green Tea Review

When looking online for a green tea that comes in small little bags, the name Bigelow is recommended several times by health advocates I have come to trust. Before we get to the benefits you can get from drinking Bigelow green tea, let’s examine the pros and cons of this product.

Pros:

Bigelow green tea with lemon has very good taste. Looking at the feedbacks of existing customers, some complimented the calming flavor it offers.

Bigelow green tea contains caffeine, thus making it a viable alternative to those tired of drinking coffee, but needing the benefits offered by caffeine.

This green tea brand is derived from higher-elevation farms and hand-picked with higher quality in mind.

Bigelow Green Tea is certified gluten-free and contains no calories or carbohydrates. It delivers a good amount of healthy antioxidants in every brewed cup.

Cons:

Despite having thousands of positive reviews with over 97% approval rating, some users found the taste to be bland and uninteresting. Perhaps if you have a sweet tooth like me, you should try enjoying this green tea with honey.

This green tea brand contains caffeine, and might not be suitable for everyone, especially those with known allergic reaction to that substance.

Bottom Line:

Bigelow Green Tea is a trusted brand, and the freshness and flavor are sealed in airtight packaging. While this review is about the green tea version, the other flavors from this company deliver same awesome results.

The green tea from Bigelow is packed with powerful antioxidants that can maintain healthy cells, by fighting off the harmful effects of free radicals. Bigelow family has been making fine tea for over three generations, and this green tea is blended and completely packaged in America.

Should You Buy Brewed or Bottled Green tea Extracts?

Since this product became very popular, there are now many versions of products with some form of green tea extracts in them. There is no doubt you’ll get more powerful beneficial antioxidants from brewing your own green tea at home, as compared to buying a bottled green tea version.

Just by looking at the study presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in 2010, it found one cup of brewed green tea contains more polyphenols which are comparable to what you’ll find in twenty bottles of regular green tea.

Another factor in favor of making your own green tea at home is the processing method. Even the most ideal processing method used to manufacture bottled green tea will significantly reduce the number of antioxidants available in the final product.

What about Country of Origin

Should the country of origin for your green tea brand matter? From my research, I say yes! Some countries have loose regulations, which means questionable ingredients might end up in the manufactured green tea.

From the data and studies I looked at, the green brands from China have higher levels of aluminum, cadmium, and lead, than those from other countries. Organic green tea from Japan and Sri Lanka did better from the numerous studies that tested for harmful chemicals.

Having said that, some manufacturers of your leading brand of green tea are known to enforce stringent quality metrics for a much better product.

While the country of origin should be considered, the best factor to look at is the reputation of the manufacturer. The brands of green tea I reviewed in this article, all have good performance metrics that cannot be questioned.

Organic Vs Conventional

For me personally, I prefer organic products when it comes to food stuff that I intend to consume. When it comes to green tea brands, organic designation might not be so relevant, because of the diverse countries where the ingredients can be sourced.

While one can expect less use of pesticides from a good brand of organic green tea, you put your trust in the maker and expect the labels to be truthful. I know that Japan and most European countries closely monitor the use of pesticides by farmers of green tea leaves.

Go with organic green tea brands if you can afford it, but do expect same quality metrics from some of the leading conventional green tea brands found online. The determining factor should be the reviews of current users and the established reputation of the manufacturer.

Caffeinated Vs Decaffeinated

From what I gathered, most of your top green tea brands will contain both caffeine and powerful antioxidants. When it comes to green tea brands that are decaffeinated, most will contain fewer amounts of beneficial antioxidants to fight free radicals.

The decrease in flavanols in decaffeinated brands of green tea can be traced to the processing method used. From my research, either brand of green tea will do your body good. If you’re not allergic to caffeine, I say go with green tea caffeine rather than the decaffeinated version.

2 – Lipton Green Tea Review

I am sure you’ve heard the name, Lipton, for it is almost synonymous with tea in some countries. You can find many Lipton green tea flavors with unique benefits. Lipton green tea caffeine has the following pros and cons.

Pros:

Lipton Green Tea is known to offer delicate aroma and smooth taste. It is made from the finest tea leaves one can find in the world.

Each cup of brewed Lipton green tea contains flavonoids which are capable of fighting the adverse effects of free radicals.

Apart from delivering wonderful taste, this product contains no preservatives or coloring.

Cons:

Despite the impressive 96% approval rating from most users, some of the customers that bought and tried the green tea from Lipton have no love for the taste. Some users neuralized the bitterness by using water that is not too hot. This is a green tea brand with caffeine, and should not be used by those with an allergic reaction to the substance.

Bottom Line:

Apart from the many Lipton green tea benefits, this is a good brand to have around the house, and it is certainly very affordable. For those that like green tea with honey, this is a good brand to consider purchasing. This product is Rainforest Alliance Certified. It contains no calories and might even help you lose weight.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Trying to find out how many antioxidants are in your green tea, will be determined by the brand. Apart from the antioxidants found in green tea, there are many health benefits derived from drinking a good brew.

The explosion in the popularity of green teas can be traced to the many established health benefits it delivers to the body. Many studies now confirm that the advantages of green tea include the overall improvement in your body’s health. The listed green tea health benefits may convince you to increase your consumption.

Less Risk for Hypertension

I saw a study in the archives of Internal Medicine from Chinese scientific scholars which showed regular consumption of green tea helped to lower blood pressure in participants. The study found that participants given 120 milliliters per day of green tea for at least twelve months decreased their chances of getting high blood pressure by at least 46 percent.

Lowers cholesterol

Looking through a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, regular consumption of green tea leads to significant reduction in LDL cholesterol and total blood cholesterol levels.

Lowers the Risk of Heart Attacks

From a study published in the April 2014 issue of Angiology, drinking regular doses of home-brewed green tea helps to lower the chances of developing heart attacks. The cardiovascular protection delivered by green tea is even higher for female consumers.

Decreases Cancer Risk

One cannot deny the relation between green tea and cancer. The natural compounds found in green tea can help your body fight the free radicals that can cause cancer. Amazingly, the study found that the cancer rates are lower in countries with higher consumption of green tea among its citizens. The powerful antioxidants found in green tea called polyphenols are able to kill off cancerous cells permanently.

Green Tea and Weight loss

One of the major health benefits of green tea is the inducement for weight loss. Green tea that can be used for weight loss contains Catechins, which are compounds that help the body burn fat. Green tea with caffeine will deliver enhance fat burning, thus leading to better weight loss metrics.

Other claimed benefits from drinking healthy green tea brands include: it can lower your risk of stroke, will aid in preventing most eye diseases, has the natural compounds to prevent and block lung cancer, and contains powerful compounds to prevent leukemia. Drinkers of green tea will experience sharper and improved memory over time!

Just by drinking green tea, one can feel much better over time. While it is true that the more you drink of this little herb, the better you can feel, other good health benefits are been discovered on a daily basis.

3 – Stash Green Tea Review

Stash Tea Premium Green Tea is another brand with awesome performance metrics, and beloved by most of the existing users. You can find many stash tea flavors, and each tea bag is individually wrapped in a way that helps to preserve freshness and taste.

Pros:

Stash premium green tea uses foil paper wrap to maintain freshness and taste of each tea bag.

If you love green tea, this brand not only delivers great taste and flavor, you can find many other flavors including decaffeinated green tea brand from Stash.

This is the premier brand of green tea beloved by top restaurants and high-end homes. Best of all, this good quality green tea from Stash is truly affordable.

Cons:

The approval rating for this product is over 96%, and yet some of the users that tried the product listed some negatives. Amazingly the green tea version with caffeine did not have one bad review, but other flavors did.

The decaf gray version has some customers complaining about the taste. Some users found that the brand with cinnamon gave them a headache.

Bottom Line:

I can only testify to the durability of the green tea brand from this company. The tea leaves used are derived from Yamamotoyama’s Brazilian tea gardens. The original seedlings for the gardens are produced in best Japanese tea bushes and transported to Brazil with care. This brand of green tea Stash is kosher certified, and truly blended here in the USA!

Possible Green Tea Side Effects

Despite the popularity of green tea extracts, there are some precautions or possible side effects that are worth mentioning. Green tea is derived from herbs, and the active substances may sometimes trigger side effects when it comes in contact with other herbs, medications, supplements or substances.

For these reasons, people with prior cases of high blood pressure, heart problems, liver problems, kidney problems, psychological disorders, anxiety and stomach ulcers should refrain from consuming any brand of green tea.

Unless it is recommended by a medical practitioner with knowledge in the field of botanical medicine, breastfeeding, and pregnant women should not drink green tea, pills or supplements.

Other health conditions that could trigger side effects from drinking green tea include diabetes, glaucoma, and anemia. If you have any allergic reaction to caffeine, you should refrain from drinking green tea or stick to the decaffeinated brand.

4 – Yogi Green Tea Reviews

Apart from the appropriate name, Yogi Green Tea contains super antioxidants that not only can fight free radicals but also deliver energy.

Pros:

Yogi Green tea is able to deliver nutrients to support your body’s natural defense system. While the green tea is called organic, it does contain some caffeine which will be beloved by those seeking a viable alternative to coffee.

This organic green tea from Yogi delivers subtle aroma and good taste. Each brewed cup of Yogi green tea contains antioxidants that can fight off unstable molecules, created due to aging, stress, and environmental pollution.

This green tea brand is certified as 100% all-natural herbal supplement and contains no genetically modified organisms. It is probably one of the only brands with an expiration date, which helps to maintain freshness.

Cons:

Even thou the label on the box say herbal, it does contain caffeine, which some customers found misleading. I beg to defer, as on the label it clearly states the products contains caffeine for all to see.

Even with 95% approval rating, some customers found the taste, not to their liking. If you have an allergic reaction to caffeine, this is not the brand of green tea for you.

Bottom Line:

Apart from the good sounding name, this brand of green tea is truly beloved by most of the existing users. The company has cultivated a reputation for durable and high-quality products, including various varieties and flavors of green tea. For those seeking a good alternative to coffee but love caffeine, this brand will not disappoint.

5 – Numi Gunpowder Green Tea Review

Numi green tea is unique in that you’ll need a cheap strainer to prepare it. Numi organic gunpowder green tea is made by a company that also makes many other different flavors of organic tea brands.

Pros:

Numi organic tea is truly high quality, based on the hundreds of reviews from existing customers. Numi tea delivers strong natural flavor, and its freshness is beloved by all that have tried it.

Since it does not come in individual tea bags, the quantity you use is within your control. You can use more for a stronger blend of green tea, or you can use less.

This brand of organic green tea is not artificially flavored. It has a jasmine flavor, which is derived from high-quality tea leaves. Best of all, this best green tea for health is truly affordable.

Cons:

Even with a high approval rating of over 95%, some users found the taste hard to like or get used to. Some said it tasted like grass.

Another negative or positive depending on how you brew your tea is that you’ll need a strainer to complete the brewing process. On the other hand, you do control the quantity used, which can be a good thing.

Bottom Line:

This product is organically certified. It is also a kosher and Halal certified food product. The ingredients used in this green tea are all gluten-free.

Not only does this green tea contain powerful antioxidants, it also comes with very little caffeine, which makes it an ideal evening beverage. Based on feedback from customers, the most convenient way to preserve the flavor of the unused portion is to store the tea in a zip-lock bag.

What is the best brand of green tea for you?

The five brands reviewed in this article offer you the most value for your money. Remember that the highest amount of antioxidants can be found in green tea brands with caffeine.

While higher quality green tea brand will deliver many health benefits, there are some precautions or side effects for those with existing health conditions.

I have no doubt green tea is a viable and better alternative to drinking coffee. Apart from delivering better health benefits than coffee, it is also far cheaper to brew and consume!