Green tea is famous for its myriad of valuable properties. It shows, among others, antioxidant, anti-aging, slimming, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. Hardly anyone knows that green tea can also stimulate, and sometimes even pose as a substitute for coffee in the morning. How is green tea giving you energy?
The stimulating effect of green tea
Green tea actually performs a stimulating and energising effect. It’s all due to the content of caffeine (also known as theine) in tea leaves. Is the effect of theine in green tea the same as that of caffeine found in coffee? Well, not exactly. The key difference is the steady release of caffeine contained in green teas. Thanks to such process, the stimulation effect is significantly subtler and elongated. There is also no risk of occurrence of unpleasant side effects, such as excessive excitability, jittery or nervousness, frequently following the consumption of coffee. All this is due to L-theanin, an amino acid contained in tea leaves. L-theanin prolongs the effect of caffeine, extending the effect of stimulation up to 6 hours. It also prevents the unpleasant energy outflow, about which strong coffee lovers frequently complain.
Which kind of green tea is the most effective stimulant?
There are numerous kinds of green tea, each of which shows slightly different properties. This also applies to the effect of stimulation. For those looking for energy, matcha and sencha would be the best fits. Matcha is powdered green tea grown in shade. This traditional Japanese method consists in cutting off the access of sunlight for growing tea bushes, which forces them to intensify the production of valuable nutrients and mineral compounds. One of such compounds is the discussed energising caffeine. Moreover, thanks to its powdered form, one consumes entire tea leaves during matcha consumption, instead of their mere infusion. This is precisely why matcha is up to 10 times more effective than loose-leaf tea and is a great alternative for coffee drinks. And due to the aforementioned combination of caffeine and L-theanin, it evokes “zen energy” – a combination of concentration and focus. Among non-powdered leaf teas, on the other hand, sencha is distinguished by its high caffeine content.
