Tea is great for energy because it delivers sustained, time-released energy which will help get you through the day, opposed to plying you with that initial rush of energy and then dissipating.
It is important to remember that there are some caffeine-free teas on the market such as chamomile tea, peppermint tea, ginger tea and other herbal tea blends that will not contain actual tea leaves.
This is due to the fact that true tea leaves come from the camellia sinensis plant, and each type actually differs by how the tea leaves are grown, how they are harvested and how they are sometimes fermented.
It is also true that these tea leaves will all have different caffeine levels. Tea is good for energy because you get an unlimited selection to help you find the perfect energy boost for you.
Caffeine And L-Theanine In Tea
It does not matter where it comes from, it is true that caffeine is an especially great stimulant which will help to reduce signs of fatigue and drowsiness. Caffeine can also help to increase how alert you are and how awake you feel.
Tea will leave you feeling calm but also alert when you drink it, and this is all to do with the contents of the tea leaves. It is true that the tea leaves contain a calming amino acid which is called I theanine, and this is a powerful ingredient which can really help to calm down your nervous system.
L-theanine also supports reduced stress levels and lower heart rates and ultimately a healthy blood pressure. This compound works to promote a calm and relaxed energy and it also helps you to focus too.
By combining I-theanine with the caffeine that is in your tea then you will be able to have sustained focus, along with higher cognitive function. You will also notice that your mood will be much more uplifted and you will be able to manage your stress much better.
How Does Caffeine In Tea Differ From Caffeine In Coffee?
You might be surprised to know that drinking tea can be much better for you than drinking a cup of coffee. Even though both hot beverages seem as though they are from the same family, it is important to bear in mind that the caffeine in coffee differs from the caffeine that is found in tea.
Tea that has caffeine in it will give you that energy boost that your long day needs, and a cup of tea can provide you with a whole host of health benefits too.
For instance, the caffeine that can be found in coffee is a harsh stimulant for your system - and when you have consumed this you might experience an especially quick jolt of energy.
This can make some people feel better, or this can make some people feel pretty uncomfortable or even anxious. After a few hours you will find yourself crashing from this caffeine hit and you might end up feeling more tired than before.
The caffeine in tea is different to this because it binds to catechins… or it binds to compounds which have antioxidant properties. This means that the caffeine becomes a larger compound that takes much longer to break down in your system.
Micro doses of caffeine will instead work their way through your digestive system over a prolonged period of time rather than working immediately.
Why Does Shading Plants Increase The Caffeine Content When Growing Green Tea?
It is true that tea plants which are shaded will have higher levels of caffeine opposed to other teas, an example of this is Gyokuro green tea.
This happens due to the shift in chlorophyll and other chemicals that occurs when the method of netting is used to shade the leaves from the sun. This is especially true when this happens in the days or even the weeks before the tea leaves are harvested.
Matcha Tea
If you are wanting an especially intense caffeine boost, then you might find that matcha is your new best friend. This tea is guaranteed to become your new best friend in the tea world.
This tea is made from ground-up green tea leaves, and matcha tea can offer you up to 75mg of caffeine in each cup.
Matcha tea has a whole host of benefits too, because it can really help promote calm feelings and it can just generally enhance your mood.
Drinking matcha tea will really help to support a healthy stress response and will help you to deal with stressful situations in a calmer manner. Matcha tea can also really help to improve your focus.
Matcha tea also has a lot of health benefits too because it can be helpful in supporting your cardiovascular health, and it can also help with weight management and a healthy metabolism too.
Gyokuro Tea
This is a type of shaded green tea that comes from Japan, and this tea differs from the standard sencha tea. This tea is also one of the most expensive types of Japanese green teas. You will find that when you brew gyokuro that it has a slightly sweet and refreshing aroma.
It is true that the process of making gyokuro is very similar to sencha (which we will explore further) but you will find that there is a difference between the two teas. That difference lies in the cultivation method of the gyokuro tea.
So, at least twenty days before this tea is harvested, then these tea leaves will be shaded from the sunlight - and the added difficulty of shading these leaves is why this is one of the most expensive Japanese teas.
Kabusecha Tea
Kabusecha tea is a class of Japanese tea leaf, and it literally translates to meaning to place or cover on top - like you would with a hat on your head. Kabusecha tea is a tea leaf which is harvested from a tea plant which has a porous material draped over the plant while the young leaves are growing.
This tea is generally referred to as being a midpoint between sencha and gyokuro, meaning that this tea will have sencha’s refreshing flavor and also some of gyokuro’s sweetness.
The way that kabusecha is processed is the same as sencha and gyokuro, the difference in this tea really lies in the cultivation method that is used. Similar to gyokuro, kabusecha is a shaded tea but this is to a much lesser extent.
For instance, the tea leaves for gyokuro are shaded from funlight for at least 20 days, the leaves of kabusecha are usually shaded for a week.
It is also important to note that the shading process that is used for kabusecha is different to gyokuro. This is because in gyokuro, the entire tea field will be shaded but for kabusecha the tea plant itself will be covered.
Sencha Tea
This is the most popular type of green tea in Japan. You should find that when this tea is brewed that it will have a golden green color, and it should also have a refreshing aroma. This tea has an especially good balance between being astringent and also being sweet.
Sencha is made from the green leaves which are cultivated in direct sunlight, as opposed to matcha and also gyokuro. Sencha tea leaves are also harvested in the first flush or in the second flush; it is usually true that the tea leaves of the first harvest end up having the best quality.
The leaves of the upper shoots will be used because they are younger and they will be better quality than the lower shoots.
Wakoucha Tea (Black Tea)
Due to its dark color and its pretty distinguished taste, black tea will often be likened to coffee. Despite this, black tea will actually have less than half the caffeine that coffee has, but this does not detract from the qualities that black tea possesses.
By drinking black tea you can really energize your mind and also your body and this will help you to be able to power through even the toughest of days.
Black tea tends to be what coffee lovers will go for, because this can be helpful in trying to move away from your coffee habit. You will be able to leave behind the jitters and any kind of stressed feelings, and you can start replacing coffee with balck tea to get you into a healthy tea routine.
Summary
We would say that the tea which gives you the most energy would definitely be matcha tea, but this is closely followed by black tea. There are a whole host of advantages and benefits that come with picking tea over coffee, and there are so many varieties of tea on the market that you will be able to find a tea to suit you.
You can pick what tea you want depending on what flavor you are craving, or depending on how much energy you are wanting to muster up.
