Why white tea is good for you?

Perhaps first produced during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), white tea was the preferred tea of the Chinese royal court.

White tea is so named because the silver fuzz that’s till covers the immature buds and leaves after they are picked turns white when they are dried. The leaves are steamed quickly after harvesting to prevent oxidation of polyphenols and then dried.

White tea contains high level of antioxidants because the leaves and buds are steamed and dried immediately after harvesting, locking in their antioxidant qualities. Because of this kind of processing, white tea contains far less caffeine than other types of tea.

The health benefits of white tea include:
*The polyphenols in white tea can help fight fatigue and wrinkles due to aging
*Because of its high antioxidant content, white tea can help prevent various cancers better than other types of tea by destroying free radicals
*Lower cholesterol and blood pressure. White tea contains more catechins than green tea it has better chance of lowering cholesterol
*Keep the heart and the whole of circulatory system healthy
*Stronger bones
*White tea can effectively bolster the body’s immune system
*Fluoride in white tea can help prevent tooth decay

The main reason why white tea is so much better for the body than any other type of tea is because it is the least processed type of tea.
Why white tea is good for you?

What are tannins?

Tea is a popular beverage throughout the world. It is pleasant and mildly stimulating. Tannins are a family of astringent compounds called polyphenols.

Polyphenols constitute over 48.5% of the total solids in a cup of tea. They’re found in several kinds of plants, including dark sorghum, some apples and yerba mate, a popular South American drink made from the leaves and branches of an evergreen tree.

Tea is often included in the list of tannins-containing foods.   The tea leaves contain varying amounts of tannins: Green teas, which have unfermented leaves, contain the most tannins; black teas including pekoe, which are fermented, contain the fewest.

By definition, tannins are biologically active, that is tannins bond protein, a process that is pH dependent. Most of the phenolic groups in tannins are free. Tannins have a molecular weight between 500 and 3000, and generally are soluble in water.

Tannins are usually divided into two classes: those can be hydrolyzed (react with water) and those that cannot.  The nonhydrolysable tannins found in tea are condensation polymers of catechin.

The occurrence of tannins is reported in unripe fruits such as mango, dates and persimmons. The tannins diminish in amounts as the fruits ripen.

Other food sources of tannins are grapes (condensed tannins, on average 5000 mg/kg of grapes). Grape juice, wines (red wine: 1.2 – 4l4 g/L of wine) and some sorghum grain varieties.
What are tannins?