Have you tried Green Tea?

In my effort to be more healthy this year, am now up to running 5k three times a week, I have decided to cut down on the amount of tea I drink.

Although we do buy decaf tea, I still have 4 or 5 cups a day, so have decided to reduce this and increase my water intake.

My sister-in-law is a big drinker of Green Tea and as I'd never tried it she soon blasted me with the health benefits and suggested I try it.  The British Journal of Nutrition has recently revealed that drinking more than three cups of green tea a day can help protect against cell deterioration as we age.  Green tea is also a natural source of antioxidents that may help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.  Two good enough reasons for me to give it a go!

Background Info:

• Green Tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis and is treated in a different way to normal tea to give it a different unusual flavour. 
• Mostly produced in China, where 80% of the World's Green Tea comes from and they have been producing for years. Although you can find Green Tea from the Far East, South India and South America.
• The leaves for green tea are not given the opportunity to oxidise as with black tea, leaving the leaves green in colour.

Range:
Where there used to just be Green Tea, you can now buy a range of Green Teas from Twinings
There are three unflavoured Green Teas - one pure Green Tea, one Light & Delicate Green Tea (slightly softer taste) and then a Decaf Pure Green Tea.

There are also some flavoured Green Teas - a Jasmine Green Tea, a Lemon Green Tea, a Cranberry Green Tea and Pomegranate Green Tea. All use natural ingredients so no artificial flavours.

I opted to try the Pure Green Tea (£1.45 for 20 teabags)and you can Buy tea online although the Lemon Green Tea sounds quite intriguing, I'll stick to trying them one at a time.  I left the teabag in for about 2 minutes
(I like weak tea) and then tasted.


My initial comments would be not to expect green tea to taste like your normal tea as it definitely doesn't .  It is almost fresher, lighter and perhaps a bit grassier. It takes a few sips to get used to it but I found it quite nice and refreshing and will definitely try and add Green Tea to my daily diet though because it is so healthy.  I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

In the meantime, you can join the Twinings Tea UK club on Facebook for more info on new products, competitions and free products -