3 serious misunderstandings about tea

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: misunderstandings about tea.

With a British husband at home, you can imagine that we often drink (black) tea with milk. I personally drink a lot of herbal teas (especially when I try to stay away from wine), although we should actually call them infusions since they are not made from tea leaves. And there are a few more misconceptions that exist about tea.

A cup of tea can be relaxing, if only because you have to take the time for it and can't just gulp it down piping hot. And do you ever wonder about the following tea myths?

Black tea contains more theine (caffeine) than green tea
Nope. Not necessarily, at least. The amount of theine in the tea leaves that end up in your pot can depend on how they were processed, which type of tea it is (within the same category), and ultimately how long you let the tea steep also affects it. The longer the tea leaves stay in the water, the higher the theine content in your cup of tea.

Green tea is healthier than black tea
There is no scientific evidence that green tea is healthier than black tea, although it is often mentioned that its higher antioxidant content would have health benefits. But green tea (also nice for cooking!) contains just as much theine as black tea. White tea, at least lightly oxidized, is said to contain even more antioxidants. By the way, never believe claims that green tea would protect against cancer or viruses.

Organic is always better
This is always a complicated area. Just like in the cocoa industry, there are many abuses within tea plantations, and the world's largest producers are not often at the forefront when it comes to sustainability and fair conditions for tea farmers. It can also happen that obtaining an organic certification is not feasible for a small tea farmer due to high costs, even though he may work more sustainably than the neighbor with a large player behind him. Instead of blindly buying an organic A-brand in the supermarket, try to buy your tea from a specialist so you can learn more about the background. April.Tea for example, is the sister brand of specialty coffee brand Bocca Coffee and sells fair tea with a fair story.