| Drinking fresh brewed tea can be both healthy and enjoyable. However, the vast majority of nutritional components found in green tea leaves are never transferred over to the brewed tea. When you throw away tea leaves, you are throwing away a cornucopia of nutrients. Many tea experts recommend triple brewing good quality tea leaves. While this will continue to provide great tasting tea, you will still not be receiving the vast majority of the nutrients that are available in the green tea leaves.
Green tea is loaded with flavonoids, a potent variety of antioxidants. A great deal of research has been done (much of it referenced on this web site) which demonstrates that the antioxidants found in green tea are extremely beneficial to our health in many ways. Most of the research around green tea has focused on catechins (a specific type of flavonoid) which make up the largest percentage of what is found in green tea leaves. It is believed the catechins are the real powerhouse of the green tea plant. The table below was pulled from the USDA web site and provides a fantastic look at just how much more beneficial the whole tea leaf is compared to just drinking the brew. For the most part there is an 8,000 to 10,000% increase in antioxidants found in whole green tea leaves compared to brewed green tea. The evidence is very convincing. The best way to get the most nutritional benefit from green tea is to eat the whole leaf.
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