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Green Tea Review By ConsumerLab.com

Summary

  • What is green tea?

    Green tea is made by lightly steaming freshly cut leaves of Camellia sinensis. It is higher in catechins (polyphenols) such as EGCG than black tea. It is sold in many forms such as tea bags, loose teas, matcha powders, bottled teas, and as supplements containing extracts with high concentrations of catechins. Green tea also contains caffeine — about half as much per cup as in coffee (see What It Is).
  • Health benefits of green tea:

    Health benefits are generally associated with catechins in green tea, most notably EGCG. Benefits include a modest reduction in LDL cholesterol, reduced growth of uterine fibroids and associations with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes. These benefits are generally associated with consumption of 3 or more cups per day. Studies with green tea supplements typically provide 200 mg to 300 mg per day. The evidence regarding weight loss and memory benefits is mixed and may relate to the caffeine in green tea (see What It Does).
  • What did CL's tests of green tea products find?

    Our tests (see What CL Found) found shockingly little EGCG (0.64 mg to 7.6 mg) per cup in four brands of brewable teas (tea bags or loose tea), but much higher amounts (up to 90.8 mg) in several others. Supplements provided 26.4 mg to 250 mg of EGCG per serving. Matcha powders provided about 100 to 150 mg of EGCG per teaspoon (2 grams).
  • Which is the best green tea?

    Our Top Pick among green tea in tea bags stood out for having excellent flavor and providing one of the highest amounts of EGCG at modest cost. Our Top Pick for matcha costs just 1/3 the price of a nearly identical matcha powder and provides 50% more EGCG. We chose both a low-dose and a high-dose Top Pick among green tea supplements. Although green tea leaves can accumulate toxic lead, none of the products were found to provide significant amounts of lead. (see ConsumerTips).
  • Green tea safety, side effects, and drug interactions:

    Green tea can interfere with a range of drugs. Liver toxicity is a concern with high doses of EGCG from green tea supplements, particularly if not consumed with food. Green tea contains a small amount of fluoride and regularly consuming very large amounts of green tea can cause fluorosis, a condition that makes bones and teeth brittle. Avoid excessive green tea when pregnant. Don't drink very hot tea, as this has been associated with higher risk of gastric cancer (see Concerns and Cautions). Be aware that plastic (nylon) tea bags may release microplastics as well as reduce levels of EGCG in tea (See ConsumerTips).

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Green tea brands of tea bags, loose tea, matcha powders, and supplements compared in this review

View Larger Image 7474_large_Bigelow-GreenTea-CertifiedOrganic-2021.png

Bigelow Green Tea - Decaffeinated

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Bigelow Premium Green Tea

View Larger Image 7475_large_ChoiceOrganis-GreenTea-2021.png

Choice Organics Japanese Green

View Larger Image 7477_large_HarneyAndSons-GreenTea-2021.png

Harney & Sons Japanese Sencha

View Larger Image 7495_large_HEB-GreenTea-2021.png

H-E-B Green Tea Extract 315 mg

View Larger Image 7485_large_JadeLeaf-Matcha-2021.png

Jade Leaf Organic Japanese Matcha

View Larger Image 7489_large_Lipton-GreenTea-Decaf-2021.png

Lipton Green Tea - Decaffeinated

View Larger Image 7492_large_Lipton-GreenTea-2021.png

Lipton Pure Green Tea

View Larger Image 7490_large_NaturesBounty-GreenTea-2021.png

Nature's Bounty Green Tea 315 mg

View Larger Image 7481_large_NewmansOwn-GreenTea-2021.png

Newman's Own Organics Organic Green Tea

View Larger Image 7494_large_NOW-EGC-GreenTea-2021.png

NOW EGCg

View Larger Image 7482_large_Numi-GreenTea-2021.png

Numi Organic Tea Gunpowder Green

View Larger Image 7483_large_PiqueTea-GreenTea-2021.png

Pique Tea Crystals Jasmine

View Larger Image 7480_large_PrinceOfPeace-GreenTea-2021.png

Prince of Peace 100% Organic Green Tea

View Larger Image 7491_large_PuritansPride-GreenTea-2021.png

Puritan's Pride Green Tea Extract

View Larger Image 7484_large_SuperFoods-GreenTea-2021.png

SuperFoods Matcha Green Tea Powder

View Larger Image 7486_large_Thorne-GreenTea-2021.png

Thorne Green Tea Phytosome

View Larger Image 7493_large_TraderJoes-GreenTea-2021.png

Trader Joe's Organic Green Tea

View Larger Image 7488_large_Twinings-GreenTea-2021.png

Twinings Of London Green Tea

View Larger Image 7479_large_Vadham-GreenTea-2021.png

Vahdam Teas 100% Pure Green Tea

View Larger Image 7476_large_Vitacost-GreenTea-2021.png

Vitacost Green Tea Extract

View Larger Image 7478_large_Yogi-GreenTea-2021.png

Yogi Green Tea Pure Green Decaf

You must be a ConsumerLab.com member to get the full green tea test results along with ConsumerLab's Top Picks and tips on how to choose and use green tea. You'll get results for 22 green tea products including brewable green teas (as tea bags and loose tea), matcha powders, green tea "crystals", and green tea extract supplements. Nineteen of these were selected by ConsumerLab.com and three others passed the same testing in CL's voluntary Quality Certification Program. In the review, you'll learn: 
  • ConsumerLab's Top Picks for brewable green teas, matcha powders and green tea supplements based on quality, value, and even taste
  • Which products passed or failed our tests and why
  • How much EGCG, total catechins, and caffeine is in each product
  • Why contamination with lead, cadmium and arsenic is a concern, and what our tests showed
  • Price comparisons showing how to get a green tea product with EGCG at the lowest cost
  • Clinical information about the proposed health benefits of green tea, such as lowering cholesterol, weight loss, memory and cognition, cancer prevention and more, and dosage
  • Cautions and potential side effects for green tea -- including drug interactions, concerns with plastic tea bags, a warning for women who are pregnant or nursing, liver toxicity, and effects on bones and teeth 

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Additional Information
Tested through CL's Quality Certification Program prior to, or after initial posting of this Product Review.