Absolute Tea

Black Tea is Good for You

The subject of health and tea has long been argued over. Recently, tea has seen a surge of many medical claims that change frequently and are hard to prove. This bothers me immensely as a promoter of good teas. If people continue to treat tea this way, like a new diet fad, then its lifespan as a remarkable drink will be short.

Tea is not a fad. It has been around for thousands of years and will most likely be here for another 1,000. The reputation tea has at the moment is quite good, so lets keep it that way and not get overzealous with its magic properties, and all the other voodoo nonsense. Tea is also about taste so let's not forget why people drink it in the first place.

As a result of all of this I have decided to not go extensively into the health properties of tea.

Okay, now that my little rant is over lets talk about the secondary aspect that tea can provide.

Healthy Properties of Black Tea

All tea, even the "untrue" herbal teas provide health benefits when you drink them. Because of the various ways that tea is processed, there are many different health effects associated with different teas. The benefits that I will be discussing below come from the full oxidizing process that is applied to black tea.

Here is a general list of what is beneficial about black tea:

• Provide lots of Polyphenols (anti-cancer fighters)


• Contain catechins


• Antioxidants


• Contains many tannins, which reduce bad bacteria in the mouth & stomach


• A natural source of fluoride


• Contains no calories


• Has a high level of minerals


• Fat oxidant

This is about all I want to say on the subject of health and tea. I might decide to add more on the subject of black tea and health, but not until something conclusive and solid comes out. I would rather enjoy tea for its wonderful taste and have the side benefit of it being healthy, instead of drinking tea for its health properties with the added benefit that it tastes good. Besides, not all tea will taste spectacular to everyone, but all tea will be beneficial to everyone’s health.

If you would like more information about black tea and health you can try these sites:


Uk Tea Council
Enjoying Tea
Celestial Seasonings    

posted by Michael at 10:20 PM