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Green tea and is harvested when its antioxidant content is at its peak. The leaves are then minimally processed, resulting in tea leaves that are incredibly rich in powerful antioxidant polyphenols (plant chemicals).

Black tea is the most processed of all, because it's fermented, not just dried. This gives black tea a deeper color and different flavor. Unfortunately, the fermentation process also destroys much of the antioxidant content of the tea leaves.

Adding milk to tea will block the healthy effects that tea has in preventing cardiovascular disease. This occurs because casein from the milk binds to the EGCG in tea that cause the arteries to relax. Milk may also block green tea's benefits in other areas, such as cancer prevention.

Most of the caffeine in green tea is extracted into the water the first time the tea is infused. If the same leaves are then used for a second brew, the caffeine level drop off to about one-third of the first cup, and decreases more with each subsequent cup brewed.

If you use decaffeinated green tea, you'll want to know that decaf green tea has about half the antioxidant content of regular green tea. This means that you would have to drink twice as much tea to get the same amount of green tea health benefits

It's not well known that green tea can have high levels of fluoride and aluminum, two highly toxic substances. Many of the prepared green tea drinks out there also have potentially toxic levels of fluoride, which you would have no way of detecting. Decaf varieties seem to have the highest levels of all.

Fluoride Content of Green Tea is about about 3 parts per million, three times the recommended amount of 1 ppm set for drinking water by the EPA. The actual fluoride content of tea depends on the fluoride content of the soil in which it is grown, but tea leaves accumulate more fluoride than any other edible plant. If you think that drinking fluoride is a good thing, do some research. A good book to start with is "The Fluoride Deception," by Christopher Bryson.

Symptoms of fluoride poisoning include stomach and intestinal pains, severe headaches, weakness and fatigue, skin rashes, mouth ulcers, worsening of allergic conditions including wheezy breathing, blurred vision, excessive thirst and joint pains. Nearly all victims have fatigue that can only be relieved by completely avoiding all sources of fluoride.

Pesticides in Tea. It's also been found that green tea can contain high levels of the pesticide DDT. So, if you do choose to drink green tea, it would be wise to choose organic varieties.

Much of the research supporting the health benefits of green tea is based on the amount of green tea typically consumed in oriental countries, approximately 3 cups per day. However, other research suggests as much as 10 cups per day is necessary to obtain any noticeable health benefits. In any event, most green tea health benefits will typically not be seen overnight.

Green tea extracts have even been shown to provide more antioxidant protection, with more consistency, than drinking green tea. While antioxidant levels in different brands of green tea can vary significantly, green tea extracts are available in standardized formulas that guarantee their potency. Some provide up to 98% polyphenol content, and are the equivalent of drinking 3 cups of tea — in just one capsule. Some of these standardized products are decaffeinated and fluoride-free, also.