Oolong Tea and Green Tea: Processing, Properties, and Weight Loss

We all have heard about how tea can help in losing weight, now not every tea is good for our health. Some specific ones like green tea or Oolong tea are mainly known for its weight loss properties. Every tea comes from a similar plant called Camellia Sinensis, but they differ because of the process of making and the properties it carries. There are mainly 5 different categories of tea:
•Black Tea
• Oolong Tea
• Green Tea
• Puer Tea
• White Tea
After the tea is harvested, they all go through different processes which mark the difference between all of them. The main points to consider are:
Tea Processing
The first difference marked in the tea would be in the process of its creation. In the case of Green tea, the oxidation is done at the very first stage, whereas Chinese green tea is pan fried, Japanese tea is steamed. The different ways develop the different flavors and the level of caffeine in them. In the case of Oolong tea, it is fermented carefully and is stopped right before it turns black. Green tea is known to have a very mild, earthy flavor to it whereas Oolong tea carries a very smoky and buttery flavor. Green tea comes in different textures like whole leaves, dried leaves or can be in powder form. Oolong tea is generally hand rolled and provided in little twists. The way they look depends on the processing of the end product.
Preparation of Tea
There are different shops online, and offline that sell varieties of tea. These shops also have different recipes and preparations listed under them which can help you make flavourful and delicious tea. You can select the best supplier online for your convenience through giving filters according to you. In oolong tea, 206 degrees is the perfect temperature, and you have to let it soak in the water for about 3–5 minutes in order to get the best flavor. Whereas for green tea the temperature should be 180 degrees and should be soaked for 3 minutes. You can also make Matcha, which is a bit harder than making normal tea, but worth the hard work. You have to whisk a little bit of powder green tea into hot water for a thick consistency. Both the teas can be had either hot or cold and even iced.
Antioxidants
Almost all the teas have an element known as Polyphenol, which is an antioxidant that works for the protection of our body from other harmful oxidants. These are also responsible for decreasing risks for your heart and its problems; it reduces the chances of breast cancer etc. Another very powerful antioxidant found in teas would be Catechins; this mainly protects our brain from having strokes or the chances of acquiring Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. The level of antioxidants is way higher in the case of Green tea when compared to Oolong tea. The difference lies in the process of oxidization in both which further removes antioxidants. Therefore, the processing determines the level of antioxidants and thus how much you acquire from the tea. It won’t differ much in case you steep it in hot water, or you make a matcha out of the powdered leaves.
Weight Loss
This is a great property that both Green tea and Oolong tea holds if you do it properly. Drinking a cup of green or oolong tea is much better than the full creamed cup of frappuccino that has almost triple the times of calories this has. Also, they have weight loss properties that help you shed multiple pounds when consumed in regular intervals. You might think, once you add the milk and sugar it’s all the same, but not really, they have specific properties that help you in boosting your metabolism and thus burning more calories through your day. Oolong tea is twice as more effective when compared to green tea in case of weight loss because of the caffeine it has packed inside it helps in increasing the metabolism for burning calories and achieving for energy.
Caffeine
People around the world have been addicted to caffeine for some energy punch in the morning. Tea has a lesser level of caffeine when compared to coffee, but it is enough for one person to jump start their day with full energy. 8 ounces of Green tea or oolong tea has almost 70 mg of caffeine in it when the same amount of coffee has around 200 mgs which is a lot more. If you like having your beverage slow and in intervals for a longer period then tea is the best option for coffee’s level of caffeine can cause stomach aches. Tea gives you just the perfect amount of caffeine for working through your day and even studying through the night.
These are some of the properties on the basis of which we can talk about the varieties of tea, textures of teas like whole leaves, dried leaves or Loose Leaf Teas, etc. We can also compare them based on their properties of caffeine or antioxidants. Make sure to select the best recipe for your tea and enjoy it through the day.
(Image credit: Techa Tea)
