Tea is the second most popular drink just after water. The topmost loved beverages list will always comprise tea as it is the national drink of the two most populous nations, India & China. Despite having a tough competition with other popular beverages like beer & coffee, tea lovers have ensured that tea hasn’t lost its spot. Though it can be addictive, and most of them get habitual to it eventually, it doesn’t cause any serious harm even in the longer run. There are different types of tea like milk tea, green tea, lemon tea, and many others.
Green Tea vs Lemon Tea
The main difference between Green Tea and Lemon Tea is that green tea is a true variety or type of tea. On the other hand, lemon tea is just the method of preparation of the beverage and not a true variety of tea. Though both these beverages are loved by millions of people, there are many differences, especially in the preparation method of both these beverages. Both these beverages are considered healthy.
Green Tea is the second most-consumed variety of tea in the world. The consumers of green tea are ever-increasing due to its health benefits. Green tea is the least processed variety of tea and hence is the healthiest of all the varieties of tea. It has large quantities of antioxidants which help in improving human health.
Lemon Tea is one of the most popular methods of preparing the beverage. When lemon juice or lemon slice is added to hot water, cold water, iced water, black tea, or even green tea, lemon tea is prepared. The addition of lemon juice or lemon slice enriches the health benefits of the beverage.
Comparison Table Between Green Tea and Lemon Tea
| Parameters of Comparison | Green Tea | Lemon Tea |
| Preparation Method | Standard tea brewing procedures like dipping green tea bags in warm water or adding green tea leaves to boiling water. Additives may be added for the enhancement of health benefits. | The base for lemon tea varies. Lemon juice or lemon slice is added to the base. The most commonly used base is black tea. Additives may be added for the enhancement of health benefits. |
| Taste | Somewhat bitter or bittersweet. Some other descriptors are buttery, grassy, floral, and fruity. Sweetener or other additives can be used to enhance the taste. | Fruity tangy taste. Some other descriptors are sharp, pungent, bitter, bold, nutty, tingly, and dry. Sweetener or other additives can be used to enhance the taste. |
| Colour | The color of Green Tea is usually green, light yellow, or light brown. | The addition of lemon juice lightens the color of its base. If the base has a red or brown color, then lemon tea will be light red or light brown. |
| Health Benefits | Due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as antioxidants like EGCG, polyphenols, caffeine, and others. Green tea is considered the most healthy beverage. | Lemons are themselves rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, and magnesium. The combined effect of the health benefits of the base along with the health benefits of lemon makes it a healthy beverage. |
| Caffeine content | Green tea has low to medium caffeine content. | In lemon tea, caffeine content depends upon the base (water, black tea, green tea, or any other beverage). |
What is Green Tea?
The scientific name of green tea is Camellia sinensis. Green tea is a beverage that has been consumed by the Chinese for hundreds of years. It then spread to the neighboring Asian nations, and eventually throughout the world via sea routes.
Currently, it is considered a go-to beverage for various reasons, primarily for health benefits. Green tea is not only an invigorating beverage but also a superfood. Being an original variety of tea, it is kept in nature’s raw form with minimal processing which is one of the primary reasons for the nutrients to remain intact.
Green tea contains a moderate amount of caffeine which on excessive consumption may cause insomnia. Green Tea has low diuretic effects and it is highly unlikely that it can cause dehydration. Apart from caffeine, green tea is also rich in fluorides & L-theanine. Due to these, green tea is also good for oral health as well as mental health.
Green tea has other health benefits as well. These include improved brain function, boosting metabolism, prevention of many dangerous diseases like cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer & diabetes, reduction of cell damage & inflammation. They also help in losing weight, lowering blood pressure, improving anti-aging, and increasing longevity.
What is Lemon Tea?
Lemon tea is an invigorating beverage. There is no hard & fast rule for the preparation of lemon tea. Instead, one can experiment with various base beverages. The addition of lemon influences the aroma and flavor of the beverage.
Preparation of lemon tea is quite simple. If you are taking black tea as the base, then just add lemon juice & honey to it. Voila! Your lemon black tea is ready. If you want to make lemon green tea, then just replace your base from black tea with green tea. You can even replace your base with hot water only.
You can also prepare lemon iced tea using any of the bases. Let these bases (black tea or green tea or hot water) cool down to the ambient temperature, then add ice cubes to them. Now, add lemon juice & honey to it. Voila! Your lemon iced tea is ready.
Lemon Tea is considered a healthy refreshment due to its several health benefits & anti-septic properties. It helps in clearing the throat and even fighting throat infections. Moreover, lemon tea also helps in fighting cough & cold. The health benefits due to lemon tea include boosted immunity, protects gum & heart health, detoxication of the body, improved skin health, reduction of stress & acidity. They also help in losing weight.
Main Differences Between Green Tea and Lemon Tea
- Green tea is a broader category including healthy tea leaves while lemon tea is specific and can be distinguished based on brands.
- Green tea may or may not have lemon as an additive, but lemon is an essential ingredient for lemon tea.
- Green tea (without lemon) has lower concentrations of citric acid & vitamin C. Contrarily, lemon tea has higher concentrations of citric acid & vitamin C.
- Green tea has lower diuretic effects when compared with lemon tea.
- A single serving of green tea has 35 milligrams of caffeine. Lemon tea that is prepared using water as the base doesn’t contain any caffeine content.
Conclusion
If you are wondering about green tea & lemon tea, then it is obvious that you are looking for a healthy beverage. While both these beverages are healthy, if you want to choose between these two, your best bet would be lemon tea with green tea as its base. So, it means your healthy beverage must include green tea with lemon as an additive (which essentially makes it lemon green tea).
The best time to have these beverages is early in the morning, preferably with an empty stomach. You can also have these beverages in the evening during tea breaks. Remember that too much can be troublesome too! You can fall prey to acidity in such cases. Limited consumption of these beverages can do wonders!
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367326X98000161
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/190508