The Best Green Teas for Your Pantry

Tea is a beloved beverage worldwide, and green tea is one of the most well-known types due to its christening in recent times as a “superfood.” Green tea isn’t withered and oxidized the way that black and oolong teas are, even though it’s made from the leaves of the same evergreen plant (camellia sinensis) as black tea, and it does contain a myriad of beneficial health properties. It tends to have less caffeine than black tea or coffee but still contains enough to fight fatigue, and it is rich in antioxidants. Many studies have purported that green tea is heart-healthy, helping lower blood pressure and maybe even prevent cardiovascular disease. It’s also good for the brain and liver. Some people have found that drinking green tea regularly aids in weight loss and improving skin tone, though results may vary in this regard. If you want to start drinking green tea to reap its health benefits, here are a few bags of green tea we recommend.

What Should You Consider in Green Tea?

Here are a few things to think about before buying green tea:

• Caffeine Level: While green tea naturally contains less caffeine than some other types of teas, not all green teas are created equal in the amount of caffeine they contain. There are fully caffeinated options as well as green teas that have a slightly lower level of caffeine but not low enough to be considered decaffeinated. There are plenty of true decaffeinated green teas as well. While rarer, there are also green teas that are completely caffeine-free. Unlike decaffeinated tea, which still contains some trace amount of caffeine, these teas naturally lack any caffeine at all and thus won’t disrupt your sleep or keep you awake.
• Flavor: There are plenty of green teas available on the market, both flavored and unflavored. Flavored and blended options are great choices for anyone who isn’t fond of the taste of plain green tea but still wants to drink it for its health properties. Fruit blends are probably the most commonplace flavors mixed with green tea. Lemon, pomegranate, and various berries are all popular choices. Some blends might even combine several different fruits in one. Mint is another frequent flavor accomplice for green tea, as is jasmine.
• Quantity: How often do you plan to drink green tea? Once a day? Several times a day? Once a week? A couple of times a week? A few times a month? As a once in a while treat? This is an important factor to consider when deciding the quantity of tea you should buy. There are smaller boxes that may only contain a dozen or so tea bags and larger ones that may hold 40 or more. You can also buy boxes individually or as a set, which allows you to purchase 100 or more bags of green tea at once. Boxed sets are especially useful if you plan to drink green tea frequently since they’re most cost-efficient in the long run. If you aren’t a frequent tea drinker, keep in mind that while it won’t go bad per se, tea does tend to become stale tasting if you don’t drink it by a certain point.

Most Flavor Options: Twinings of London Jasmine Green Tea Bags

Some people love the taste of green tea; others enjoy it more as a base mixed with other flavors. Regardless of which you prefer, these green tea bags offer both these options and more. They come in six different flavors, from unflavored green tea to green tea mixed with berries, jasmine, lemon, and more. There is also a decaffeinated version and an organic, fair-trade mix available for purchase if you prefer. No matter which of the nine options you pick, you can buy a box of 20 or 25 tea bags, as a single pack, four-pack, or six-pack. The flavored options are all made, infused, and blended with the highest-quality handpicked leaves or flowers for the best possible scent and taste. Regardless of whether you pick a flavored option or not, each bag of this green tea will taste nice and fresh since they’re all carefully sealed, and the tea is 100% natural without any artificial ingredients. To make a cup, simply steep a tea bag for two minutes in hot water and enjoy.

Best Pack: Tazo Zen Green Tea Bags Pack

If you’re someone who enjoys green tea on a daily basis, this six-pack of green tea bags is an excellent, cost-efficient option. Each box has 20 tea bags, for a total of 120 tea bags with your purchase, enough to last you several months even if you drink tea twice a day, every day. There are three different green tea flavor options, two with their own unique twists. There’s a lemongrass, verbena, and spearmint flavor that will keep you awake and focused and a ginger and pear blend that is spicy and sweet all in one. Or, if you prefer straight green tea, there’s a fresh-tasting pure green tea set as well. All of these teas can be made hot or iced depending on the temperature outside or your own personal mood or preference. This tea is Kosher certified and has a midrange caffeine level. Note that the packaging may vary slightly.

Best Sweet Blend: Taylors of Harrogate Green Tea with Mint

Many types of green tea are known for having a bit of a bittersweet aftertaste. Some people enjoy this flavoring, while others find it spoils their enjoyment of the tea a bit. If you like the taste of green tea but not the aftertaste, this minty green tea offers a solution. Green tea and mint is a familiar, popular, and refreshing blend that always goes great together. This tea is smooth and offers a certain level of sweetness that helps mask green tea’s bitterer aftertaste without overpowering the tea’s natural flavor or becoming too cloyingly sweet. The peppermint leaves used to make the infusion are of the highest quality. And both the tea and mint are eco-friendly and ethically sourced. If you prefer a jasmine or lemon blend instead of mint, those are both options as well, as is a straight-up unflavored green tea. You can buy this tea in a box of 20, 48, or 100 separately wrapped tea bags.

Best Decaf: Bigelow Decaffeinated Green Tea Bags

Many people enjoy a calming cup of tea before bed to help them relax. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be counterproductive due to the caffeine content in tea. Green tea will be a better choice than black or oolong teas since it’s naturally lower in caffeine. However, if you want to be especially sure that your nightly cup of tea won’t keep you up past your bedtime, you’ll want to buy a decaffeinated green tea like this one. The caffeine level is low, but it still contains all the antioxidants and the delicate, earthy flavor that are green tea’s signature trademarks. These bags of smooth, decaf green tea are fresh tasting and can be equally enjoyed hot or iced. Instructions for making it both ways come included on the box. It’s also eco-friendly and responsibly sourced. You can buy 20 or 40 tea bags per box, with seven different total quantity purchase options to pick the best quantity for your tea habits. If you want a regularly caffeinated, daytime version of this tea, it’s also available as plain green tea, organic green tea, or blended with lemon, blueberry and acai, or pomegranate.