The topic of tea brings about conversations on caffeine content and the difference between bags and loose leaves. What many do not take into consideration or even know is the content of tannin in tea — another vital compound that is essential to this delicious drink we all love. Tea lovers and aspiring tea enthusiasts should be well equipped with this crucial ingredient that makes tea what we now know and love.
Table of Contents
What are Tannins?
So the question remains: what is tannin? Tannins are basically polyphenol compounds that are known for their strong flavors and astringent properties. They can naturally be found in occuring substances and organic matter including wood, fruits, spices and leaves. Tea with high levels of tannins are known to be bitter in taste but strong in astringency, which contributes greatly to the much-loved taste of tea.
Tannins also provide some types of tea with antioxidant properties. Black tea and certain kinds of green teas are just to name a few tea types that are known to have high levels of tannin with antioxidants, providing these teas with extraordinary health benefits and more so than the rest.
On the opposite end, white teas and sometimes even oolong tea have less tannins due to its low oxidation and processing.
Health Benefits of Tannin in Tea
Tannins are known for its positive effects on the human body. Teas with high tannin content are also full of theaflavins and thearubigins, types of tannins that offer protection against cellular damages.
Because these tannins are responsible for the antioxidant properties of the teas, there are also anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic properties that can greatly assist and prevent consumers against diseases.
The antiseptic and antibacterial properties also maintain oral health and fight cavities and any other potential infections. Tannins also help remove harmful microbes from the body, fight against harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as stabilise blood pressure.
It’s also said that tannins can also have a healing effect on cuts and wounds by speeding up blood clotting.
Tannin in Different Types of Tea
The amount of tannin in tea varies for different types, just like caffeine. Darker teas like black tea and oolong tea are known to have higher tannin levels, and lighter teas like white tea have considerably low tannin levels.
The link between the colours of the tea to the tannin levels is oxidation. The more tea leaves are oxidised, the higher the concentration of tannin in the type of tea. After the organic matter is broken down, tannins are then released.
The tannin levels can vary depending on how it’s processed as well. Fresher tea leaves are believed to contain higher concentration of tannin as compared to processed ones. This can be linked to the quality of the tea sold on the market. Generally, teas with higher content of tannin are more expensive than the ones with lower levels of tannin.
One influencer of tannin levels that can be controlled is its steeping time. Depending on how long one brews the tea, one can expect lower or higher tannin content. The tannins are only released after five minutes or more of steeping, so keeping it between three to five minutes will reduce the levels of tannin. This factor is regardless of the type of tea one’s using.
1.Tannin in Black Tea
Just like with caffeine, black tea is known to have the highest concentration of tannin, ranging from 11.76 to 15.14. The dark colour of black tea itself can be a judge of the tannin content of the tea.
Black tea leaves are more oxidised and oxidation is a huge influencer to tannin levels as well as the intense processing of black tea leaves. If black tea is steeped longer, the colour gets darker as well. That’s also an indication that there are more tannins in the tea.
Reducing the steeping time can reduce tannin levels as well. For those who love black tea but would want lower tannin levels, that can be a solution to the situation. Limiting the number of black tea servings can provide a safe overall consumption of tannin, too.
2.Tannin in White Tea
If tannin levels are solely judged by oxidation, then white tea might have almost no tannin content at all. White tea has low catechins to begin with, as this type of tea is made using tips, buds and young shoots of tea plants rather than the fully bloomed plants and leaves.
Because of its low level of catechins, it results in low tannin levels. Depending on each company’s processing and harvesting of the white tea, there might be a bit of tannin content, but generally white tea is tannin-free.
3.Tannin in Green Tea
Popular for its health benefits because of its antioxidant properties, it’s highly likely that there is a substantial level of tannins in green tea. Despite its low oxidation, green tea does have a fair amount of tannins in them.
While most tea drinkers regularly drink green tea for its limitless health benefits, it’s good to note the tannin levels for different types of green tea. Some green teas can have as low as 2.65% of tannin in them, while others can have similar levels as black tea. To avoid overconsumption and any possible side effects, a quick check won’t hurt.
4.Tannin in Oolong Tea
This Chinese medicinal tea always falls in the middle of green tea and black tea. Oolong tea has been regarded by many as an in-between of the two as it possesses qualities of both. Similar to caffeine levels, oolong tea’s tannin levels are in between, clocking in at 8.66% on average.
Containing more tannins than white tea but lesser than black tea (and some of green tea, in fact), the levels of tannin in oolong tea can be due to its light fermentation and oxidation. To have more tannin content, one can steep the oolong tea longer to enable more tannins to be released. For a lighter tea with lower tannin levels, steep it for shorter.
Downsides of Tannin in Tea
Despite its positive effects, large consumption of tannins can have its downsides just like for most overconsumption. One of them is the anti-nutritional factor that can affect digestion and metabolism.
People with a more sensitive digestive system should not drink tea that’s rich with tannin. If one still prefers to, the combination of tea with a dash of milk or any other protein and carbohydrates from food can bind with the tannins, and lower the irritation to one’s digestive tract.
Tannins can also hinder iron absorption, too. While there won’t be much effect for people with healthy iron levels, it may be a problem for those with iron deficiency. The ability to seamlessly bind with other compounds is what makes tannin unique, but it’s not a good thing when it binds with iron present in plant-based foods as it makes them unavailable for absorption.
To avoid this, it’s recommended to not drink tea with iron-rich foods. Instead, have tea in between meals and not during them.
How to Avoid Tannin in Tea?
There are multiple ways to avoid tannin in tea. One fairly achievable method is to switch to light teas like white tea and some types of green tea and oolong tea. For white tea, it’s almost certain there is no tannin content in them, while for green tea and oolong tea, one must go through the different brands and kinds to make sure of the tannin levels in them.
If one still prefers to drink tannin-rich tea like black tea and certain green teas, there are still ways to avoid overconsumption of tannin. Steeping it at a shorter time usually does the trick.
The steeping and brewing process can greatly assist in controlling the tannin levels. During the boiling of water for your tea, add in half a teaspoon of gelatin powder. As tea leaves are added, you’ll notice the tea colour will be lighter despite the type of tea used. This is because gelatin powder is great in removing tannin from tea safely. It also removes the bitter taste of tea as well.
Iced tea for the summer is a refreshing choice, but tannin can make the tea cloudy. A way to avoid this cloudiness is to add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda. Add this to the hot tea first and this will assist in removing the tannin significantly. Another way is to steep it for a shorter time, and four to five minutes is the recommended duration for it.
If these all sound slightly troublesome, opt for the naturally low tannin alternative, and that is rooibos. This herb exclusively grows in the Cederberg region of South America.
There are tea companies like The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company that specialise in those types of tea. Rooibos tea has been taking over the tea scene in the recent years, and part of it is because of its low tannin levels naturally.
Responsible for the bitter flavor and astringent properties in tea, tannin shouldn’t be avoided completely. There are substantially more health benefits and positive effects than negative ones when consumed responsibly. One just has to maintain a healthy intake of tannin in tea, just like caffeine.
Being well-informed of its properties and where it can be found in, there should be no problem with tannin intake. It is, after all, a natural compound that can be found in most of the things we consume today. Besides, the tannin content in tea is what brings out the delicious flavor of tea that we all know and love today.
You might also like٩(●˙▿˙●)۶…⋆ฺ:
→Everything You Need to Know About Turkish Tea
→15 Most Popular Healthy Teas You Should Know About!
→Why You Should Definitely Crave For Houjicha Tea
→Matcha Green Tea Hair Mask for Improving Hair Growth
→How to Improve Digestion Problem With Drinking Tea
