Is Green Tea Acidic?
So as tea lovers we all know there are different types of tea, that contain different ingredients, and with the world getting healthier theses days we are much more cautious about what we eat and drink. Green Teas, for example, are packed with nutrients and other health benefits, that’s great for your digestion, but Is Green Tea Acidic?
YES! like most teas, green tea is acidic, and this is measured by the ph scale. But.. how much acidic is in your tea, really depends on what type of tea your drinking. For example, Black and Green teas are considered to be quiet mild, compared to lemon or any fruit teas that contain citrus.
What Are The Acidic Levels In Tea?
So as before the acidic levels in tea are measured by the pH scale, and basically the lower the pH level the more acidic the tea is. Here’s an example take lemon tea, now lemon tea has a pH level of 3 which is considered to be very acidic. Yet green tea has a pH level of 7 and black tea comes in at around 5 which is classed as average.
To help you put this in some kind of context, below is a table with different types of tea and what the average pH levels are giving you an idea of how much acidic is in other teas.
Now there are ways to affect the pH level to reduce the acidic in your tea, The first is brewing time, how long you steep your tea, the second is adding things like milk, herbs or adding more water, by doing this you can reduce the acidic in your tea.
Can Too Much Acidic Be Harmful?
So can drinking too much tea that’s acidic be harmful to your stomach? Now, this depends on how much tea you drink in the day, If you drink lots of lemon tea say that’s very acidic, then it is possible you could suffer some side effects.
The side effects can be anything from heartburn, acid reflux or even hiccups. If you suffer these effects when drinking your tea then it means it’s very acidic. there are other symptoms you can suffer from for example…
- Sour Taste In Your Mouth
- Recurrent Cough
- Bad Breath
- Hoarse Voice
- Bloating
- Nausea
Is Decaf Green Tea Acidic?
Now we’ve talked about the acidic in green tea, but what about decaf green tea? well, the answer is, even in decaf teas the ph level still stays the same. If you think about lemon tea, that has zero caffeine, yet it’s one of the highest acidic teas out there.
There are also some fruit teas that again, have no caffeine, yet can still be very acidic. If you like drinking fruit teas but you find the taste to be very sour then there a good chance it a high acidic tea.
Types of fruit tea that can be very acidic…
- Lemon Tea
- Orange Tea
- Apple Tea
- Red Berry Tea
Is Green Tea Acidic For Teeth?
Now there was a study back in 2016 that indicated green tea can reduce oral bacteria, which can actually promote healthy teeth and gums. However if you are adding any sweetener to your green tea then this can have the opposite effect.
So by regularly drinking green tea at its purest form, without adding sweetener can protect your teeth against cavities, gum disease and even bad breath.
pH Levels Of Green Tea VS Black Tea
So as we know both green and black tea are made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant and the only difference between the two is that black tea is oxidized and green tea is not.
Yet! Black tea seems to be more acidic than green tea but why? this is because of the way black tea is processed to green tea. The oxidation method, which turns the leaves from green to a dark brown or black color and just by processing black tea in this way, makes it so different from green tea and as a result, can also make it more acidic.
Conclusion
So yes green tea is acidic but not by much compared to other teas, as mentioned above. Green tea is one of the healthiest teas and is high in antioxidants, however! this can be said for black tea, yes it may be more acidic than green tea but still comes with all the health benefits just like green tea.
Because green tea has a pH level of 7 which is considered a very low-level drinking high amounts of green tea in the day, it’s not going to cause any side effects, unless you’re drinking a very acidic tea like lemon.
