If you regularly drink bancha tea, you will be doing your body a favor in the long-run, particularly when it comes to your immune system and heart health!
What is Bancha Tea?
Bancha tea is a special type of Japanese green tea that is brewed with the older and larger tea leaves, after the first or second harvest of the season. This also means that these leaves are considered the lowest grade of tea leaves, resulting in them being quite inexpensive. For that reason, this is an everyday green tea in Japan and is one of the most popular options in that country. Being low in caffeine and high in antioxidant content, this tea is often exported to other tea-drinking nations of the world. Hojicha and Genmaicha are two subtypes of this tea that have become highly sought after for their unique flavor and appearance. [1]
Bancha Tea Benefits
The most notable health benefits of bancha tea include its effect on free radicals, mental alertness, blood pressure, weight loss, and kidney health, among others. By improving the strength of the immune system, this tea can help optimize the function of many organ systems, including the liver and the heart. Studies have found that this tea can lower triglyceride levels, which can consequently lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, and coronary heart disease. [2]
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Regular consumption of this tea can also reduce oral infections and suppress the appetite, which can help with weight loss efforts. Some studies have also found that this tea has a notable effect on blood sugar levels, helping to regulate the balance of glucose and insulin in the body. [3]
How to Make Bancha Tea?
Brewing bancha tea is quite simple, provided you can get your hands on these tea leaves. Let us take a look at the recipe below.
Bancha (Japanese Green Tea) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 a cup of filtered water
- 1 tbsp of dried bancha leaves or a teabag
- 1 tsp of lemon syrup
- 1 tsp of honey
Instructions
- To make bancha tea, add some water in your teapot and bring it to a boil. If you do not have a teapot, you can boil the water in a saucepan.
- To the boiling water, add a tabelspoon of bancha dried tea leaves and let it boil for about 5 minutes.
- Allow the tea to cool a bit before dispensing it to the tea cups using a sieve. The tea leaves left behind in the strainer can be used to make another cup of Bancha tea.
- You can add a teaspoon of lemon syrup and honey to the tea to enhance its taste. Serve it warm and enjoy !!
Side Effects of Bancha Tea
While the effects of bancha tea are mostly positive, there are some potential side effects, such as heart palpitations, headaches, nervous system effects, and complications of pregnancy. All of these side effects are connected to the caffeine content of this tea. However, the caffeine content is low, so drinking this tea in moderation should not cause any unwanted side effects. [4]
