If you're worried about the Tannin content in tea, you should know that green tea or black tea contain low levels of tannins, and are suitable for those who wish to consume non-tannic tea.
In tea, tannins are often called tannic acid, but this is a misnomer; tannic acid is a commercial form synthesized for use in historical medicine and modern industrial processes. While all teas contain tannins, they do not contain tannic acid.
Since it is an herbal tea, rooibos tea has no caffeine. Unlike green and black tea, it also contains no tannins, which can be bitter. Although it has little nutritional value, rooibos tea is rich in antioxidants, which may benefit health.
Tannins in Herbal Teas
Herbs and spices said to contain tannins include: Hibiscus. Chamomile. Cinnamon.
Create a mixture with equal parts of water and vinegar, and let the mixture sit in your teapot overnight. Likewise, you can also submerge your tea infuser into the same mixture to get rid of any buildup. The vinegar's acidity counteracts that of the tannins, and removes the stains.
Temperature and Steep Time
Higher temperatures and longer steep times extract more tannins from tea leaves, contributing greater bitterness to tea, while less heat and less time steeping result in a smoother drinking experience.
Which herbal teas do not have tannins? Varieties include ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, hibiscus, jasmine, rosehip, peppermint, rooibos (red tea), chamomile, and echinacea.
Our Chai Selection
- black tea is high in antioxidants that support the immune system and tannins that aide immunity and the digestive system.
Black tea - high in tannins and caffeine
Consists of teas such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey etc - i.e. the common British staple tea such as PG tips, Twinings, Tetley etc. Black tea contains the most tannins and caffeine of the tea types.
There are very few teas that do not contain tannins in some form or another. Tea contains different levels of tannins depending on which type of tea you enjoy. Tannins are naturally occurring and are presented as the highest in black and green tea, while white tea has a lower level of tannin.
What ingredients are always in kombucha? All kombucha has 4 essential ingredients: water, sugar (to feed the yeast), SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria & yeast), and some form of tea or herb that contains tannins (to feed the bacteria).
Tannic acid is a natural polyphenol which has been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities.
Matcha has high levels of a group of antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins can irritate your stomach, most often in those new to matcha, who accidently drink too much (or too quickly) on an empty stomach.
Although there are persistent myths about the hazards of tannic acid, the truth is that no tea contains any tannic acid at all.
Milk, water and coffee are better beverage choices if you're avoiding tannins. Chocolate also contains tannins, and you'll get some tannins if you season your food with cinnamon or curry powder.
Ginger doesn't contain any tannins. However, it may be blended with other tannic ingredients, like black tea. If you're concerned about tannins, you may want to choose an herbal tea with ginger in it instead.
People with estrogen-sensitive cancer such as breast cancer should avoid drinking rooibos tea or talk to a doctor before consumption. One study has suggested that drinking excessive amounts of rooibos tea on a regular basis increases liver enzymes, which may cause a disturbance in the liver tissue and its function.
The total amount of tannins in blueberries is on average 160 mg/100 g FW (Diaconeasa et al., 2015). Highly polymerized forms of proanthocyanidins dominate in blueberry extracts, accounting for 72% of the total extractable proanthocyanidins (DP > 10) (Hellström et al., 2009).
Raspberry leaf tea may provide a whole range of potential benefits, most of them relating to pregnancy and women's health. Red raspberry leaf contains vitamins and minerals, tannins, flavonoids and other compounds[2].
The tannins bind with the milk protein, instead of the proteins in your gut, which prevents them from interfering with iron absorption. Eating vitamin-C-rich foods, like bell peppers, potatoes, cantaloupe, and/or oranges right before or after you drink your tea can also neutralize the tannins.
Certain foods, especially ones with a high fat content like blue cheese, can counteract the tannin in wine and make them easier to drink. The fat in the cheese coats your mouth, keeping the tannin compounds from reacting with saliva and sticking to your teeth.
The liquid that remains trapped inside the tea bag has even higher instances of tannic acid than what is able to steep out of the bag on it's own. By squeezing the tea bag, you inadvertently release these tannic acids into your tea and in turn create a far more bitter, sour and acidic cup of tea.