Good Earth Decaffienated Green Tea Review
It's difficult to find a good decaffeinated green tea mainly because the intensity of most decaffeination methods proves too much for the delicate green leaves of green tea, which is supposed to taste fresh and natural. The huge health benefit you get from drinking green tea is that it contains extremely high levels of catechins, vitamins, and powerful antioxidants, but this can deteriorate quite significantly when the tea goes through decaffeination. This is particularly evident when the method used involves the ethyl acetate solvent, which strips away up to 70% of the natural polyphenols in the tea. As well as damaging the natural healthful properties of the leaves, it has a negative effect on the taste and spoils the fresh, grassy character of the tea, and in the worst case scenario, leaves unpleasant chemical overtones.
However, it is possible to use other, less damaging methods of decaffeination, and Good Earth's Decaffeinated Green Tea manages to pull off the impressive feat of being both decaffeinated and tasty. The company uses a natural CO2 process to extract caffeine from the leaves, thus retaining a high quantity of the antioxidants naturally present in green tea leaves. Antioxidants are the powerful natural fighters against free radicals, which are molecules that have adverse effects on the body, such as ageing symptoms. A green tea without antioxidants is a depressing affair fortunately, Good Earth have made a highly successful attempt to prevent the loss of antioxidants in this refreshingly good decaffeinated green tea.
The CO2 decaffeination process uses water and carbon dioxide circulation, a natural technique that's called "effervescence," combining high pressure and temperature to remove the caffeine from the leaves. Although it is practically impossible to decaffeinate a green tea without having some effect on the properties of the tea, the character of this one remains intact and little altered. The harsh, bitter taste so often found in disappointing decaffeinated teas is not present in Good Earth's version, and instead the tea has a pleasant, rather light lemony flavor.
The inclusion of lemongrass in the blend means that it's not a pure green tea, but it does mean that it has a gentle, fragrant lemon scent a huge improvement on the standard decaffeinated green teas, which have little to no aroma whatsoever. The lemon is also present in the taste of the tea, but moderately so it's not weak, but it's not as strong as a straightforward herbal lemon tea, either. This is a very positive thing, because it complements the green tea flavor perfectly, not overshadowing it by any means, but just strong enough to make up for any lack in taste that the decaffeination process may have caused. The tea is a subtle mix of gentle flavors, and tastes natural enough to let you know that you're drinking a green tea. It's smooth, too unless you make a mistake with the brewing, there's no trace of astringency.
The tea can't compare with a good quality, non-decaffeinated green tea, of course, but if you want a decaffeinated version for whatever reason, this is one of the best ones out there, and it's difficult to find fault with it. Just enough green tea flavor, just enough lemon flavor, and the added benefit of it being possible to drink it straight before bed without losing sleep! You can buy it online here.
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