Coffee is undeniably one of the most popular beverages around the world and is not going to drop in fame anytime soon. The sustainable increase in the fame of coffee has become a significant incentive for business owners to create coffee businesses, which is the reason that coffee shops, cafes are everywhere around the corner.
However, coffee is not the only beverage that is in the game. Green tea, specifically, Japanese green tea has been a signature drink of people of all ages since the dawn of time and has been rising in popularity nowadays. As you may notice, ironically, people go to a coffee shop or a cafe not necessarily for a cup of espresso, or americano. You would certainly hear something like “Can I have a cup of matcha latte, please?”
As these two types of beverages are in high demand and a hot trend among all people, there are also divided teams between the two as well. One team would be the coffee drinkers, who believe they can’t start a day without drinking coffee. Another would be green tea is life, green tea is the best, no arguing. The ongoing debate between the two drinkers raises doubts over which one of the two is actually better, holds more benefits. Specifically, which is better for our skin?
This article will provide you the answer but first let’s start off with the basics, by knowing the types of coffee and Japanese green tea.
Contents
Types of Coffee
Before going into more details about how coffee affects our skins. Let’s get to know briefly about some main types of coffee.
Brewed Coffee
Starting off with brewed coffee- one of the most popular types of beverages around the world, especially in America. The process of making this type of coffee is quite simple, by adding boiling water into grounded coffee beans. It can be done in various ways, simplest through a filter or a French press. It can be served in other varieties such as cold brewed, hot brewed, decaf brewed, etc.
Espresso
Another main type of drink is the famous ‘espresso’, to be exact not ‘expresso’. Espresso is famous for its dark taste because of its high caffeine content. The process is still simple by adding nearly boiling water to small grounded beans and has a thick consistency compared to brewed coffee. It also comes in varieties, with different amounts of espresso shots, for instance, americano, cafe latte, macchiato, cappuccino, and more.
Types of Japanese Green Tea
Like coffee, Japanese green tea also comes in various forms and types. The below are some main types of green tea from Japan that should not be missed.
Matcha Green Tea
Even if you’re not drinking green tea, I bet you still have heard or known about matcha which is a powdered green tea from time to time.
Matcha is a type of green tea that is made out of shade-grown green tea leaves, which have an increased amount of chlorophyll content making it bright green with full of nutrients. The leaves are harvested and solely handpicked then they are steamed, dried, and grounded by stones to create the green tea powder. After that, the matcha powder is whisked in hot water, unlike other teas where the leaves are put in water then removed. This makes matcha hold more health benefits. Matcha is one of the most famous Japanese green teas which has been part of its culture through the Japanese tea ceremony.
Sencha Green Tea
Sencha is arguably one of the most famous and most consumed types of green tea among the Japanese population. In addition, it is expected to bloom around early April to late May when the leaves are sprouting. The fresh leaves are picked and steamed before it turns black anytime soon. Then, the leaves are rolled, shaped, and dried. Sencha has a vegetative taste which is slightly bitter but refreshing.
Caffeine Content
Both green tea and coffee are caffeinated beverages, which means both contain a certain amount of caffeine. However, research shows that coffee typically contains more caffeine compared to green tea.
For instance, an 8-ounce cup of coffee would contain from 80 to 100 mg of caffeine while the same amount of green tea would only contain from 30 to 50 mg. Even decaf coffee, which still has more caffeine content if compared to decaf green tea. Well, there are certain factors that can vary the caffeine content, for instance, brewing time, amount of tea or coffee, temperature, and more. But, generally, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee.
You may wonder why you care about the amount of caffeine in these beverages. The answer is simple, each consumption has its limits no matter coffee consumption or green tea consumption, if you start to exceed a moderate amount you’ll face the consequences. For instance, dizziness, nervousness, increase in urination production. Some even face severe effects like insomnia, fatigue which affect both physical and mental health, eventually affecting our body especially our skin conditions.
Both coffee and Japanese green tea share a variety of benefits to our health. One of which is to aid weight loss and fat burning. As both beverages contain caffeine, it helps to increase metabolism which helps boost energy levels. Studies show that this energy boost leads to a 13 percent increase in weight loss. As Japanese green tea contains less caffeine, it also contributes to helping increase metabolism but at a slower pace than coffee.
Moreover, studies also show that coffee and green tea help improve brain function. Both assist in improving attention, better concentration, alertness, and reaction time.
Furthermore, both also aid in protecting and preventing certain diseases. For instance, compounds in green tea such as catechin, EGCG in green tea leaves can lower blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes. Also, it also lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases as it improves blood circulation.
Coffee also helps in preventing type 2 diabetes as well as other certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease which have no cure yet.
What are Antioxidants?
When talking about skin health benefits, the first thing that would come to mind is the term “Antioxidants”. Some may wonder what it means.
Antioxidants are substances that play a role to prevent or slow the damage to our skin cells which can be caused by free radicals, unstable molecules that can be caused by improper environmental reaction, cancer, or any other pressures. Basically, they are our cell protectors. Antioxidant properties can be natural or artificial-man made, but regardless they still benefit our skins. Naturally, certain plant-based foods consist of powerful antioxidants. Both coffee and Japanese green tea contain an adequate amount of antioxidants which indeed help our skins glow.
Coffee’s Benefits on Skin
First things first, coffee contains various antioxidants that protect our skin. The type that can be found in coffee is phenolic acids such as caffeic, p-coumaric, and feuralic. Which will help improve the resistance of LDL cholesterol to oxidation and help sustain a reduced risk of heart disease.
Moreover, due to its high antioxidants, coffee is also responsible for skincare preservation since it has free-radical properties. It acts as a natural defense against free radicals from the environment. Plus, it can also help in calming effects on your skin more.
Other than that, study shows that caffeine also protects your skin from dark sun rays, UVB effect and UV radiation from the sun damage. UVB can be dangerous as it leads to some skin diseases and other issues. However, caffeine inhibits the DNA damage response which protects against UVB and has a therapeutic option for non-melanoma skin cancer.
Furthermore, coffee also helps in increasing blood circulation, helps lower blood pressure. The chlorogenic acid in coffee also helps in anti-inflammatory, which leads to healthier and energized skin. Your skin will look bright, clear, and beautiful. Also, it is effective in reducing wrinkles, swelling of tissues, and depuffing areas of your skin. More than this, coffee can remove dead skin cells and cellulite appearance that shrink your fat cell into the fit size and improve your skin texture to feel soft and rejuvenated.
Recommended Coffee Products
If you like to drink coffee, the following coffee products are greatly recommended.
1. VitaCup Organic Beauty Ground Coffee with Collagen, Biotin, and Vitamin B for Drip Coffee Brewers and French Press, Fair Trade
2. Beauty Ground Coffee by Molecule, Dark Roast, Single Origin, Arabica with Aloe Vera Extract & Collagen Peptides
3. Collagen Coffee Pods by VitaCup
Japanese Green Tea’s Benefits on Skin
Unsurprisingly, Japanese green tea holds a number of advantages on our skin that some people take for granted.
Likewise to coffee, Japanese green tea, compared to most green teas, contains various antioxidants, even more than coffee. It is known for its beneficial nutrients that are preserved in the leaves. These can help protect our skin by reducing the production of free radicals in our body as well as protecting it from damages and cancer. One of the most significant antioxidants in the leaves is called catechin, which protects our body from cancer in the long term. Also, it contains particular catechin called epigallocatechin gallate, which is best in improving skin’s youthfulness and induces a lower risk of diabetes type 2.
Moreover, as mentioned that both green tea and coffee contain caffeine but green tea contains a lesser amount. Consuming green tea is linked to stress relief which can clear skin-related problems, for instance, redness, acne, scars, and more.
Furthermore, the formulations of green tea also reduce skin damage by protecting our skins from free radicals and decrease inflammation. Green tea and sunscreen is a powerful combination to protect our skin from the UV rays of the sun. Moreover, green tea holds anti-aging properties which are best for consumers who care about appearance and make you look younger.
Recommended Japanese Green Tea Products
If you would like to try green tea products to improve your skin. These listed products should not be missed.
1. The REPUBLIC of TEA Organic Immunity Supergreen Tea, 36 CT
2. Republic Of Tea, Tea Supergreen Serenity Organic, 36 Count
3. The Tao of Tea, Organic Powdered Matcha Green Tea, Liquid Jade
4. Yogi Tea – Green Tea Super Antioxidant
Coffee vs Japanese Green Tea For Skin: Winner ?
After getting to know the benefits of both coffee and Japanese green tea to the skin, you can analyze that both share almost similar benefits to our skin between green tea vs coffee. They both have antioxidant, caffeine content and benefits to skincare as well as overall health respectively. In case you want stronger caffeine and an energy boost to kick start your day, coffee as a cup of joe will give you more satisfaction. Or some days you want to absorb less caffeine, you can opt for Japanese green tea. However, your intake and preference still depend on you.
References
- Coffee Vs. Japanese Green Tea: Which is Better For Your Skin? | Shinso Skin Care
- Tea vs Coffee: Effects on Skin Health | DermStore | Michael Sans
- Japanese Green Tea vs Coffee – 10 battles You Don’t Want to Miss |JapanesegreenteaIn
- Green Tea vs Coffee | Everything You Need to Know | Sugimoto Tea
- This Is What Will Happen When You Replace Coffee With Matcha | Life Hack | Ella James
Review Coffee vs Matcha Green Tea | Matcha Benefits By Zekko Matcha