Green Tea Composition

About 20 % of tea manufactured Worldwide is green tea. Green tea is consumed primarily in Japan, China, North Africa and the Middle East. Green tea is rich in catechins, members of the flavan-3-ol group of flavonoids which make up about 30 % of the dry weight of the leaves. The leaves also contain high concentrations of other polyphenols including flavonols and flavonol glycosides, as well as the depsides chlorogenic acid, coumaroylquinic acid and theogallin, the latter being unique to tea. L-theanine (5-N-ethyl glutamine), an amino acid, is also unique to tea. Green tea contains about 3 % caffeine and smaller quantities of the other methylxanthines theobromine and theophylline.