Green tea still helpful with caffeine removed

Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 20, 2006 at midnight

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Question: I have a question about green tea. I have heard that it has lots of health benefits, but I am confused about whether I should be drinking caffeinated or decaffeinated. I read once that the caffeine is necessary in order to derive the benefits of green tea, but then I have also read that caffeine is not great for you and it's a good idea to cut down on it. What's the answer?

Answer: "The decaffeination process does remove some of the beneficial compounds from green tea, but the presence of caffeine will not affect how well the other benefits are absorbed by the body," says Molly Rennels of Boulder-based Celestial Seasonings, which makes 12 varieties of green tea.

Two different decaffeination processes, one that uses carbon dioxide and another that uses ethyl acetate, both remove some of the good stuff, Rennels says.

As for caffeine, a cup of green tea doesn't have a lot: about 30 mg, which is one-third the amount in a cup of drip coffee and 30 percent less than a cola.

Here's a green tea recipe from Celestial Seasonings. For more tea info and recipes, go to www.celestialseasonings.com.

The green tea works with sesame oil and rice wine vinegar as a low-oil dressing. This is a good relish with hot rice and grilled beef or tofu.

Green Tea Vinaigrette Marinated Cucumbers

Serves 2 to 4

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 cup strong Celestial Seasonings Authentic green tea

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon shredded, dried seaweed, if available, OR 1 dash hot pepper sauce

3 small cucumbers, sliced into chunks

• To make green tea, pour hot, not boiling water over teabags. Steep five minutes.

• Use one teabag for every 8 ounces (1 cup) of hot water.