Whether green, black or white, tea is consumed worldwide and is the world’s most popular beverage after water.

Green tea in particular has been lauded in recent years as having numerous health benefits.

“Green tea has gotten a special aura of health surrounding it, but as it turns out, green and black tea seem to be equally helpful,” said Diane Birt, distinguished professor of food science and human nutrition. “I tell people to drink what they enjoy.”

Birt, who is the director for the Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements, said tea’s health benefits are due to several chemicals found in plant-based foods.

Some chemicals common to many plant-based foods are phytochemicals and polyphenols. These chemicals perform anti-inflammatory and cell repair tasks in the body.

By selectively destroying damaged cells, these chemicals promote overall health and help prevent cancer.

“Tea seems to be fairly well-equipped with some of these chemicals,” Birt said.

Birt pointed out that although tea is not a magic bullet, the abundance of healthy chemicals in it help prevent cancer and heart disease.

There has also been a rodent study that indicated the caffeine in tea may help improve body composition.

Because tea contains caffeine and is practically calorie-free, it makes an excellent drink for students.

Tea is prepared by steeping the leaves, whether bagged or loose, in hot, usually boiling, water. The water dissolves and draws out the water-soluble constituents of the tea, creating the beverage we all know.

Although simple bagged black and green teas may be most familiar, Stomping Grounds, 303 Welch Ave., offers a wide selection of loose leaf teas.

“Loose leaf teas are catching on,” said Jonathan Reed, owner of Stomping Grounds. “They’re so much more flavorful and so much more interesting than a bag.”

Loose leaf teas, rather than being ground leaves placed in a paper bag, consist of whole leaves left to steep in water. After steeping, the leaves are strained out.

One of Stomping Grounds’ most popular offerings is its Jasmine Dragon Tea. Its leaves are rolled into small balls and open up as they steep, adding a visual element to the experience.

“It’s one of our most popular [teas] because it’s something you can’t get just anywhere,” Reed said. “It’s unique.”

The tea at Stomping Grounds, like that in most of the world, comes from China and Japan.

Reed thinks loose leaf teas offer a different experience for someone only familiar with run-of-the-mill bagged teas.

“I was completely uninterested in tea until I tried loose leaf,” he said. “It opens up a whole world of flavors and complexity.”

Birt said regardless of how it is prepared, tea’s health-promoting properties remain.

“The only thing I can say on preparation [is] you don’t drink it while it’s still boiling,” she said. “Use common sense.”

Several cultures used to drink tea while still boiling, a practice that is unsafe and leads to esophageal cancer.

It is also impossible to drink too much tea, Birt said. Any flavorings added to tea do not affect its properties, either, though Reed recommended not adding anything to high-quality loose leaf teas.

“When you’re dealing with this high-end of a tea, you always drink it straight,” he said.