What’s the green tea with the highest EGCG content?
EGCG or Epigallocatechin gallate is the most cited compound when it comes to the health benefits of green tea. It’s purported to help with everything from weight loss to cold and flu prevention.
If you’re interested in how green tea compares to flavored black teas in terms of health impact, you may also find value in Earl Grey Tea Benefits Explained.
But which tea has it in the greatest abundance? Let’s take a deep dive to find the green tea with the highest EGCG, and learn how to boost its health benefits even further!
Let’s brew this thing!
Ranking of the green teas with the highest EGCG
So we mentioned EGCG is the culprit behind many of green teas health benefits, but what is it exactly? EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate is the most abundant and biologically active antioxidant in high-quality green tea.
Okay so now it is time for the big reveal… What is the green tea with the highest levels of EGCG?
We’ve mentioned EGCG as one of the key compounds behind many of green tea’s health benefits, but what exactly is it?
EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) is the most abundant and biologically active catechin found in high-quality green tea. It is widely studied for its antioxidant properties and its role in fighting oxidative stress in the body.
So now for the big reveal. Which green tea contains the highest levels of EGCG?
1. Matcha
Matcha clearly takes the top spot. Because it is a powdered tea, you consume the entire tea leaf rather than just an infusion. This means all of the catechins, including EGCG, end up directly in your cup. No other green tea delivers as much EGCG per serving as matcha.
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200–350 mg of EGCG per serving
2. Sencha
Sencha ranks second thanks to its sun-exposed cultivation. When tea plants are exposed to sunlight, they convert more theanine into catechins, increasing EGCG levels. However, since sencha is brewed and the leaves are discarded, a significant portion of EGCG remains in the leaf rather than the cup.
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40–70 mg of EGCG per serving
3. Gyokuro
Gyokuro is shaded before harvest, as seen in premium examples like Gyokuro Sou Sakamoto, which boosts theanine and umami but slightly lowers catechin production. While it still contains a meaningful amount of EGCG, its profile is more balanced toward calm energy rather than maximum antioxidant content.
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30–60 mg of EGCG per serving
For a deeper look into how shaded green teas impact the body beyond EGCG levels, see Gyokuro Tea Benefits.
4. Bancha
Bancha is made from more mature leaves harvested later in the season. These leaves contain fewer catechins than younger growth, placing bancha below sencha and gyokuro in EGCG concentration.
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30–50 mg of EGCG per serving
5. Kukicha
Kukicha is composed mainly of stems and twigs rather than leaves. Since catechins are concentrated in the leaf material, kukicha naturally contains lower levels of EGCG.
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20–40 mg of EGCG per serving
If you’re curious about stem-heavy teas similar to kukicha, you can explore our Karigane Collection.
6. Hojicha
Hojicha sits at the bottom of the ranking. The roasting process significantly reduces catechin content, resulting in very low EGCG levels compared to other green teas.
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10–25 mg of EGCG per serving
You can also explore a broader selection of stem-based green teas in our Japanese Stem Teas Collection.
Why the green tea with the highest EGCG matters
Antioxidant Support
EGCG neutralizes free radicals and reduces oxidative stress, helping protect cells from premature aging and environmental damage. It does this by donating electrons to unstable molecules and activating the body’s own antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase
Anti-inflammatory Effects
EGCG helps lower inflammation by blocking the NF-κB pathway, a key molecular switch that controls inflammatory cytokine production. By downregulating these signals, EGCG reduces chronic low-grade inflammation that contributes to issues like fatigue, joint discomfort, and metabolic imbalance.
Cardiovascular Support
EGCG can help maintain healthy cholesterol and blood vessel function by preventing LDL oxidation, a process that leads to plaque buildup in arteries. It also enhances nitric oxide availability, improving vascular relaxation and supporting smoother blood flow.
Weight loss
EGCG can modestly boost fat burning by increasing thermogenesis, a mechanism often compared with caffeine metabolism in Green Tea vs Coffee Caffeine. EGCG can boost the body’s heat production, which in turn raises calorie expenditure throughout the day.
Green tea brands with the highest EGCG
It’s hard to say which are green tea brands with highest EGCG because green tea isn’t made by brands, it’s made by farmers.
At Nio Teas, we don’t pretend that we made the tea ourselves, we share the stories of the farmers who grew your teas.
The key to producing nutrient rich green teas all comes down to the soil.
Instead of turning to chemical fertilizers, the farmers we work with use a more natural approach.
This organic fertilizer helps grow strong, EGCG-rich green teas, without harming the natural ecosystem.
How to make green tea with most EGCG
So now that we’ve revealed matcha is the green tea with the highest EGCG content, let’s talk about how you can improve it even further.
Go for high quality
First harvest matcha will be higher in EGCG than second harvest matcha. The reason for this is because the tea plant stores nutrients from the soil all winter long and releases them into the fresh sprouts in the springtime.
When the tea plant is harvested again in the summer to make less expensive matcha, the plant hasn’t had as much time to store up nutrients.
Drink the matcha fresh
If you want to get the green tea with the most EGCG, you will want to drink the tea fresh. Matcha is very sensitive to light, heat and humidity, and exposure will decrease not only the flavor, but also the EGCG content overtime.
Cultivar matters
Cultivar can determine which green tea has the most EGCG. The good news is, the less expensive matcha may actually be higher in EGCG! Yabukita is the most popular cultivar for matcha, and it tends to be the least expensive.
It produces a more bitter flavor when compared to the rare cultivars like Saemidori and Gokou, but it also can be richer in EGCG.
Higher temperature
Higher temps improve catechin extraction when steeping tea. For matcha, it dissolves fully regardless, but warmer water increases dispersion and bioavailability.
Adding vitamin C
Vitamin C significantly increases EGCG stability and absorption in the digestive tract. If you want to really get a green tea with the highest EGCG, you can squeeze a little lemon in your matcha!
Avoid milk
Milk proteins can bind to catechins, which may reduce the bioavailability of EGCG. Plant-based milks have a much smaller effect.
Use more matcha
This method is simple, yet effective. Because you are drinking the entire leaf directly, more powder means more EGCG! For those practicing intermittent fasting, you may also be wondering about matcha’s impact on metabolism and fasting states, which we explore in Does Matcha Break a Fast?
