Tea beverages have always been known as green and healthy among bottled drinks. However, the Hong Kong Consumer Council recently tested 30 bottled green tea samples from the market and found that one brand's bottled green tea contained as much as 184 kilocalories, higher than a can of cola. The survey indicated that if consumers drink one bottle of such green tea beverage daily while already taking in sufficient energy, they could gain 4–9 kilograms in a year.

Zhang Qiulian, a clinical nutritionist at the Nutrition Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, stated that if a bottle of green tea beverage reaches 184 kilocalories, drinking one bottle is equivalent to consuming the calories of about 50 grams of staple food, accounting for approximately 1/10 of the daily energy intake for an individual. Indeed, it can be called an energy drink.

In the public's mind, drinking tea in moderation is very beneficial to health, so many people assume that tea beverages are also healthy drinks—but this is not the case. During industrial production, the content of tea polyphenols and vitamins in tea leaves is reduced, while sugar, colorings, flavors, and preservatives are added to adjust taste and appearance. Overall, bottled tea beverages have limited nutritional value and are not the healthy drinks people assume. It is especially important to recognize that tea beverages are not tea; their nutritional value cannot be equated with that of tea. To describe them accurately, they are more like 'empty-calorie beverages'—that is, drinks that are high in calories but contain little or no essential vitamins, minerals, or protein.

According to reports, the new national standard clearly stipulates for tea beverages: the tea polyphenol content must be ≥300mg/kg. If the tea polyphenol content does not meet this standard, the product can only be classified as a tea-flavored beverage. Therefore, if you want to choose a better tea beverage, it is best to select one with higher tea polyphenol content, lower sugar content, and fewer other additives as indicated on the label. If you truly want to obtain the nutritional components of tea, it is still best to drink freshly brewed tea.