Want to know how to brew green tea that results in a perfect cup?
If you are new to drinking green tea I can provide you with helpful tips so that you can avoid a bitter cup.
Get your kettle boiling and read on...
Let me start off by saying that there are hundreds of varieties of green tea, each one with its own distinctiveness. The green tea you are about to drink did in fact come from the same Camellia sinensis plant these hundreds of varieties come from, and was most likely grown in either China or Japan.
If this is your first (or one of your first) green tea experiences, I recommend you start off with the Chinese varieties since they tend to be more mild and less vegetal than the Japanese versions.
Either "White Monkey" or "Green Pekoe" from Adagio.com are great for starters!
Ok here we go...
Tip# 1 Make sure you brew green tea from whole leaves and not tea bags. If you have a tea bag in front of you, don't bother reading the rest of this page. I hate to sound that way, but the taste will be inferior and the following tips won't do it justice anyway. This is a big reason why green tea in America has a "bad taste" reputation to begin with!
Tip# 2 Good water equals good tea. Avoid using tap water when you brew green tea and instead use filtered or natural spring water. Tap water has impurities in it like chlorine which will certainly alter the taste.
Tip# 3 Once your kettle reaches the boiling point, let it cool down for about 30 seconds. Adding boiling water right away will burn the leaves and give your tea a funny taste. Add one teaspoon of leaves per cup.
Tip# 4 Avoid over steeping! This especially goes for Japanese varieties. You will have a bitter tasting cup if you brew green tea too long. Loose leaf tea you purchase usually comes with time instructions, but in the event it doesn't, a good rule of thumb is no longer than 3 minutes.
Tip# 5 Do not add milk or sugar. Green tea is meant to be enjoyed straight up. Adding honey is fine, but not too much (no more than half a teaspoon).
Well those are 5 helpful tips on how to brew green tea, and I hope they give you a perfect cup!
If you are new to green, give your taste buds a chance to get used to the sometimes vegetal taste associated with some varieties. For me this was the case, but after a few cups that grassy taste became sweeter, and I'm glad I stuck with it. :)
And once more, remember to brew green tea from the whole loose leaves.
