Steeping a delicious and silky smooth cup of green tea that isn't bitter is surprisingly easy to do! While it does demand 5 minutes of your full attention, the investment in time and focus will undoubtedly be worth every delightful drop. Mastering the art of making green tea properly will open up a whole new world of flavor for your taste buds.
Luxurious and delicate, green tea has many delicious flavor profiles. Like wine, the whole natural environment in which a particular tea is produced, “the terroir” which includes factors such as the soil, topography, and climate results in a tea’s particular flavor. Green tea offers flavor profiles ranging from earthy and grassy to toasty, flowery, or fruity. We often associate green tea with Japan - and they do produce delicious green teas but it was India who exported the first green tea to Japan during the 17th century.
The connection between tea consumption, particularly green tea, and human health has a long and well-documented history. Numerous health benefits associated with green tea, such as its positive effects on various ailments including different types of cancer, heart disease, and liver disease, are extensively explored in a study conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH). According to this NIH article, the health-promoting effects of green tea are primarily attributed to its polyphenol content, particularly flavanols and flavonols. Many of these beneficial effects are linked to the catechin content of green tea, particularly (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate.
All tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis but how it is finished (again, like wine) results in the making of different types of tea: white, green, oolong, black. To produce green tea, freshly harvested leaves are immediately steamed to prevent fermentation, yielding a dry, stable product. This steaming process destroys the enzymes responsible for breaking down the color pigments in the leaves and allows the tea to maintain its green color during the subsequent rolling and drying processes. By preserving the natural polyphenols, including health-promoting properties, these meticulous processes contribute to the unique characteristics of green tea.
Steeping green tea is easy and effortless when you have the steps and materials at your fingertips. Learning how to steep tea is crucial for optimizing its flavor and retaining its numerous health benefits. This article will teach you how to make the perfect hot green tea. Heat seems to increase our ability to perceive subtle flavor nuances compared to a cold drink so if you like to nerd out on flavor - go hot.
Here is a list of supplies you’ll need, and step-by-step instructions to make a delicious cup of green tea.
What You’ll Need:
- Your favorite cup or teapot
- Thermometer - if you don’t have a Temperature Variable Electric Kettle
- Steeping basket, if you didn’t get one with your cup or teapot
- Loose-leaf green tea of choice
- Fresh water that hasn’t been previously boiled and cooled
- teadaytea measuring spoon
- Timer on your phone
Step 1: Heat Your Water
Heat your fresh water to precisely 175°F. If you don't have a thermometer on hand, a useful rule of thumb is to bring the water to a boil and then let it cool for 5 minutes to reach the desired temperature.
Water temperature is super important. If the water is too hot the leaves will scorch and the tea will have a bitter flavor. Too cold and it will not steep the leaves enough, leaving your tea tasting watered down and weak.
Step 2: Measure Your dry Tea
The label on each pouch of teadaytea provides steeping directions. For the optimal brewing experience, we recommend measuring two (2) heaping teaspoons of whole leaf tea into your steeping basket for every 12 oz of water, regardless of the tea style. This proportion is designed to enhance the flavor and ensure a delightful cup of tea. Adjust the quantity based on your personal taste preferences for a stronger or milder infusion.
Step 3: Pour the Water, Set your Timer & Take a mini-break while your Tea Steeps
Fill your tea vessel with the appropriate amount of water for your tea leaves. Let your green tea steep for exactly 3-minutes.
Step 4: Remove Your Tea Leaves
Once the timer is finished, remove your steeping basket containing the wet tea leaves, set them to the side. Leaving your green tea leaves in the vessel for too long can lead to the release of bitter tannins and create a chalky feeling in the tea, so removing them at the recommended time is crucial to make a perfectly balanced flavorful cup of green tea.
Step 5: To sweeten or not: a personal choice
Green tea is traditionally enjoyed on its own, without the need for additional ingredients such as honey, agave, or lemon. However, feel free to customize your cup of tea to your liking.
I hope this article helps you avoid the common mistake of pouring boiling water over your green tea leaves and walking away, risking scorching and bitterness. I’d love to hear how steeping your green tea this way worked for you. Share your experience on Instagram if you’d like. Your feedback is valuable! #GreenTeaExperience
Cheers to a perfect cuppa green tea goodness!