When you’re in the mood for a tea with a fresh, clean taste, green tea is a satisfying choice. Green tea offers a delicate yet complex flavour, with grassy and floral notes, as well as a subtle umami character. Generally brewed without milk, green tea can be enjoyed at any time of day. It’s often served alongside meals, and works as an effective palate refresher between dishes. Let’s take a look at green tea and the best way to brew it.
Green Tea Your Way
Green teas come in a variety of styles, from creamy matcha green teas with a distinctive powdery texture, sencha green teas with a subtle umami flavour, and Chinese green teas with grassy notes. Whichever your preferred style, a quality green tea offers a fresh and enjoyable flavour.
How to Brew Green Tea:
Pot Brew
Allow those green tea leaves to fully expand and release their flavours by brewing in a pot.
For a classic sencha brew of balanced strength:
1. Add 5 g of green tea leaves to a teapot.
2. Pour in 150 mL of water heated to 70°C.
3. Allow the tea to steep for 1 minute.
4. Pour the tea through the teapot strainer into your cup, ensuring the leaves remain in the pot.
Re-infused Green Tea
Want to use that pot of tea leaves for a second or third round? You absolutely can! The flavour will change a little from the first brew, with the re-infused brew being a little softer and sweeter than the original brew.
For the best flavour, re-infusions should be enjoyed on the same day, as the wet leaves will gradually lose freshness over time.
Loose Leaf in Cup Brew
Brewing your green tea in a cup or mug is the perfect solution for when you need a tea in a hurry. Use a tea infuser or strainer for best results.
Classic loose-leaf brew of balanced strength:
1. Add 2–3 g of green tea leaves to a tea infuser or strainer.
2. Place the infuser in your cup and pour in 200 mL of water heated to 70°C.
3. Allow the tea to steep for 1–2 minutes.
4. Remove the infuser or strain the tea before drinking.
Tea Bags
Brewing with tea bags is one of the quickest and easiest ways to enjoy green tea.
Classic green tea bag brew of balanced strength:
1. Place 1 green tea bag in your cup.
2. Pour in 200 mL of water heated to 70–80°C.
3. Allow the tea to steep for 1–3 minutes.
4. Remove the tea bag before drinking.
Cold Brew
Cold brewing involves steeping the tea leaves slowly in cold water, creating a smooth, light infusion with less bitterness.
Classic cold brew of balanced strength:
1. Add 5 g of green tea leaves to a jug, bottle or cold brew infuser.
2. Pour in 500 mL of cold water.
3. Place in the refrigerator and allow the tea to infuse for 2–6 hours.
4. Remove or strain the leaves before serving.
Matcha Green Tea
No straining required here! Matcha’s finely ground tea leaves are whisked directly into water, and remain there as you enjoy the tea. This gives matcha tea its powdery texture.
Classic matcha preparation:
1. Add 1–2 g of matcha powder to a bowl or cup.
2. Add 60–80 mL of water heated to 70–80°C.
3. Whisk until the powder is fully combined and a light froth forms.
Click here for more matcha brewing tips.
Green Tea General Brewing tips
•Adjust strength by changing the amount of tea, not just the brewing time. Many people ask, does green tea contain caffeine? Yes it does, so if you’re caffeine sensitive, opt for weaker-strength brews, using fewer leaves or powder. You can also add more water.
•Avoid over-steeping. Longer brewing times can result in bitter or overly astringent flavours. (Cold brewing is different, as longer steeping times generally do not create the same bitterness associated with hot over-steeping.)
•Use the correct water temperature. Cooler water helps preserve green tea’s delicate flavours and prevents bitterness, so avoid extra hot or boiling water. The 70–80°C range is ideal for hot brews.
•Don’t squeeze the teabag after you brew! This can release more bitter tannins (unless you happen to enjoy this flavour).
•Find a great teapot! A famous style of teapot for brewing green tea is the kyusu teapot, a compact Japanese teapot with a wide body that allows plenty of room for the tea leaves to expand. It has a side handle that makes it easy to control the pour, and comes with a built-in strainer. If you don’t have a kyusu teapot, any style of teapot will do. Many people enjoy using glass teapots, as they can easily view the colour and strength of the infusion.
Searching for high-quality green tea? Tea Tonic stocks Australian Certified Organic Loose Leaf Green Tea and Green Tea Bags. We also sell a flavoursome Berry Green Tea that combines green tea with strawberries, red currants and raspberries, an Oriental Twist Tea that pairs green tea with lychee and jasmine, and of course, delicious and textured Imperial-grade Matcha Green Tea.
What makes green tea special?
Here are just a few reasons to choose green tea as a beverage.
It offers a relaxing ritual
Taking the time to brew that perfect pot of green tea can be a calming experience. Measuring the leaves, heating the water to the right temperature, watching the infusion develop and enjoying the fresh aromas all form part of the experience. You have to slow down to enjoy the flavours of your freshly-brewed beverage, rather than rushing.
A refreshing meal accompaniment
Green tea has been traditionally served with meals in Chinese and Japanese cultures. It’s known to refresh the palate between dishes. It also just goes well with most foods, whether savoury or sweet, as it doesn’t compete for flavour.
It’s great hot and cold
You can cold brew green tea. This is where you steep the leaves in cold water and leave them for a number of hours. Cold brewing brings out the flavours of the tea in a gentle way, and reduces bitterness. But you do need to prep it in advance. If you like to drink your green tea cold, you can also brew it in hot water, then chill it or add ice. You’ll get those stronger, vegetal flavours this way.
Enjoy green tea from Tea Tonic’s Green Tea collection! We stock loose-leaf green tea and teabags, so you can choose the style that takes your fancy. Packaged in tins, pouches and boxes, our green tea makes for a great gift.