Tips for Brewing the Best Tasting Green Tea
After hearing about all the great benefits of green tea on our earlier post, you might be fully on board. Or maybe there might be one tiny detail holding you back…that bitter flavor you get every time you brew green tea. The first thing you should know is that this is not how green tea is supposed to taste; in fact, it is one of the more mild and refreshing teas. The bitterness or aftertaste you might have experienced could be due to a number of reasons. Here are a few issues that lead to bad tasting tea:
The Water: Brewing tea with the wrong water is a disaster waiting to happen. Make sure you are using water that lacks a funky taste (even RO and distilled water fall into this category). At Passport, we advise customers to use bottled water for the best effect. More importantly, the temperature of the water can ruin a fresh pot of brewed tea. Water that is too hot causes the tea leaves to release bitterness. Brewing at a lower temperature reduces the level of bitterness. A temperature around 175 degrees F should do the trick. At home, just wait a few minutes after turning off the burner when a pot of water comes to a boil; three minutes in the microwave should have the same effect. Timing: When it comes to tea, timing is essential. Brewing for too long adds bitterness and a bad aftertaste. Brewing for too short of a time leaves you with flavorless hot water. Remember to use a time, and remove your leaves when the proper amount of time has passed. See our definitive brewing guide to make sure you know how much time is necessary to steep the tea leaves. Ratios: Using the right amount of tea can make or break the amount of flavor you taste after brewing. Green tea is typically weaker in terms of flavor; it doesn’t have the sweetness of a fruit tea, or the strength of a black tea.
We recommend : Brewing per cup 10 oz
White Teas 2 tsp 170-180F 3-5 minutes
Green Teas 1-2 tsp 170-180F 2-3 minutes
Oolong Teas 1 tsp 185F-195F 3-5 minutes
Darjeeling Teas 1 tsp 200F-212F 2-4 minutes
Black Teas 1 tsp 200F-212F 3-5 minutes
Want Great Green Tea?
We offer many different types of green tea from various places around the world, ranging from sencha to flavored blends to specialty selections. See what we have to offer below.