How To Brew Green Tea Properly

A lot of people think brewing green tea is a simple.They think you just add boiling water, let the leaves expand and then drink it. However, these same people are very often the ones who claim not to like green tea because of its bitter taste or strong flavor.In fact, you may have had a similar experience with green tea yourself.

If so, the green tea might not be the problem – you may just not be brewing it right.When brewed correctly, most green teas have a distinct taste but they are not bitter or overpowering. In this article I discuss how to brew both green tea leaves and matcha green tea properly.

How To Brew Green Tea Leaves Properly

Most varieties of Chinese and Japanese green tea come in the form of dried leaves.To brew this type of green tea properly you will need:

1 Green Tea Infuser Basket.
1 Pot Of Your Favorite Green Tea Leaves.
1 Stainless Steel Pan.
1 Teaspoon.
1 Waterproof Thermometer.

Once you have all the equipment, simply follow the instructions below and you will be supping on a perfect cup of green tea in no time at all:

Decide how much green tea you want to make.
Fill the saucepan with the amount of water required and place it on the hob.
Heat the water to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius) using the waterproof thermometer to gauge the temperature.
Measure out the amount of green tea leaves you need, using the rule of 1 teaspoon (5g) of green tea leaves per cup.
Add the green tea leaves to the green tea infuser basket and place it in the glass container that comes with the basket.
Pour the hot water into the green tea infuser basket inside the glass container and leave it to steep for 2 minutes.
Remove the green tea infuser basket from the glass container.
Pour the green tea from the glass container into a cup for each person and enjoy.
If you find that you want more green tea than you originally planned, simply repeat steps 2 to 8 but instead of using fresh green tea leaves, you can re-steep those that are already in the green tea infuser basket.

Alternatively, if you are a more visual person, the video below provides you with an excellent demonstration of how to brew green tea leaves properly:

How To Brew Matcha Green Tea Properly

Matcha green tea is different to most varieties of green tea because instead of being made from full sized green tea leaves, it’s made from powdered green tea leaves.Since it’s a lot finer than most varieties of green tea, it can’t be brewed in the normal way described above.To brew matcha green tea properly you will need:

1 Dish Towel.
1 Kettle.
1 Matcha Bowl.
1 Matcha Scoop.
1 Matcha Whisk.
1 Matcha Strainer.
1 Measuring Cup.
1 Pot Of Your Favorite Matcha.
1 Regular Bowl.
1 Waterproof Thermometer.

Once you have everything off the list together, simply follow the instructions below and you will be enjoying the delightful taste of Japanese matcha green tea in no time at all:

Measure out 4oz (114ml) of water in the measuring cup.
Pour the water from the measuring cup into the kettle, boil the kettle and once it has boiled pour about a quarter of the boiling water into the matcha bowl and the rest of the boiling water into the regular bowl.
Place the matcha whisk in the matcha bowl, slowly rotate the matcha whisk around the edges of the bowl to moisten the prongs and then place the matcha whisk to one side.
After 2 minutes, pour the hot water from the matcha bowl into the regular bowl.
Use the dish towel to dry the matcha bowl.
Use the matcha scoop to place two scoops of matcha green tea into the matcha strainer.
Hold the matcher strainer over the matcha bowl and sift the matcha green tea into the matcha bowl.
Measure the temperature of the water in the regular bowl using the waterproof thermometer and wait until it drops to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius).
Pour the water from the regular bowl into the matcha bowl.
Quickly whisk the mixture in the matcha bowl using the matcha whisk until it becomes frothy.This usually takes about a minute.
If there are any large bubbles in the froth, break them up using the match whisk until all the froth is smooth.
Drink the matcha green tea directly from the matcha bowl.

Alternatively, if instructions aren’t your thing, watch the following video for a visual demonstration of how to brew matcha green tea properly:

Summary

As you can see there’s a lot more to brewing green tea than just adding hot water. Timing, temperature and the tools you use are all key aspects that can make or break the cup of green tea. If you’ve never tried green tea before, make sure you follow these instructions for an optimal drinking experience. If you’ve tried green tea in the past and found that you don’t like the taste, give it one more try using these instructions. You might be pleasantly surprised and find that you do enjoy it after all.