Dear Camellia,
I have a question about green tea. Everyone is talking about how wonderful it is and how good for you it is. I think is tastes terrible, always bitter. Am I doing something wrong when I brew it, or do I need to just "get over it"?
Very truely yours,
Steeped
Dear Steeped,
I hear this complaint all the time about green tea. Let me set you straight. Green tea is very delicate and water that is too hot will scorch the leaves and create bitterness. Water temperature and steeping time are very important in making sure your cuppa is enjoyable.
The water temperature should be between 175f and 180f. If you do not have a thermometer, water reaches these temperatures just before it boils. Green tea also needs a shorter brewing time, around 2 minutes. Some green teas are best with an infusion time even shorter. Be aware that a longer brewing time is not beneficial to the flavor of green tea, as more time will encourage overextration and the tea will become sour tasting.
Another wonderful thing about green tea is that it can be re-infused 2 or 3 times. Asian tea-drinking custom holds that green teas do not release their most delicate, precious flavors until the 2nd or 3rd infusion. Use the same water temperature and same steep time, but increase how much water that you use. These additional infusions will further "open up" the tea leaf, yielding subtly different flavors from one infusion to the next.
Now go out and enjoy your green tea!
Changing Llives...One Tea at a Time
Camellia T. Sinensis
If you have a tea related question you would like to ask Camellia, please contact her at askCamellia@tasteandseeministries.com |
