How to Brew Green Tea

It isn't hard to brew green tea; and you don't have to hike to the highest regions of the Himalayas either! All you really need are a few simple items and you can enjoy an excellent cup of tea.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A tea strainer
• A favorite mug
• Premium Loose Leaf Green Tea

1. 
    

   The first step to brew a great cup of green tea is to select your tea. One of the most common is Japanese Sencha; this tea has nice long leaves and a medium flavor. I also like what is known as gunpowder green tea because the shape is fun to watch as it steeps. I buy a lot of my teas from Upton Teas because they have great variety, a lot of information and very good shipping rates.

2. The next thing to consider is your water, this may even be more important than your tea. The quality of the water you use may be a saving grace. I recommend using a bottled or filtered water, especially if you live in an area where the water has a distinct (read, chemical) flavor as this can easily ruin your cup!

3. 
    

   Once you have the tea and water, you'll want to measure out about 1 teaspoon of the loose leaf tea per cup and put that into your tea infuser. Heat your water to just below boiling (about 180 F), if you do boil the water make sure you allow it to cool before pouring it over your tea as you don't want to scald the leaves! Once the water is sufficiently warm, pour it over your tea infuser and steep the tea for about three minutes. Remove the infuser from the cup and enjoy!

Tips & Warnings

• Adjust the amount of tea to your liking
• Tea strength is determined by the amount of tea, not the length of time it brews. If you brew it too long, you will have a cup that is more bitter from tannin.
• I often reuse tea leaves for multiple, shorter steepings, usually one minute or so. (Tea loses most of its caffeine in the first few seconds of steeping, so if you reuse your leaves throughout the day the later cups don't have much, if any caffeine.)
• Tea has been found to be a neuroprotective agent due to the high anti-oxidants found in its leaves. Green tea, and even better, white tea are particularly high in these agents.
• Tea has also been found to help weight loss
• Be careful, drinking tea can be habit forming and cause you to have a quiet peaceful feeling as you sip on a warm cup at your desk, in the morning or late in the evening.

Resources

• Upton Teas

[chenderson00]

on 1/7/2009 I love green tea. I could drink it allll day long 5*s

[e-Rambler]

on 11/26/2008 Hey, you sound like a tea pro! Excellent info and instructions. Many people don't realize the importance and the kind of water they use when brewing beverage. Thanks for the resource link; I'll check what goods in store.

[Cherrie]

on 11/18/2008 Green tea helps your immune system, not only through the anti-oxidents. You are wise in many ways, food and drink interests are better than politics nowadays, correct? I am with you. Do not change your mind.

[lildutchgirl56]

on 11/17/2008 Great article! Thanks.