HOW TO WIN AT MAKING GREEN TEA.

I love…no, I freakin LOVE the ‘ritual’ of tea making. In our busy lives it’s a wonderful exercise to help me slow down and find focus. It forces me off auto pilot and allows me to just be in the present with my life and my thoughts.

Green tea has been around forever and continues to grow in popularity. If you’ve tried it and found it wasn’t pleasant on the palette chances are it was over brewed, trust me there is a green tea out there for everyone.

My teas of choice are from T2, I adore their green teas and I enjoy the experience of shopping in their stores. I get lost in the heady scents as I wander around sipping on free tea samples and learning about new teas.

Brewing green tea is a learned skill…just like brewing a regular cuppa is.

Green teas are full of antioxidants which help improve cardiovascular health, aid in weight loss and are just freaking fab for you. The potent antioxidant EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) helps fight free radicals and also helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

More than the health benefits you receive from drinking green teas there’s nothing like cupping your hands around a warm cuppa…it just ‘feels’ good!

YOU NEED

Green tea leaves or tea bag

Teapot or mesh ball

Kettle

MAKE IT

Green tea works best with first boil water; this is when the kettle starts to boil…around 70-80 degrees.

If I accidentally boil the kettle fully I will add a little cold water before I add the tea leaves/bag to cool the water slightly.

That bitter taste you might sometimes associate with green tea comes from ‘over brewing’ and scalding the tea.

If you’re using a bag or mesh ball then add the water, then the tea and pop the saucer over the teacup and brew for 2-3 minutes for a milder taste or up to 5 minutes for a more robust flavour.

By keeping the saucer on top while brewing you capture all the ‘goodness’ that can evaporate in the steam.

Follow the same process if you’re using a pot, I work on 1 scoop per person but follow the manufacturer’s instructions and sometimes it’s trial and error due to personal taste.

*TIP- Sencha is a milder form of green tea and a good introduction into green teas. I love the pretty flavours and my 2 favourites are ‘Sencha Sensation’ and ‘Gorgeous Geisha’ from T2. Have fun and spoil yourself by using a special cup or tumbler.

Til next time,

Jen x