So many people dislike green tea because they say it’s ‘bitter’ or tastes ‘nasty’ to them.  If you are working with a really good green tea, and that doesn’t mean really expensive, this should never be the case.

 Most problems with taste in coffee or tea happen during the brewing process.  First of all, to maximize flavor, tea should be consumed as quickly after it’s brewed as possible, not only for taste reasons but for health reasons as well, as tests have shown that the antioxidants begin to degrade within a short time after brewing.  And tea that is brewed and then refrigerated not only tastes ‘dead’, it also has lost so many of its’ health benefits that it is mostly just cold liquid.  Bottled tea?  Well, there are a multitude of problems; degradation of antioxidants, ultraviolet damage, preservatives tainting taste..to name a few.  People who make sun tea often feel they are adding health benefits by leaving it out in the sun.  However, sun tea, while tasting good to many, especially as ‘sweet tea’ (and sugar is another health issue), actually is subjected to the very ultraviolet light that kills antioxidants.

 Have you ever had a concentrated fresh brew of good tea poured hot over ice and shaken?  It’s delicious and just bursting with antioxidants.  We recommend loose leaf tea made with an infuser that gives the leaves room to move around freely but the reality is that some people refuse to use anything but a bag.  So, bag or loose leaf in an infuser/pot, the best way to brew is using aproximately 1 tsp. tea per 8 oz. water for hot tea, and at least double that if pouring over ice.  A good heaping tablespoon for a 20 oz. iced tea is just about right.

 White and green tea should be brewed in cooler water than black and herbals.  170-175F is recommended and, for blacks and herbals, 190-195F.  If you don’t have a thermometer, bring the water to a boil, turn it off, wait about 10-15 seconds for black and herbals, and about 25 seconds for green and white, then pour over the leaves (or bag) and let it brew/steep 1.5-2 min. for green and white and 3+ for black and herbals; some herbals can take 5 minutes of steeping, such as Rooibos.  Oolong can be brewed at the same temperature as black, in my opinion, and for the longer time, in order for the tight leaves to unfurl adequately.  

 These are simple, basic and good rules to follow.  I don’t know why, but it seems people have spent a fortune on coffee brewing equipment and will go to great lengths to find great beans, buy fairly expensive home brewing equipment and make coffee into a science but, when it comes to tea, any old grocery store teabag thrown into hot water for a few minutes or so is all that’s required.  No wonder some people don’t like tea.  They’ve never really tasted it brewed correctly, and in its’ best form…loose leaf. 

Good tea brewed correctly is one of life’s incredible, luscious little pleasures.  And the bonus is the health benefits tea offers.  You can order good tea online if you can’t find loose leaf in your local specialty market.  Same for brewing accessories.  A good stainless steel infuser is under $20 and worth ever penny.  After 5 years of working with specialty tea, it is my passion to make sure it gets it’s fair ‘shot’ in the brewing process.