A Novices Guide to Steeping Green Tea
Thursday, March 19th, 2009Green tea is either instantly adored from the very first sip or it is thought of as a wretched drink that is an acquired taste. For the non-green tea lover or for even some of the most devout black tea lovers, learning to drink and love green tea is quite the undertaking. I will admit that I am not one of those who instantly loved the steamed or roasted vegetal taste that so many pure green teas seem to posses. For me, learning to love green tea was, and is, a difficult task.
As you know, I write this blog as a newbie to tea, describing my journey into the world of loose tea. Before writing this blog and being privy to the fabulous premium loose leaf teas Kokomo Tea has to offer, my only experience with tea was the occasional stale tea bag. Now, I am quickly on my way to being a seasoned connoisseur who actually knows what light bodied or malty actually means.
Becoming a connoisseur of black or oolong tea is a pleasure and joy. I have come to love black teas for their robust flavors and tasty blends, while oolong teas just fascinate me with their unusual earthy flavor. Pure green teas, however, have been the bane of my tea existence!! The overwhelming vegetal aroma and flavor of many Japanese green teas used to turn my stomach. I quickly began to identify green tea by two words: vegetal and bitter.
About two weeks ago, after discussing my thoughts on the merits of green tea with my friends over at Kokomo Tea, I realized I had been making one HUGE error in my quest to love green tea. I was making green tea entirely the wrong way! I had been steeping the tea with water that was way TOO HOT! I was burning the leaves, and in turn, causing my cup to give off that incredibly bitter and overwhelmingly vegetal aroma and flavor.
Two days later, I mustered the courage to try green tea once again. I began by scooping a teaspoon of Kokomo Tea’s Finest Jade Sencha into my clamped tea ball (I think its official name is something like Tea Ball Spoon). Then I began to boil my water. I only have a regular electric kettle that heats the water up to a roaring boil, so I had to pour the boiling water into the cup and wait until the water had cooled to the appropriate temperature. Not being a seasoned tea drinker quite yet, I had to use a thermometer to know when the water had cool to about 170° F.
It took about two and a half minutes for the water to cool down. I won’t tell you to use two and a half minutes as a rule of thumb but I will tell you to use a thermometer and experiment to find what works best for you until you’re comfortable without a thermometer. I then placed the tea ball into the cup and let it steep for a little less than two minutes.
I was a bit hesitant to even sniff the tea after my disastrous experience with green tea in the past but I knew I had to give green tea one more chance. Immediately, I was surprised by the aroma. It no longer smelled like a cup full of spinach had been let sit to blanch in hot water for far too long. I now noticed a bit of delightful sweetness where before there was only bitterness. Daring to take a sip, I could automatically taste the difference in the degree of vegetal flavor. Rather than being over powering and intimidating, Finest Jade Sencha was now smooth, mild, a bit sweet and quite pleasant compared to before.
Even though I had completely transformed the flavor into something enjoyable, I still couldn’t quite get used to the “green tea” taste. I was looking for something more, something to help make green tea an acquired taste that I loved. I found that something in a bottle of honey on my countertop one evening. Deciding to take a risk, I squeezed a little into my cup of freshly steeped Finest Jade Sencha. The result was absolutely fabulous. For me it completely rounded off the flavor in the cup in the exact way I needed it to.
I hope my story has encouraged those of you who are weary or dislike green tea to give it another chance. I think most people like me who find green tea to be a bit too bitter and vegetal will take a look at their steeping method. For me a simple fix in how I steeped my green tea was the beginning of my journey with green tea. Adding a dash of honey to my green teas just pushed my further along the road. If you already do not love loose leaf green tea, I hope you take the time to acquire the taste like me, for there are many health benefits of green tea.
Green Tea Steeping Tips
· Let your water cool!!! Steeping green tea at a temperature too high can cause your cup to turn out bitter and overwhelmingly vegetal. I recommend steeping your tea no higher than 175° F.
· Less time = Lighter Flavor Play around with the amount of time you let your green tea steep. Sometimes all you need is a quick infusion for no more than a minute or so.
· Add a sweetener or flavor shot. Try adding a dash of honey, sugar, agave nectar, stevia or try a flavored syrup to add some flavor to your green tea.
To read more about green tea or the health benefits of green tea please click the following links to visit Kokomo Tea’s website.