There are thousands of varieties of green tea, which vary greatly in terms of taste and quality. Typically one would use water that is not quite boiling, and pour it over the tea, letting the leaves steep for approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
Green tea showed temperature sensitivity and also time dependence -- prolonged cold steeping (two hours) yielded the most antioxidants. In addition, the overall antioxidant capacity of white and green tea was found to be greater than that of black tea.
Measure your tea leaves. We recommend using 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea for every 8-10 ounces of water. For a large teapot, you may want to add an extra teaspoon to maintain a strong cup, as per the old adage of "one for the cup and one for the pot." Allow the leaves to steep for 3 minutes.
As is plainly obvious the longer your brew the tea the more you get out of it. The optimal time seems to be about 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water. The only exception is powdered green tea where brewing time doesn't matter so much. Powdered tea seems to give out it's antioxidants much faster than other forms of tea.
The steeping process usually takes 3-5 minutes. However, when you over steep tea beyond this time more tannins are released into your cup, so the color turns darker and the flavor becomes bitter from the extra tannins, especially when steeping black tea.
Bitterness. The liquid that remains trapped inside the tea bag has even higher instances of tannic acid than what is able to steep out of the bag on it's own. By squeezing the tea bag, you inadvertently release these tannic acids into your tea and in turn create a far more bitter, sour and acidic cup of tea.
Although a study from Journal of Food Science suggests that the two best methods for getting the biggest nutritional benefits from green tea were either prolonged cold steeping of at least two hours (perfect for iced tea), or serving it boiling hot, Johnston says it's important to consider the kind of tea you're ...
Boiling hot water reduces all the healthy properties of the tea and also makes it bitter. A temperature of 85 degrees C or 170 degrees F is not just optimal but also required to make good green tea. If the water starts to boil, wait for 30-45 seconds for it to cool down a bit before you pour it onto the green tea.
IT HELPS IN FLUSHING TOXINS: The main reason green tea is recommended by health experts is because of its antioxidant properties. It helps in flushing toxins out of your body. As it contains flavonoids and caffeine, it elevates metabolic rate and even improves insulin activity.
As a rule of thumb plan on most Green Tea's being steeped for 3 minutes, however some delicate or roasted Green Tea's can be roasted for as short as 30 seconds. Typically you don't want to go much past 3 minutes as the bitterness will come out.
Also, the caffeine in it may lead to dehydration and stimulate the release of gastric acid which can cause stomach upset or even ulcer. To avail the full antioxidant powers of green tea, it must be consumed in-between-meals. This means, you should consume it at least two hours before and two hours after your meal.
(Green tea leaves are delicate—boiling water will bruise the leaves, causing a bitter taste.) With green tea, steep for only a minute or two. (Over steeping green tea will result in a harsh flavor). Remove the tea bag, relax and enjoy!
Swirling and dunking a tea bag or infuser does move the tea leaves into contact with more of the fresh water in the vessel and aid in diffusion, but this is only nominally more effective than the diffusion that naturally occurs during the usual suggested three to five minutes of steeping time.
It is important NOT to use boiling water for Oolong, Green and White Teas. Water at this temperature (212 Degrees F) will "cook" the leaves and destroy the tea and its flavor, creating a bitter tasting tea.
A common myth regarding green tea is that it shouldn't be prepared with boiling water. This is absolutely false, because some green teas such as bancha and houjicha are supposed to be infused in boiling water.
Green tea, on the other hand, is easier on the gut than coffee and pretty low-risk all around, unless you have a history of kidney stones. Green and black tea have high levels of oxalates, which can lead to the formation of more stones (though it's pretty rare).
Chinese drink tea for several reasons, and it can be enjoyed during or post-meal. But the main reasons are the health benefits; it aids digestion, enhances metabolic activity, extracts toxins from your body, keeps your skin timeless, and is a symbol of continuing the tradition.
So, if you're concerned about drinking too much Green Tea in case it dehydrates you, the answer is that it's probably absolutely fine to drink a few cups a day, and they do contribute to your recommended daily water intake.
Honey. Honey is a great choice to add to your green tea, as it is a healthy alternative to sugar. It makes your green tea less bitter. The antioxidants in green tea combine with the abundant vitamins and minerals in honey, making it a super healthy drink.
Typically, people who leave teabags in their mugs are trying to get a stronger cuppa, but, as Ed explains, this technique actually prevents you from making a rich, flavourful cup of tea.
The common loose-leaf tea should not be steeped for more than 5 minutes. Depending on the variety, steeping longer than 5 minutes won't hurt your cup of tea but it can change the flavor of the tea, increase the amount of potential caffeine and may cause the tea to have a more bitter taste.
In general, black and pu-erh teas have the highest amount of caffeine, followed by oolong teas, green teas, white teas, and purple teas. However, because the caffeine content of a brewed cup of tea depends on many different factors, even teas within the same broad categories may have different caffeine levels.