With spring well and truly here it is a great time to focus on green tea.
In general, loose leaf green teas are made from young leaves of the tea plant which are plucked, slightly withered and quickly steamed or pan-roasted to retain their vibrant colour and essential nutrients.
Traditional techniques vary, producing a remarkable array of flavours ranging through floral, vegetal, nutty, sweet, toasty, fruity and even with woody, earthy or spicy notes. Any one tea may yield many of these flavours.
Green tea has been enjoyed for millennia. Known to promote a state of calm alertness and revered medicinally, it is no wonder that ceremonies celebrating tea date back to ancient history. Like black tea, green tea naturally contains caffeine, l-theanine and has well-studied antioxidant properties.
Green tea prefers an 80°C brew temperature. Filtered water produces the best results and the tea is always taken without milk. Brewing methods vary and as guide, the leaves can be brewed for around 3 minutes to enjoy all the flavours at once. Alternatively, brew the leaves briefly many times and notice how the flavours develop over time.
The practice of brewing leaves in cold water for several hours is also popular worldwide. Flavours develop slowly whilst only part of the caffeine and none of the astringent tannins are extracted – this results in smoother, lower caffeine cup.
Everyone’s tastes differ and experimentation is the key, so spring into action and unlock the secrets of green tea as your leaves begin to unfurl in the pot.
