Brewing the Perfect Pot of Green Tea

Remember Dr. Tea always recommends covering the bottom of your vessel with a thin line of tea after preheating your vessel. Below please find some useful tips from the Japanese experts.

A. Green tea should be handled tenderly, just as you would fresh green leafy vegetables.

B. Spring water is the ideal choice for brewing green tea, followed by filtered water. Distilled water should never be used; the brew it produces will be flat since the minerals removed from it are essential to bringing out tea's flavor.

C. To prepare the best loose leaf green tea, we recommend using a small food scale. Use three grams of tea to five ounces of water if brewing green tea in a small teapot; four grams of tea to eight ounces of water for other methods.

D. In making loose tea leaf green tea, remember that a teaspoon of small, dense leaves will weigh substantially more than a teaspoon of larger leaves, and the resulting green tea will reflect this. A teaspoon of small dense leaves may be sufficient to produce a satisfying strong cup of green tea, while several teaspoons of larger loose leaves would be needed for a comparable brew of green tea.

E. Although heartily boiling water can be used to brew black and oolong teas, green tea needs much lower temperatures (160-170 degrees F; 79-85 degrees C) and the green loose leaf tea should be brewed for less time.

F. Let the water barely reach the boiling point to liberate its oxygen, then allow it to cool slightly before pouring over your green tea. Until you are familiar with your tea kettle and the time it takes and sounds it makes when the correct temperature (170-185 degrees) has been reached, it's a good idea to check using a simple, inexpensive candy thermometer, available at any grocery store.

G. Brewing your Japanese loose leaf green tea for 30 seconds to one minute is usually ideal; however, Nilgiri and Darjeeling greens teas can take several minutes, and Chinese Dragonwell green teas are often best after 6-7 minutes of infusion due to the pan firing techniques to produce the green tea.

H. Although good quality green tea leaves will sink to the bottom after they have infused, it's a good idea to pour the green tea over a small strainer if one is not built in to your teapot.

by Dr. Tea, Tea Expert

Much Love and Light

Mark Dr. Tea, Ukra,
Tea Expert & proprietor of the Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium.