How to Brew Chinese Green Tea?  Step-by-Step Guide

Making tea is an art but not everyone is skilled in it. Although the ingredients are the same the taste depends on how you make it, especially when it comes to Chinese green tea. Originating from China, green tea has been popular all over the world for many years. It’s not only used as a beverage but is also taken as a source of health benefits. But you can only get the best of it if you know how to brew green tea. In this guide, we’ll take you to the brewing process of green tea.

HOW TO BREW GREEN TEA BAGS?

1. For best flavor, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 185℉. Without a thermometer, this can be achieved by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes. 

2. Pour about 8-10 oz of hot water into your chosen vessel, whether it is a teapot or teacup. Place the green tea bag in the hot water. Many Chinese people, like to use transparent glass cups, brew, and enjoy the tea leaves dancing. 

3. Allow the tea to steep for 3 minutes. 

4. After 3 minutes, remove the bag then enjoy. 

3 to 5 minutes are exactly the best practice to brew green tea. Steeping it more than the required time won’t exaggerate the taste. Unlike black teas and herbal infusions, you will want to bring the tea to water when brewing green, white, or oolong teas.  In other words, pour the hot water into the brewing vessel and then add the tea to the water.  This method allows for a more delicate experience without extracting the bitter notes from the leaves.  If your question is how long to brew green tea for health benefits then according to the research published in Beverages, you can get more polyphenols in 5 minutes. If you want to make the most you can extend it to 10 minutes as well. 

HOW TO BREW LOOSE-LEAF GREEN TEA? 

Loose-leaf green tea is a tea that isn’t brewed in a tea bag. The water flows through the leaves and extracts minerals and vitamins from it. There are many green teas so we choose one kind of them to introduce.

Here’s how to brew green tea:

1. For best flavor, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 185℉ according to the tea brewing temperature chart. Without a thermometer, this can be achieved by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes. 

2. Fill your teapot with 8-10 oz of hot water. 

3. 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.” 

4. Allow the leaves to steep for 3 minutes. 

5. After 3 minutes, place a basket strainer over your cup and pour the tea so that any leaves will be caught by the strainer. 

6. Serve the contents of the teapot and enjoy. 

Note: For better results, don’t allow the tea leaves in your teapot to continue to steep for more than 15 minutes otherwise the taste will dramatically degrade.

If you want to keep your brewed tea for later, you can use the strainer inside of your teapot instead of straining the leaves while you’re pouring. In this way, leaves won’t be left to continue steeping. Take any strainer that can rest inside of your teapot, steep the leaves inside the strainer, and then remove the strainer after 3 minutes.

HOT LONG TO STEEP GREEN TEA

Steeping green tea to perfection is an art that requires precision and care. The ideal steeping time for green tea varies depending on the type of green tea and personal taste preferences. On average, steeping green tea for 2 to 3 minutes at a water temperature of 175°F to 185°F (80°C to 85°C) yields a delightful balance of flavors. However, delicate green teas like Dragon Well (Longjing) may require shorter steeping times, while heartier ones like Bi Luo Chun or Tai Ping Hou Kui may benefit from longer steeping. Experimenting with different steeping times and water temperatures allows you to unlock the full potential of each green tea variety, ensuring a delightful and refreshing tea experience with every cup.

PERSONALIZE YOUR BEVERAGE EXPERIENCE

Here at TEASBAY, we believe strongly in making tea a personal experience. The instructions and guidelines on how to make green tea with tea bags above are simply recommendations. You may find that you enjoy a much shorter extraction. The beauty is being able to control that experience and removing the leaf from the water at your choosing to create something you like.

You can even try experimenting with ice and cold water if you’re specifically looking at how to brew green tea cold for summer.

Have fun and keep experimenting until you become your own tea master.