The Taste of Green Tea

Green tea is probably one of the most studied beverages around. Just about every day you see something in the media about the health benefits of green tea. However, for many people green tea has a drawback, the taste. They want the benefits of green tea but the taste is a barrier. Here are a few tips about how you can make the taste of green tea more palatable.


Brewing it - There is an art and a particular trick to brewing your green tea that makes a big difference in taste. You have to heat the water to the right temperature. If the temperature is too high it will be bitter, if it is too low the full flavor will not be extracted. If it is brewed at a lower than boiling temperature your tea will be sweeter and the taste greatly improved.

 The guidelines for the temperature of green tea are between 140 degrees Fahrenheit and 185 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees centigrade to 90 degrees centigrade). You can get special tea kettles that you can program for the various temperatures you want for your varied teas, or you can do what I do and take the kettle off the heat just before it comes to a boil. Or you could heat the water in a cooking pot with a thermometer to get it just right.

 Adding an herb to it to make it more tasty - There are an infinite number of combinations you can use to flavor up green tea. Many are available at your supermarket or tea merchant. There's Ginger, pomegranate, raspberry and lemon. Experiment and find one you like.

Sweetener - I like to add a sweetener to my green tea. There is honey if you are not diabetic or watching your blood sugar. For those who are watching blood sugar there is Stevia, Agave Syrup, Xylitol, coconut crystals, or even coconut milk. Stevia is now processed so that it does not have the aftertaste it used to have. This also varies with the brand of Stevia you use.  I am a little hesitant about chemically prepared artificial sweeteners. I would say to beware when using them, some have unwanted side effects.

The unthinkable - Most people do not add milk or cream to green tea. I am the oddball. I like to add a little soy creamer to mine. It makes it a little more mellow and it slides down my throat easier. Some authorities say the milk destroys the health giving properties of the tea, others say it does not. The jury is still out on that. Of course it could depend on what kind of milk you add, dairy vs. soy or almond or coconut milk, or one of the other myriad types of milk that is out there.

Go check out my website for more information on the health benefits tea. Here is the link www.valerielull.com  Have a great day.


Valerie Lull, Author
Ten Healthy Teas
Lullval@clearwire.net