Tea Brewing 101 | Green Tea
Whether you’re talking about green, black, or white tea, it all comes from the same leaf. The difference in flavor and color lies with the oxidation level. With different oxidation levels come different brewing recommendations. Green tea is slightly oxidized whereas black tea is fully oxidized. Leaves with lower oxidation levels require a lower brewing temperature to retain as much flavor as possible. Brew green tea in water that’s slightly cooler than black tea and slightly warmer than white tea. Check out our brew guide to see how to brew each tea type.
Hackberry Tea Brewing Recommendations
Brewing Ratios & Temperature
If you are new to the tea world, it can be intimidating to figure out how to brew tea the correct way, especially when the different tea types require specific measurements, steep times, and water temperatures. One of the most essential and straightforward rules for tea brewing is to use clean, filtered water. The quality of the water is almost as important as the tea itself. Tap or low-quality water can negatively alter the flavor profile of the tea. Typically, an aromatic and refreshing cup of green tea requires 1-1.5 teaspoons of tea leaves per 8 ounces of water. The tea to water ratio is essential to the overall taste of the brew. Too little tea and the flavor will be diluted; too much tea and the cup will taste incredibly bitter. When the tea leaves and hot water are combined, you want it to steep for 1:45-2:00 minutes. Following these brewing instructions will keep the tea from tasting bitter. A bitter tea flavor indicates that the tea may be overstepped.
Our Favorite Green Tea Recipes
Don’t limit yourself to just brewing tea with hot water and tea. There are many ways to add variety to your brew. Below are some of our favorite recipe ideas for a fun and unique green tea!
Blueberry Iced Tea
To watch us put this recipe together, watch this YouTube video.
What You’ll Need:
Blueberry Syrup:
- 1 cup blueberries
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 Tbs lemon juice
- Plus, loose-leaf tea of choice
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil until the consistency is syrup-like. If you don’t want fruit pieces in your syrup, strain the syrup using a metal colander.
While we were making the syrup, we steeped some of our Lemon Meringue tea using the brewing instructions provided on the package. We let both the syrup and tea cool for a few minutes. Once they cooled, these were our next steps.
- Add one ounce of syrup to a glass.
- Fill your glass with ice.
- Pour your room-temp tea over the ice.
- Stir and enjoy.
The combination of lemon in the syrup and tea provided a tart contrast to the sweetness of the blueberries. It was delicious and refreshing. You don’t have to limit yourself to just using the Lemon Meringue tea. We have so many fruit teas and tisanes that could pair well with a variety of fruit syrups. It is up to you and the different fruit and tea combinations that sound good to you.
Honey Green Tea Fizz
Combine these ingredients for a refreshing iced green tea drink.
What You’ll Need:
- 1 cup of green tea (cooled)
- ¼ tsp honey
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp lemon
- Top off with ginger ale
Try our Get Well Now Tea for a traditional green tea flavor. Try our Raspberry Dreamy Green or our Wild Cherry Green if you want to add some fruit flavor. Remember to follow our brew guide for optimal flavor. Enjoy!
