Making the perfect pot of any kind of tea is more an art than traditionally making your favorite beverage. More goes into brewing a good, quality pot of green tea than say instant hot chocolate or even pot of coffee. And a cup of green tea has amazing health benefits, as you will read a little more about.

So, how do you make the perfect pot of green tea?

Step 1: Prepare the water. Yes, believe it or not, water does matter. Your water should be balanced, so it is not too acidic or too alkilic. Acidic water leads to overly acidic, and bitter, tea when prepared. Use clean, filtered water. If you use tap water, think about running it through a Brita or water purifier system.

Step 2: Put the water into a kettle for heating. Why a kettle? If you are going to prepare more than 1 cup of tea, this is actually the most efficient way to heat the water. Microwaves are convenient, but do not heat evenly. Boiling a pot of water ensures the water is heated evenly and is at the same temperature.

Step 3: Heat to the appropriate temperature of 140 – 180 F. Green tea is delicate blend with a nice mild flavor. If the water is too hot, the tea will not steep correctly and you can end up with very bitter tea. If you are looking for general clues, the bubbles inw ater start rising to the top, but the water is not boiling!

Step 4: Place fresh tea leaves in a ceramic teapot, or cup (in a diffuser). Fresh tea leaves make the best tasting tea. Likewise, loose tea placed in a diffuser will make a better cup of tea than any teabag will. Loose tea is relatively unprocessed and tends to have a better flavor than its pre-packaged counterparts. The amount you place is XXXXXX

Step 5: Pour the freshly heated water into the teapot or cup. Pouring the water over the tea helps start the brewing process. If you place the water in the cup or pot first then put the tea in, it will take longer for the tea to start brewing. This is important because…

Step 6: Green tea should be steeped for at most 3 minutes. Any longer and the tea will become stronger and more bitter. Any less and the tea will be relatively weak flavored. Japanese green teas do best with a slightly shorter steeping time, while Chinese green teas bring out the best flavor near the 3 minute mark.

Step 7: Decant the leaves. Do not let them sit in the tea, because they will continue to steep. They should be removed when the steeping time is up and discarded.

Basic Green Tea Tips

• Because of the lower steeping temperature, green tea can actually be enjoyed sooner than many other teas.
• Green teas have a subtle flavor and aroma that is easily enhanced. For example, honey or cane sugar can be added after steeping to sweeten the flavor. Ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, or hibiscus can be added to the tea blend to create a magnificent blend all your own.
• If you prefer your tea a little stronger, add more tea next time you brew a pot or cup. Never allow the tea to simply steep longer. Likewise, if you prefer a less potent blend or flavor, use less tea.
• After a long winter or autumn day, try adding a couple of leaves of mint to the tea during the steeping. It will enhance the flavor, calm you down, and melt away stress.
• Some green tea blends may actually allow you to reuse the leaves for subsequent servings. You’ll find this more with black tea and oolong blends.
• The most important tea accessory you can buy is a good diffuser. Many of the cheap diffusers often let tea leaves leak out during steeping. Some ceramic pots have diffusers built into them.
• Green tea can be enjoyed hot or as an iced tea. To make an iced green tea, steep for the recommended time, decant the tea as normal then refrigerate or add ice. A fresh sprig of mint in iced tea is a very tasty treat on a warm day.
• If you only remember one thing from this article, remember the steeping time. Green tea should steep for at most 3 minutes. No longer.
• To quickly cool down water that is too hot, pour it into a pyrex cup and let it sit for about 3 minutes before brewing. Or you can transfer water between two cool glass or ceramic cups for a few minutes.
• Hot water that is dispensed out of a faucet or water cooler is almost always the wrong temperature for brewing green tea!

Did you know (about Green Tea)…

• Green teas are high in flavonoid antioxidants, which naturally boost your immune system.
• Some say that green tea is the perfect diet tea, because it has no calories in itself and can reduce hunger
• Green tea is an excellent diet drink because it is nutrionally void of artifical sweeteners and has no fat
• Because of their mild flavor, green teas are easier to blend with other ingredients for many different flavors.
• Different grades or types of green teas may have different steeping times or temperature ranges. The estimates in this article apply to the widest variety of green tea.
• The “tannins” or chemicals associated with bitterness, in green tea start to break down around 176 F. This is why it is important to maintain the right temperature for brewing green tea!