How to make green tea taste even better?

Green tea is revered worldwide mainly due to its immense health benefits. Being one of the least oxidised tea varieties, green tea contains relatively lesser amounts of theaflavins and thearubigens; compounds responsible for the flavour of tea, and hence green tea possesses a herbal and grassy taste. However, you might have encountered people not very fond of green tea accrediting it to its bitter taste. This is simply not true and this bitter taste can be correlated with brewing green tea incorrectly. So, how can we properly prepare green tea and make it taste even better?

1. Brewing time and temperature of the water — High temperatures and exceeded steeping times are the two major culprits responsible for the bitter taste in green tea. The ideal temperature for green tea is between 650C and 830C. Therefore, make sure your water temperature doesn’t exceed this value when boiling water. In addition, care should be taken to not steep the green tea for longer than mentioned in the package — usually steeping time is not more than 2–3 minutes.
2. Add lemon juice or lemon slices — If you have brewed your green tea for longer than necessary and it tastes bitter, lemon is a great way to combat the bitter taste. Additionally, fruits such as oranges, peaches and green apples could also be used as an alternative.
3. Add a sweetener — If you prefer your green tea to have a sweeter taste, add a bit of honey or raw sugar to sweeten the earthy taste. It is although, usually advisable to avoid using granulated sugar as it is difficult to dissolve it in lower temperatures.
4. Add herbs and spices — If you prefer your green tea with a hint of spice to it, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon might just be the spices for you. They elevate the herbal taste of green tea and add a spicy kick to it.

On the other hand, the taste of green tea depends on the quality of the green tea you buy — the flavour of the tea can differ depending on where the tea is grown and the nutrient content of the soil and climate. Ceylon green tea belonging to the Ceylon tea range has garnered recognition worldwide for its good quality. Therefore, customers should select the best quality green tea to get the best taste.