All about green tea!

Harvey Cocks
Jan 13, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jun 1, 2020

Today I will be talking about green tea! Sit tight, get a blanket and of course, have a cup of tea whilst reading this blog today as we dive deep into the common questions revolved around green tea, my recommendations on brands to go for as well as talking a little bit about the history of green tea and how its made!

Disclaimer:

Links at the end of this post are affiliate links, this means that if you make a purchase through any of the links shown within this blog post, I will earn a commission for each sale. My honesty to my audience is a priority and thus why this disclaimer is in place.

Let's start off with some of the common questions I hear about green tea.

What is green tea and what's so special about it?

Green tea is one of the many kinds of tea out there that is unique in taste and the quality of the leaves, green tea is revolved around its beneficial health benefits as well as the taste. Green tea, whilst not confirmed by all studies is known to be one of the healthiest teas out there due to its nutritional contents and in some cases can help with a multitude of things from lowering blood sugar levels, helping to burn fat, helping to keep dental health together, and in some extreme cases making you live a longer and happier life!

Green tea on top of this helps to keep you awake and alert due to the caffeine content in the leaves, and in some cases is a great way to get a boost compared to drinking a cup of coffee which has more than double the caffeine in it and for some that can be too much!

Another cool little thing about green tea is that it comes in a form of powder called Matcha! Matcha is a very refined yet expensive form of green tea that is very much like a broth but is still considered tea as its made from tea leaves. Matcha is known to be used a lot nowadays in cafes and restaurants due to its unique taste and similar effects to coffee in which it keeps you awake and refreshed.

Okay, and what does it taste like?

Green teas are mostly known to be one of the more bitter yet refreshing types of tea out there in taste, and among its many varieties, some tasting notes can be described as very much like the smell of fresh-cut grass. Again this entirely depends on which green tea that you buy and go for however for most green tea in bags that you find in shops or cafes tastes quite vegetal and floral in most cases.

Interesting, so what are the prices like to buy green tea?

Green tea is not entirely an expensive type of tea to buy, however, it really does depend on what quality you are looking for. If you are trying to find some green tea bags, then you will find that the prices usually aren't too expensive again roaming around the range of £2.50-£3 for some regular tea bag companies and most likely cheaper in most cases. However, for loose leaf, the pricing can reform around £6 to £12 per 100g on average for good green tea. But, for premium green tea that is renowned to be better in quality, prices can go anywhere from £8 to £40 roughly depending on the type and seller.

For the most part, green teas are typically not too expensive but do keep in mind that the more you pay, the higher quality in this case because green teas are one of the most common yet most paid for in types of teas due to its benefits and qualities that vary.

Right, I see! But what are the brands you suggest?

For tea bag companies that have decent quality in green teas, I would recommend the following:

Cheaper teabag brands:

-Twinings -Pukka

-Tetley

More expensive teabag brands:

-Tea pigs

-Whittard

-Char Teas

Then here are my suggestions for loose leaf tea brands:

Cheaper loose leaf brands:

-Char Teas

-T2

-Brew Tea Co

More expensive loose leaf brands:

-Mei Leaf

-What-Cha

-Curious Tea

So now that you know a bit of general information about green tea, let's dive deep into the culture and history/story revolved around green tea.

Green tea firstly to start off with, is one of the types of teas that are supposed to brewed with cooler hot water rather than boiling! Yes, when you boil the kettle and pour that hot water into your cup with the green tea bag in it, you are doing it wrong! And for a good reason too, you actually burn the leaves and the end result when brewing with green tea is that you may find it tastes weirdly minerally and in some cases quite bitter. To help prevent this, about halfway through how long you boil your kettle, just stop the kettle and pour your hot water into your mug! Or for those out there with temperature-controlled kettles, boil your water at approx 60-70 degrees Celcius!

Green tea is one type of tea that is more commonly grown in either direct sunlight or in shade! Tea plantations will have organized sectors for growing green tea to maximize the taste and the health qualities in the leaves. The leaves will be processed either in a modern method or classic artisanal method again depends on the quality the tea is for, but in most cases, sun drying, charcoal, and pan firing are some of the most common artisanal methods of processing the tea. However, for modern methods, they will oven-dry the leaves or steam them.

Here is what a plantation for green tea may look like in direct sunlight. However, if you look below you can see another example of a green tea plantation under the shade!

So there you go! Now you know a little bit more about green tea, what it tastes like, the average pricing, my brands to recommend as well as a little bit about its history and some interesting facts!

I hope you learned a few things today and be sure to check out some of my other posts that are soon to come out talking about other specific kinds of tea!

Keep drinking the loose leaf teas, and stay away from the tea bags!