Experts suggest using loose tea leaves or tea powder in place of tea bags for optimal flavor. Tea bags, as convenient they are, cannot provide the correct flavor. This is simply because the dust and fannings of green tea are also packed in the teabag, responsible for imparting a strong bitter taste to the tea.
However, by this, we do not mean to say that you should not use green tea bags. It is just that one should be very careful while brewing green tea using tea bags and also make sure that you do not steep the tea bag for more than 2-3 minutes.
It is better to settle for loose green tea leaves. The loose green tea has whole green tea leaves, which give a great flavor and many health benefits as well. This can help you learn how to make green tea taste good. The native people from Japan and other Asian countries, who drink this beverage in their daily routine, say that if one wants to make sure that the green tea leaves have imparted the best flavor, they need a space to expand, which is impossible for packed tea bags.
Hence, loose green tea leaves are always better if you want to enjoy green tea’s actual flavor. And, this is one way to make the tea taste good.
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2. Stop using boiling water for your green tea
If you have been spending most of your time on the internet searching for different ways of ‘how to make green tea delicious,’ you are finally on the right page. The second best and the most effective way of how to make green tea taste good is by keeping a check on the water temperature you are using to brew your tea.
The right temperature for brewing the green tea leaves is between 160-180 F. Most people make use of tea kettles, which come in with a pre-installed temperature controlling system, but if you do not have that, you can boil the water, switch off the flame and let the water rest for 2 minutes then finally add the tea leaves. This is a simple and effective tip to make green tea taste nice.
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3. Try using lemons
Another way to make green tea taste good is by simply adding the lemons. For this, you can try using lemon juice or lemon slices.
The reason why we recommend you to use lemon is simply that it not only adds a unique aroma to your tea but will also help in counteracting the bitter taste of the tea. Some other citrus fruits such as orange, green apple, peaches, etc. can also be added to lessen the tea’s bitter taste.
4. Add a sweetener
Do you want to know about different ways of ’how to sweeten green tea’? If so, you have many different sweetening options, such as powdered sugar, brown sugar, honey, jaggery, etc.
However, the best of all is honey as it is super healthy, dissolves appropriately in the green tea, and gives an excellent taste to the tea.
Readers should note that granulated sugar will never work with green tea as it does not mix properly and is not healthy.
5. Blend with other leaves
In countries like Morocco, people often add mint leaves in their green tea to get a smooth yet refreshing flavor. The strong aroma and crisp taste of the mint help overcome the bitter taste of the green tea.
Here is how to make green tea taste good. Add 1-2 mint leaves for every cup of green tea. Once the tea is brewed, you have to remove the green tea leaves before you start drinking. If you are a person who is very much health conscious and does not want to add anything sweet to your tea to remove the bitter taste of green tea, then adding mint leaves is probably the best option for you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Here’s a list of a few interesting questions we answered about why green tea tastes weird and its possible reasons. Also which different green tea variants are available in the market.
1. Why does my green tea taste bad?
Green tea, contrary to what many may believe, does not taste bad or bitter. If your cup of green tea is tasting bad, here is what went wrong.
- The tea leaves were of low quality.
- The tea leaves have expired.
- You infused or brewed the tea for too long.
- Using boiling water to brew tea.
- Using too little or too much green tea leaves.
2. Does water affect the taste of tea?
If you often have an intense bitter taste, you are not preparing it the right way. The reason behind why your green tea tastes bitter can be simply because you are using the wrong type of water to make tea.
If you are using tap or distilled water, let us tell you that you will never be able to get the right tea flavor with this water. This is because the minerals and chemicals present in the tap/ distilled water react with the green tea’s chemical compounds, resulting in a bitter taste.
Distilled water is also known not to release the flavor and taste of the tea, and this is probably the reason tap and distilled water are not right for preparing green tea. Hence, pure, filtered, or spring water is the tea when you have to make green tea.
3. What are the factors which cause the taste of green tea bitter?
Two significant reasons that contribute to making green tea taste bitter are the temperature and the time the tea leaves are soaked in the water. If the tea leaves are steeped in the water at an extremely high temperature, it will give a bitter taste. This is because, under such conditions, polyphenols are released rapidly.
Another is the quality of the green tea you are using is not good, so there is no surprise that your green tea will have a bad flavor.
4. What are the commonly available flavors of green tea?
Like the usual tea, green tea also comes in different flavors in the market, and the type of flavor you choose to buy will surely determine the way your green tea tastes.
These flavors are also an answer to how to make green tea taste good. Some commonly available flavors are –
- Matcha green tea
- Lemon green tea
- Ginger green tea
- Chamomile green tea
- Tulsi green tea
- Jasmine green tea
- Mint green tea
- Green tea with berries
- Green tea with citrus tones
Final Words
We hope that these five different tips for overcoming the bitter taste of your green tea will help you. If you want to know more about how to make green tea taste good, then get in touch with us through the comment section given below.