Brew Guides

Green Tea Brew Guide

Aug 07, 2023
SHOP green teas

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Tea had its genesis in China, and green teas have been enjoyed all over the world for thousands of years. All teas come from the same bush, the Camellia sinensis plant, and different types of tea emerge as the leaves are processed in certain ways. Tea leaves can be specifically classified as green tea if they are unoxidized. Read below to find our guide on how to brew green tea, then head over to our green tea collection to choose which green tea you'd like to steep first.

Loose Leaf and Full Leaf Sachets

We have formulated each of our blends to ensure that anyone can enjoy the same experience by drinking our teas in a loose form or in sachets. To do this, we create our sachets with full leaf tea. Preserving the full leaves, as they are, allows the tea to stay brighter, livelier and cleaner on the palate, with more dimension than finer leaves. Because we would like you to enjoy tea in any form that is convenient for you, we have included instructions for brewing both loose leaf tea and tea sachets.

Brewing Green Tea Sachets

  1. For best flavor, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 185℉. Without a thermometer, this can be achieved by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes.
  2. Pour about 8-10 ounces of hot water into your chosen vessel, whether it is a teapot or teacup. Place the green tea sachet in the hot water.*
  3. Allow the tea to steep for 3 minutes.
  4. After 3 minutes, remove the sachet and enjoy.

*Note

Unlike black teas and herbal infusions, you will want to bring thetea to waterwhen brewing green, white or oolong teas. In other words, pour the hot water into the brewing vessel and then add the tea to the water. This method allows for a more delicate experience without extracting the bitter notes from the leaves.

Brewing Loose Leaf Green Tea

  1. For best flavor, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 185℉. Without a thermometer, this can be achieved by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes.
  2. Fill your teapot with 8-10 ounces of hot water.
  3. Measure your tea leaves. We recommend using 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea for every 8-10 ounces of water. For a large teapot, you may want to add an extra teaspoon to maintain a strong cup, as per the old adage of "one for the cup and one for the pot."
  4. Allow the leaves to steep for 3 minutes. 
  5. After 3 minutes, place a basket strainer over your cup and pour the tea so that any leaves will be caught by the strainer.
  6. Serve the contents of the teapot and enjoy. Note: do not allow the tea leaves in your teapot to continue to ste

*Note

If you do not intend to drink all of your brewed tea right away, and instead want to sip and enjoy a leisurely pot, you will want to use a strainer inside of your teapot rather than strain the leaves while you are pouring. That way, the leaves will not be left in the pot to continue steeping. Simply find a strainer that can rest inside of your teapot like this one, steep the leaves inside the strainer, then remove the strainer after 3 minutes.

Box of Spring Greens green tea next to vase of dandelions and a brewed cup of tea.

types of green tea

There are a few common ways to process green tea. In China, the leaves are traditionally pan-fired once they are plucked to stop oxidation. Alternatively, tea leaves in Japan tend to be steamed in order to stop the oxidation process. The pan-firing process yields teas that are toasty and nutty, like our Organic Spring Greens, while the steaming method tends to create more vegetal flavors, like a classic Sencha.

the most personal beverage

Here at Smith Teamaker, we believe strongly in making tea a personal experience. The instructions and guidelines above are simply recommendations. You may find that you enjoy a much shorter extraction. The beauty is being able to control that experience, and removing the leaf from the water at your choosing to create something you like. Have fun and keep experimenting and adjusting so eventually, you can easily become your own tea master.

SHOP green teas