Looking for green tea suggestions
I really want to start drinking more green tea, but I’m having a hard time finding any I like. Almost all my favorite teas are black and/or flavored varieties – Irish Breakfast, and Adagio’s “Chestnut” and ‘White Blueberry" teas. I could drink those all day. Most green teas seem very grassy or bitter to me, even when I follow steeping instructions carefully, so it’s difficult to get them down.
I know I have a wimpy palate – I currently douse all my teas in milk and sugar; I never take anything “straight.” I have found one green tea that tastes good to me – Harney & Sons “Tropical Green;” it’s sweet and has a strong pineapple flavor, which is probably why I like it. But I’d love to find several more so I’m not always drinking the same thing and making myself sick of it!
So how about it? Anyone have suggestions to win over someone who does not normally like green tea?
Are you interested in straight green tea? My recommendation for a green tea beginner would be to start off with a good sencha and dragonwell. To avoid bitterness, try shorter steeps and lower temperatures than what the directions call for. Standard green tea steeping instructions are 175-185 F for 2-3 minutes. This works for flavored tea but isn’t always suitable for more delicate teas.
I find that for Japanese green teas, 155-160 F for 45s brings out the sweetness and umami without astringency. For Chinese tea, I typically steep for 1m at 165-175 F.
Also if the grassiness of green tea doesn’t appeal to you, try bao zhong. This is a lightly oxidized oolong that’s close to a green tea but tastes floral and sweet.
Thanks; I’m looking at a couple flavored oolongs now and trying to decide which to sample first. How are oolongs different from a standard green tea?
Eveleaf: It’s all about oxidation. A little tiny bit and an Oolong can be very similar in some regards (like some Taiwanese “jade” oolongs) to a Green…as there is more and more oxidation, we enter a whole different realm, until at the far end they begin to resemble Black tea. They are a whole different world unto themselves. That’s not even getting into whether they are roasted or not :)
Check this article out: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/what-is-oolong-tea-where-to-buy.html
I recommend you to try ‘an ji bai pian’ and ‘en shi yu lu’. Jointly with ‘long jing’ are my favourite greens.
Leaves of Cha offers samples for just this reason. No one likes to have 2 oz of tea they don’t like in their cupboard. So it’s nice to be able to get just a few cups worth to make your decision before buying a whole pouch of tea.
Definitely lower temp and shorter steeps if you are getting too much astringency/bitterness. There are so many green teas out there with varying flavor profiles that I know there are some that you would like if you can find them. You can also try a yellow tea or some of the white teas that have green notes, like our Jade Earrings.
What about some decent tie guan yin or jin xuan (milk oolong) ? they are green coloured and totally delicious. Not technically green tea but amazing if you’ve never tried them.
I’m drinking some milk oolong at the mo that tastes like milk bottle sweets
Hi! We’ve got a killer milk oolong that everyone loves, and a sencha-matcha blend that’s not too shabby either. :)
If you can buy Tea Forte, their Sencha is really fantastic to brew in the morning; I’ve been drinking a pot every morning for awhile now! It’s not too strong even if you steep it for a long time, which I like to do. :)
As for trying to get yourself to like green tea, gosh – just keep trying them! I really love green tea lattes, maybe that’s a good introduction. :)
My gateway green tea was Verdant Laoshan Green. Buttery, vegetal in a springy, mouthwatering way. Was thrilled to find that I like What-Cha’s Laoshan greens just as much if not more. Slightly richer flavor. I echo the mentions of lightly oxidized oolongs. They are varied and lovely, maybe my overall favorite kind of tea.
I think Teavivre.com has my favorite greens. They are always so delicious! They have samples and if green teas are usually too bitter for you, don’t use as many leaves as Teavivre suggests.
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