Non-Grassy Green Teas?
I’ve heard of all the great health benefits of green tea, and I really want to start drinking it more. I enjoy black tea the most, and I really don’t like the grassy flavor of green. I’ve already tried Adagio’s Apricot Green, and I really didn’t like it because I could still taste the grassy flavor. Are there any green teas that don’t taste grassy?
Don’t fall into the hype of “x tea is healthier for you”. All true teas have AMAZING health benefits!:) So the number one reason to “like what you drink and drink what you like” is… it’s all good for you! Even sweetened teas are healthy for you. While you may be adding something that isn’t the healthiest for you, it does not deminish the health benefits in the tea itself… infact adding a bit of honey to your tea, while it adds sugar and calories, adds even more antioxidents to your tea. I’ve also heard that adding citrus preserves the antioxident content… evidently the antioxidents disappear magically somehow… Idk… I never understood that.
ive heard that adding milk to your tea pretty much nullifys the healthy goodies in tea. i havent looked it up because i dont add milk to my tea almost ever so it didnt seem too much of a concern.
I don’t get that. And I don’t get the thing about the citrus. I mean citrus have antioxidents, but I don’t get how antioxidents can just escape from a cup of tea. Oh yeah and cinnamon (in chai) is high in antioxidents as well.:)
it probably has something to do with the fats in milk binding with the antioxidants. probably because i just finished a chemistry class but it has to do with electrons and the fact that they are charged particles (negatively charged) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant it doesnt explain alot but it kinda touches on it.
yes :) i <3 my vitamin D!! actually the most healthy milk is raw or un-homogenized whole milk because all the good bacteria gets killed by pasteurization and homogenization. so the milk that separates and u can only get at health stores or wholefoods is the best for you. the reason un-homogenized whole milk is good for you is because the fat molecules are too big for your body to absorb them so you just get rid of it. granted all of this information is from my fiancee who looked up all this info to prove me wrong a long time ago and we tried that kind of milk and i was sold lolz
Ok you have me sold on the unhomogenized part, but not the whole. Is there such a thing as organic unhomogenized fat free milk?
Considering that you can get diseases like tuberculosis transmitted to humans through unpasturized milk, I think I’ll stick with the industry-produced version.
@Jillian they do have pasteurized raw milk aswell…i dunno if thats considered raw…anyway the milk in the glass bottles that has the cream on top and milk on the bottom is pasteurized.
@Cofftea i totally understand what your saying! i usually drink skim milk :) if u dont shake the milk up and remove the cream on the top it has ALOT less fat than if u shake it up.
Hey, about the milk in tea…
We wrote a blog post about this because of similar concerns! Basically the milk does cause the flavanoids (the good stuff in tea) to be less readily absorbed… Although there are benefits in milk itself if you are trying to reap the best health bang per leaf, we suggest sticking to a dash of honey…
For more check out:
http://www.shopsanctuaryt.com/blog/should-i-add-milk-to-my-tea/Also try fruity green tea blends…
Not to be biased but our Geisha beauty or spring harvest are fruity, floral and little to no grassy!
Here is a good link to find a raw milk farmer/dealer in your area. I’ve always been curious about raw milk and would like to try it!
Sorry Erin, meant to reply to your original post as well :) Have you ever tried The Republic of Tea Honey Ginseng Green Tea? I had previously only had Bigelow Green and then just tried this and it was wonderful! I think they may be bags only, but it is good!
I also just thought of Adago’s vanilla green and Den’s Tea’s apple sencha- that’s one of my absolute faves. Idk if you’re into chai at all but Adago’s green chai and spiced green are also amazing- and spiced green also comes in decaf which is a plus. Oh and how could I forget my favorite dessert tea??? Cocomint green!:)
Hrm… non-grassy green. I’m no green expert, but I’ll try to help!
Greens do normally have some vegetal component to their flavor, but in general, I’d probably stay away from Japanese greens, since they tend to be grassier. Try from Chinese greens instead. Rishi’s Ancient Emerald Lily isn’t really grassy, and it has some buttery notes. Any Gunpowder or Moroccan Mint isn’t really going to have a grassy component to it as well – it’ll be smokey instead. A lot of jasmine teas aren’t going to have that grassy component either.
If you didn’t like Adagio’s apricot green, I doubt you’re going to like any of their other flavored greens, since the base is nearly identical in all of them.
Hopefully this helps some!
Thanks everybody! I think I’m going to try some jasmine next time I place an order (although Cofftea, cocomint green does sound delicious).
I love jasmine. I’ve tried 2 of Adagio’s. #12 and Jasmine Silver Needle. I wish they had a Jasmine sampler!:)
Adiago’s cocomint green is good, not grassy. I am not a fan of green teas, but I liked this one.
i have adagio’s spiced green and i dont feel like i get a grassy taste in it. it might be from the spices.
Erin, what temperature is your water when you brew green tea? The most common culprit for poor-tasting green tea is using water over 190 F. When I was first getting into tea, I didn’t like greens because of the grassy flavor. Using cooler water helped a lot. It is also a flavor you learn to love. Now I drink green tea nearly every day and I haven’t noticed a hint of grass in years.
Sencha is pretty grassy, and most Japanese greens like cooler temperatures between 140 and 170.
Chinese greens should not be grassy when brewed properly. They should have a subtle sweetness with notes of cooked vegetable. If you’re looking for unflavored greens on the high end, try Dragon Well as it has a rich flavor. Another one of my favorite flavors is Tai Ping Hou Kui. For something more affordable for everyday, find a good vendor that has a quality “eyebrow” tea.
“The most common culprit for poor-tasting green tea is using water over 190 F”. Some Japanese greens (Bancha, Gen mai Cha, and Houjicha) call for boiling water, but since boiling water kills the tea’s health benefits I shoot for 200-210. I’ve learned that a lot of companies think "all greens are created equal, but in reality different (Japanese at least) greens require different water volumes (as little as 2oz), tea amounts, water temps, and steeping times (15sec-3min). A good place to research parameters for Japanese greens would be www.denstea.com. They provide steeping parameters for all of their teas on their website. They have a green tea sampler that’s a GREAT value for 1st time customers free w/ a $15 order. They’re also having 2 promotions til 1/31. Promotion 1: Bancha and Powdered Sencha are 15% off if you use the coupon code HEALTH10 Promotion 2: Free Lucky Gold Tea w/ an order of $30 or more.
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