Does Green Tea Actually Taste Good?

One of the top facial expressions I get when I ask the question 'do you like green tea' is a scrunched up face, usually accompanied by a resounding no!

Now, I have a tea company, I'm going to say it tastes great, right?!

You'd be correct! I do like green tea but only in certain scenarios and only when it's brewed well. 

To explain this, it's normally better to put it in coffee terms, it's known not to put boiling water straight onto coffee for fear of burning the beans. Green tea is exactly the same!

If the water is too hot then the leaves will taste bitter and you probably won't enjoy it at all, at too cool water the full flavour will not be released and you'll be left with a weak tasting brew.

To get a little sciency, the flavour profile of green tea is made up of a variety of amino acids, natural sugars and tannins. Tannins contribute to the bitterness aspect and dissolve at a higher temperature (80 degrees) than the amino acids and natural sugars (60 degrees), therefore we need to brew green tea at a lower temperature to make sure that it isn't overpowered by the bitter flavours! 

What about if green tea has other ingredients mixed in?

Good point, we have a Zomba Steamed Green Tea which has nothing added but we also have a Jasmine Green Tea as well as a Green Tea with Mint Leaves.

We call the Green Tea with Mint our gateway green tea, as if it has quite a strong mint taste so if you forget about the lower brewing temperature and add boiling water then it won't actually taste bitter at all, making it a perfect starter. 

Why should I drink green tea?

You've probably heard that green tea is super good for you, it's full of antioxidants which are known to have a whole list of healthy benefits, some can be:

- Promoting fat loss

- Improved brain function 

- Lowering the risk of heart disease

Green tea in particular (over all other teas) is rich in catechin which is a natural antioxidant and is an extremely powerful compound which has been researched and appears to be what gives green tea it's medicinal qualities.

We also love it after meals as it's known to really help with digestion or as an afternoon pick-me-up, as although it contains less caffeine that black teas there's still enough to give you a boost.