How to brew green tea?

A healthy lifestyle is now in fashion, more and more people are aware of the need to eat healthy foods. One of them is green tea. We will tell you how to brew and drink it correctly in our article.

Green leaf and tiled tea belongs to products with a high content of antioxidants - substances that slow down the aging process, free the body from dangerous free radicals and significantly enhance the immune system. Therefore, a green drink is simply necessary for children and adults who want to be strong and healthy.

The amazing properties of this tea have been noticed in ancient times in one of the Chinese provinces; it was then that it was included in the complex for healing diseases of various etiologies. The value of tea has not decreased even nowadays - today it is commonly prescribed as an auxiliary measure in the treatment of low blood pressure, poisoning, ulcerative inflammation, tea is also used to remove toxins and toxic salts of heavy metals from the human body.

Many people do not guess, but green leaf tea grows on the same bushes as its red and black “brethren”, their only difference lies in the processing method - green tea at the production stage is not subject to drying or fermentation. Due to this, its useful properties are preserved to the maximum in their original form.

A distinctive feature of green leaf tea is the high content of such vitamins as A, E and C, the content of the latter is 4 times higher than that of spinach, and the amount of retinol is 10 times higher than in carrots. The drink is very rich in micro and macro elements necessary for the normal functioning of the whole organism. It contains potassium, necessary for strengthening the heart muscle, strengthening calcium, fluorine, as well as vegetable fiber and flavonoids useful for digestion.

The main components also include caffeine, tannin and catechin.

• Catechin causes the astringent taste of the infusion, and in addition, reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood and inhibits the formation of lipids that cause premature aging. This component has an antimicrobial effect, due to which green tea belongs to natural antibiotics and is used for rinsing in case of inflammation of the throat and mouth.
• Caffeine causes a bitter taste of tea, it helps to relieve fatigue, and in recent years, scientists have talked a lot about the anticancer activity of this substance.
• Tannin - This is a kind of amino acid that makes the tea taste so good, and besides it strengthens the memory, improves the ability to concentrate and normalizes blood pressure.

Tea is used for complex treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Iodine in its structure is important for people who spend too much time at the computer; it helps to remove kidney stones.

In order to enjoy a refreshing green nutritious drink and at the same time benefit the body, it is necessary to brew it properly. Let us dwell on the individual features of the preparation of this refreshing drink.

At its core, green tea is some of the youngest leaves of a regular tea bush. As a rule, 4-5 leaflets are collected on the twigs and dried in the shade.This method of preparation allows you to save the most useful substances, and to transfer them to the tincture, you just need to pour them on boiling water. Need to do it right.

The infusion of green tea should not be too concentrated, otherwise you may experience unpleasant symptoms such as palpitations, heaviness in the kidneys and liver, headache. The best way to prepare a drink is that one teaspoon with a small slide is taken for a cup of 200-250 ml. However, if you plan to enjoy tea in the company of friends, then you can add another spoon over and above the established rate.

Brewing green tea must begin with the preparation of proper water. It should be noted that tap water is not suitable here - it is too hard, it contains many impurities that significantly impair the taste and healing properties of the drink.

Some prefer to brew tea with spring water. Well, if you believe in the purity of the source, then this option is also quite acceptable.

Essentially important when brewing tea is water temperature and time of infusion.

• You should not take boiling water, water should be brought to the boiling stage, but turn it off before it boils completely. Determining at what point it is necessary to turn off the kettle is very simple: when the water starts to make noise, and air bubbles actively rise up, this will be the required temperature.
• Then you should remove the kettle from the heat and let it cool down a little, optimally - up to 90-95 degrees. If you use boiling water, then it will quickly destroy all the substances necessary for a person, and the tea will be just a refreshing and tasty drink, but, unfortunately, its healing power will go.

Well, and finally, when tea leaves and water are ready, You can proceed directly to the brewing of fragrant tea.

• To do this, use a clean, dry spoon to pour the leaves into the kettle, then pour a little hot water and immediately drain it. So we rinse and steam the leaves.
• Then you can pour the required amount of water. We close the teapot with a lid, wrap it and let it brew.
• Typically, the cooking time takes from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, the exact time depends on the type of tea. So, the longest leaves are brewed the longest, and for smaller ones it takes less than a minute.
• You should not brew tea for longer than the designated time, because in this case it will have a bitter taste, and you will not be able to reuse it again. However, if you cook steamed tea or brew a large amount for a few people, it will take about 5 minutes.
• After that, you can pour the drink into cups and enjoy its pleasant taste.

Of course, green tea, as well as any other drink, can be served to guests in regular cups, but many prefer to arrange some Chinese ceremony out of tea drinking. To create a spectacular entourage should take into account a few nuances.

If you have gathered a small company of close friends, then instead of bowls you can use special dishes, which is called gaiwan. This is a set consisting of a cup without a handle, a lid with a hole and a saucer. In this case, the drink is brewed immediately in the vessel, and drink it through the hole in the lid.

But if a lot of guests, you can hold a more complete ceremony.

• In the original, the dishes for tea are molded by hand from special clay, which is mined in a single place on the shore of Lake Tai. It is believed that it has an extremely high quality and allows you to retain heat, maintaining the high temperature of the drink.However, finding the original kettle is not so easy, and it costs quite a lot, so you can stay on simple ceramic options. Very stylish teapots made of clay, styled as Chinese painting.
• In accordance with ancient traditions, brewed tea is poured into a special jug, it is called Cha-Hai.
• There are two types of cups, of which the Chinese drink green tea: the first is high and narrow, and the second is wide and low. In both cases, dishes served on a round porcelain stand, which helps to unite all the cups on the table into a single stylized ensemble.
• A necessary element of serving is a porcelain spoon, with which you can remove tea leaves from a cup.
• And, of course, all the dishes served on a special tray made of wood at the moment when all the guests gather at the table.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to arrange a truly Chinese tea party. This is expensive, and sometimes there is not enough time for all the ceremonies. For example, at work, many people prefer to quickly drink a cup of drink while holding a sandwich, pouring tea directly into a glass or using packaged tea options.

Of course, tea from the bags can not be called the most useful, most often for such options used crushed leaves are not of the proper quality. However, there is an advantage in this packaging - tea is brewed for a few moments, in addition, there is no need to catch steamed leaves, and it is enough just to rinse the dishes.

To make tea from the bag, you just need to put it in a cup and pour hot boiled water.

The taste of green tea in bags is usually achieved by adding flavors, because at the time of saping away the dried leaves, the native flavor is lost, but all the beneficial properties of this drink remain. To increase their effectiveness, you should add a little bit of honey or sugar to the tea, due to which the amount of glycosides dissolved in it increases dramatically.

Green tea is a delicious and refreshing drink, so it is not surprising that many take it with them on picnics in a thermos and make a very common mistake. The fact is that green tea brewed in a thermos is categorically not allowed, because the water in it for a long time remains hot, and this leads to the active release of alkaloids and trace elements contained in the leaves.

But do not despair - you can always brew tea in the traditional way in a ceramic or glass kettle, and then strain the resulting infusion and pour into a thermos. In this case, you can enjoy a hot drink without worrying that it can become too concentrated and cause harm to health.

In the classic version, for the preparation of effective green tea, round teapots made of clay with a small spout are purchased, since only this form allows the drink to open up in the best way. Many cook in the kettle tea leaves, that is, a saturated concentrate, and then pour it in small quantities into cups, pour water and drink. This is not quite the right approach, because in accordance with the existing traditions of tea drinking, it cannot be used this way, and this concerns not only green tea, but also black.

If you are a supporter of the classical methods of brewing tea, then you should correctly assess the potential of your teapot and, if necessary, acquire more overall dishes or prepare a drink in two or three kettles at the same time.

One of the most common questions from tea lovers is related to the possibility of drinking green tea along with black. In principle, such a composition has no contraindications, and its taste is quite original. These types of tea are very different from each other in their flavor notes, but when combined they give a special flavor, which is loved by many gourmets. By the way, this composition has the official name - blend, in the shops you can find ready-made drinks that contain black and green ingredients.

Argued that tea can not be reused. This is true, but only in the case of a black drink, you can safely brew green one, two, three or even four times. However, it should be borne in mind some of the nuances of re-tea.

If the tea is small-leaved, then at the first brewing it is necessary to withstand the infusion for about 30-60 seconds, for the second tea - at least one and a half minutes, but for the third and fourth time it will take about 3 minutes. Connoisseurs, as, however, lovers of green tea, argue that its taste and aroma from re-brewing does not suffer, and the amount of nutrients is enough for 3-4 tea drinking.

There are many interesting and original recipes for brewing tea, but one of the most popular is considered to be the real Chinese strait method. This method has been used in China for many centuries. It is believed that only he can fully reveal the whole taste and indescribable aroma of the leaves.

• First you need to take a teapot and pour boiling water over it, this will warm it and create the desired temperature.
• Then the tea leaf is taken from the ratio of 5-7 g per 100-150 ml of liquid and is filled with water.
• In China, as a rule, the first brew is drained, it is used only to open the tea leaves, that is, they begin to unfold. Also, the first boiling water completely washes away adhered dust and dirt that has accumulated on the leaves during harvesting, storage and transportation: it is no secret that many teas are hand-picked in small villages, and the conditions are sometimes not the most sterile.

• After that, the leaves are poured again, and after a few seconds, the tea is poured into cups, most often it takes no more than 30 seconds to infuse.
• The straits can be repeated until all the tea gives up its taste completely, and with each strait the taste of tea changes a little, new notes can appear in it and even slightly change its color.
• This tea is drunk from small pialochek in order to fully enjoy all the shades of taste and aroma of this useful drink.

Of course, tea is better to brew for a single use. Nutritionists categorically do not recommend storing the brew for more than two hours; moreover, the Chinese are strictly forbidden to do so. According to ancient teachings, prolonged brewing of tea makes it poisonous, "like a viper bite."

Modern medicine supports this requirement, as long-term storage of tea makes tea leaves overly concentrated, which can cause a sharp deterioration in well-being.

It is important to know the following.

• You do not need to drink green tea on the run, as if this drink was created in order to drink it slowly, enjoying every sip, feel its taste and aroma.
• The drink should be warm, but not scalding.
• Most often it is served with sweets, jam, honey, some add lemon or diluted with milk. It all depends on your own tastes and preferences.

We suggest using the following recipes.

• Green tea with ginger. Very tasty drink is obtained if you combine notes of green tea and ginger root. To do this, leaf tea is steamed in accordance with the classic recipe, and while it is infused, ginger is cut into thin layers and squeezed out the juice of half a lemon. When tea is fully infused, it should be drained and poured into a small saucepan, there add lemon juice, ginger, a couple of peas cloves and a pinch of cardamom. Put together on low heat and warm up for about half an hour.

• Green tea with fruits and berries. Our distant ancestors prepared drinks from what grows in their garden — apples, currants, gooseberries. Modern nutritionists and culinary experts recommend combining these berries and fruits with their favorite green tea, this will give it a piquant flavor and greatly enhance its usefulness.

• Green tea is prepared according to the classic recipe and give a little brew. After 2-3 minutes, put in the teapot finely cut apple slices and add a couple of lemon slices, along with the peel and a little bit of cinnamon. The mixture is wrapped with a towel and left for 10-15 minutes, then filtered and poured into prepared cups.

Instead of apples, in this recipe you can use currants, cherries or fragrant raspberries. However, there is no limit for experiments, you can try to create your own individual drink from your favorite ingredients, which will be not only tasty, but also very useful.

10 interesting facts about green tea, see below.