Green Tea: Health Benefits And How To Brew Properly

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How to Make Green Tea Properly

By Jee Choe

Updated Apr 09, 2025

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Green tea is one of the trickiest teas to brew properly. Get step-by-step instructions from a Tea Sommelier.

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Table of Contents

• Green Tea Basics
• Note from Jee
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Tea Sommelier’s Tips
• 5 Green Teas All Beginners Should Try
• Related
• How to Make Green Tea Properly Recipe

Green Tea Basics

Green tea, like black tea and white tea, are the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant that have been plucked and processed. Green tea is a type of tea. Dragonwell, gunpowder, sencha, and matcha are all green teas.

Each type of tea goes through a different process and for green tea, the process may include withering roasting, rolling, and drying. The process varies depends on the region and country the green tea is made.

Green tea is less processed than black tea and they’re barely oxidized (letting the leaves naturally turn brown from oxygen). This is why green tea is able to maintain the green color unlike black tea or oolong tea.

There are a variety of green teas but the well known ones are produced in China and Japan. Green tea, like all other types of tea, originated in China. Thousands of years ago Japan started cultivating green tea from tea plants brought over from China. Other countries like South Korea also produce green tea but on a much smaller scale.

Green tea, if properly made, should only taste mildly astringent. You’re either using too high a temperature to brew or you’re brewing it for too long if your tea is way too bitter to drink.

Note from Jee

When I was taking the Tea Sommelier test, green tea was the easiest for me to identify since it’s the type of tea I drink the most.

If you want to get into green tea, start by picking one green tea to drink for a week or a month. Don’t drink any other tea, just the one you’ve selected.

With this method, you should be able to taste that tea at a later time and recognize it. At the end of the week or month, select another green tea. You want to go through a few green teas so you can start tasting the difference.

RELATED: Iced Green Tea

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Boil water.Check the tea package to see the correct water temperature. Using an electric kettle with temperature setting to boil water for tea makes it easy to get the water temperature just right. Boil more than needed since you want extra to warm up the teapot.

Step 2: Warm up teapot.Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around a bit. Discard the water.

Step 3: Put green tea into the teapot and add hot water. Cover teapot and steep. Check the tea package to see the steep time.

Step 4: Strain green tea solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.

Tea Sommelier’s Tips

Not all green tea is the same.There is a large range when it comes to green tea and each kind needs to be brewed in different water temperatures and steep times. This is why an electric kettle with temperature setting is crucial to brewing green tea properly. Make sure to look at your green tea package to get the correct water temperature to brew your tea.

Don’t use boiling hot water to brew green tea.Green tea is a little more delicate than hearty black tea so using boiling hot water may just burn the leaves, leaving your green tea tasting really bitter.

Don’t steep it for too long.Most green teas don’t need to be steeped for more than 3 minutes. Steeping it for longer will make the green tea taste too bitter.

Use good quality water.Always use filtered water for the best tasting cup of tea.

Green tea can be served with or without sugar.Milk isn’t generally added to green tea but you can add a little sugar if you prefer although I like it without sugar.

Green tea is green.You can usually tell if you’re drinking a green tea if the tea brewed is a shade of green. (But not all green tea brews to a green color.) It’s a handy tip I learned on how to recognize green tea when I was going through my Tea Sommelier program.

Store it properly.Brewed green tea can be placed in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

RELATED: Top 10 Tea Sommelier Tips

5 Green Teas All Beginners Should Try

1. GenmaichaThis was my gateway into tea. It’s nutty, toasty, and it’s a good introduction to green tea since there’s brown rice and popcorn added. (See how to brew genmaicha properly.)
2. SenchaThe most popular tea in Japan. (See how to brew sencha properly.)
3. HojichaA roasted green tea, it’s super nutty in flavor. I love it. (See how to brew hojicha properly.)
4. Long Jing (Dragonwell)This is on almost every tea menu and it’s easy to spot since the leaves are long and flat.
5. Bi Luo ChunOne of the most famous green teas from China.

Related

• Where to Buy Tea Online
• Chamomile Tea
• Oolong Tea
• Sencha Tea
• Moroccan Mint Tea
• Genmaicha Tea

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How to Make Green Tea Properly

By: Jee Choe Step-by-step brewing instructions on how to make green tea. Prep Time: 2 minutes minutesTotal Time: 5 minutes minutesYield: 1 serving

Ingredients 1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup water, + more to warm teapot
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons green tea, or 1 tea sachet or tea bag

Instructions

• Boil water.If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to the water temperature listed on the tea package. Heat a little more water than needed so that it can be used to warm up the teapot.
• Warm up teapot.Pour some hot water into a teapot and swirl it around. Discard the water.Warming up the teapot is an extra step that all tea professionals take the time to do, so that when the tea steeps, the water temperature won't drop drastically.
• Put green tea into the teapot and add hot water. Cover teapot and steep for 3 minutes.Steep time depends on the green tea. Check the tea package.
• Strain green tea solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.

Notes

• There is a large range when it comes to green tea and each kind needs to be brewed in different water temperatures and steep times. This is why an electric kettle with temperature setting is crucial to brewing green tea properly. Make sure to look at your green tea package to get the correct water temperature to brew your tea.
• Green tea is a little more delicate than hearty black tea so using boiling hot water may just burn the leaves, leaving your green tea tasting really bitter.
• Always use filtered water for the best tasting cup of tea.
• Milk isn’t generally added to green tea but you can add a little sugar if you prefer although I like it without sugar.
• Brewed green tea can be placed in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 0.1Carbohydrates: 0.02gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 3mgCalcium: 7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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