Okay, so it goes without saying that green tea is one of the best drinks around health-wise.
I mean let’s look at green tea’s stats here. When it comes to the health department, green tea has antioxidants, tannins, vitamins A, B, C, and E. It also has L-theanine to help reduce your caffeine-crash, plus may help prevent some diseases.
But let’s face it, there’s something green tea is lacking in. You guessed it, the flavor department!
Now, I’m not saying green tea tastes bad, in fact, the art of drinking and enjoying green tea goes back thousands of years. There are hundreds of different leaf varieties out there each with their own exquisite flavors and aromas.
So no, green tea does not taste “bad”. But for casual drinkers, green tea might be a tough sell when it’s more bitter, tart, or astringent. Don’t worry! You’re in luck because I’ve compiled a handy list of how to make green tea taste good!
How to Make Green Tea Taste Good with Added Ingredients
Here are some tasty additions you can add to your green tea to improve its flavor. Note: these are not meant to all be added at the same time, although you could try a couple.
1. Add Sugar
To balance out the bitter or tart flavors in some green tea varieties why not add some sugar? This one comes with a bit of a warning label because while green tea is great for your waistline, sugar is not. So use this one sparingly.
A good alternative is to use brown sugar or that oh so trendy Okinawan black sugar. It’s unrefined and sports some keen minerals like iron and potassium!
2. Honey, I’m home!
Are you looking for another delicious and natural sweetener? One of my favorite ways how to make green tea taste good is by adding honey. Honey is an even better option than sugar for sweetening green tea.
Why? Because honey is naturally sweeter but doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels. Not to mention honey is good for your throat. So if you feel a cold or a cough coming on, grab some green tea with honey. It’s sweet and healthy. What a bonus!
3. Lemon Zest
Another tasty and healthy option. Lemon in your green tea will make for a refreshing, citrusy, and healthy beverage for sure! If the whole lemon is a bit too acidic, then just go for a bit of lemon zest in your cup.
That means just the skin or the peel. Give it a twist so some of the citrus oil comes out to play. And voila! You have a tastier green tea that can boost your immune system and add some extra vitamin c to your drink.
4. Add Flower Power
Story time; I was visiting Okinawa a few years back. I walked into a shop and had the most delicious tea I have ever had. I asked what it was and the shopkeeper told me it was iced jasmine tea. Green tea leaves with jasmine flower petals. It was sweet, floral, aromatic, and had this incredible reddish color.
In short, it was good! Now for a bit of a quick history lesson; people throughout China and other parts of Asia have been flavoring green tea with dried flower petals for centuries.
Needless to say, it’s a tried and true method if folks in Okinawa still do it today! Some great petals to add are jasmine, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, roses, and osmanthus. But feel free to get creative.
5. Add Some Ginger
Ginger, like green tea, is packed with health-enhancing properties like easing nausea and menstrual cramps, boosting the immune system, and reducing inflammation. Just to name a few. Ginger will add a bit of spice, aroma, body, and pizzazz to your green tea.
Ginger will certainly help your green tea taste better! I even have a blog post on how to make fresh ginger tea if interested.
How to Make Green Tea Taste Good with Other Methods
Aside from the previous ingredients discussed to add to your tea, there are other ways how to make green tea taste good.
Some of the reasons why green tea might taste a little bitter or even bland might have to do more with the tea leaves you’ve chosen or how you brew it.
Take some of these precautions below to make sure your green tea tastes awesome every time.
6. Use Good Quality Water
Since tea is mostly water, choosing filtered or purified water is a must. Nasty water or water from the tap will lead to whack tasting tea for sure!
7. Steep Time and Brewing
Tea becomes more bitter and astringent the longer it steeps. Green tea leaves should be brewed in slightly below boiling water.
Just wait a couple of seconds after your kettle reaches that boiling point before steeping your leaves. Also, make sure to only steep your leaves for about 2 to 3 minutes. Anything more will lead to some mighty green tea!
8. Use Good Quality Tea Leaves
If you want something tastier than regular green tea, look for more than teabags! Teabags often contain stale tea leaves and tons of debris like twigs and other stuff.
Loose leaf tea is the best to choose because the bigger leaves release more flavor and aroma. They are also usually not as old and stale as the tea in teabags might be.
9. Stay Cool
Another chill way to enjoy green tea is to either ice it or cold brew it. To ice it, brew it hot, let it cool, then add ice cubes.
As simple as that! Once you add your ice you will be treated to some cool and refreshing green tea, maybe more so than hot brewed green tea!
Another frigid method for making green tea tasty is cold brewing. This means you add your tea leaves, some cold or room temperature water in a sealable container or vessel. Let it all sit overnight in the fridge and after 12-24 hours you will have a cool, refreshing, aromatic, and delectable green tea!
Conclusion on Ways to Make Green Tea Taste Good
As discussed, there are a number of ways how to make green tea taste good. You can add some nice flavors that work well with green tea like sugar, honey, lemon zest, flower petals, or ginger.
Additionally, you can use better water, change your steep time, use better leaves, or even try chilling your drink.
Green tea has a lot of good health benefits. Don’t pass ‘em up because green tea may be a bit bitter or astringent for your palette. Make your tea work for you and you can enjoy the benefits while also treating your tastebuds. Happy brewing!