Best Tasting Green Tea For Beginners

If you landed on this page, you probably have heard about the many benefits of drinking green tea. However, finding the best tasting green tea for beginners is not always an easy task.

As a consequence, you could end up thinking that green tea is not for you. But in reality, you might be drinking the green teas that don’t match your palette.

If you feel overwhelmed by all the options and are unsure of which one to try first, you’ve come to the right place. This article gathers information about green tea and provides you with a list of the best tasting green teas for beginners to help you find the one that best suits you.

In the end, exploring and experimenting is what makes the world of tea so alluring. 

What is green tea?

Green tea is a “true” tea because it comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis leaves, which is the same plant for oolong tea and black tea!

In Green tea, the leaves and buds have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process to make oolong teas and black teas.

Difference between Green, Oolong & Black tea

Generally speaking, to make green tea, you steam or pan-roast the leaves immediately to stop the oxidation process. While with Oolong, you partially oxidized the leaves, and with black, you let the leaves fully oxidize.

How does green tea gets processed?

Green tea leaves are fresh at processing; it all starts with roasting or steaming to prevent oxidation. After that, the leaves go through several drying steps to avoid fermentation.

In China, pan-firing is the most common initial processing step, in contrast to Japanese green teas, which mostly steam the leaves as their first step.

In Japan, sencha accounts for approximately 75% of the green tea production.

For this reason, steamed green tea like Sencha will have a vegetal note, while Chinese tea that has been pan-fired such as Mao Feng, is nuttier and sweeter.

This type of processing method aims to preserve the vibrant green color and nutrient content that differentiates green tea from black tea. For example, the black tea leaves are much deeper because they are fully oxidized since they can rest for longer before being roasted.

Harvesting seasons for green tea

Typically green tea is harvested three times a year. But the price and the quality are very different depending on the collecting time for the leaves.

Springtime (April – May)

The tea leaves that are harvested during the spring also known as the first flush are the young sprouts, these leaves are not as tannic. Therefore, they are less bitter than green tea which is harvested during a different season.

Some of the best-tasting green teas are harvested during this time. For instance, sencha and ceremony grade matcha are both first flush teas.

Summer (July)

Because of the summer sun & the fact that the plant already used nutrients to produce the first flush, tea that is collected during this season tends to be more bitter than the previous one.

For this reason, it is commonly used in drinks like lattes or for culinary purposes. The matcha powder that you can get at the grocery store is a good example of this type.

Fall (October)

This harvest is considered the lowest grade, and it is mainly used by companies that manufacture bottled tea and confectioneries.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

You can think of Green tea as a functional food since intensive research has been conducted, in particular on green tea to prove its health benefits.

Loaded with powerful antioxidants, essential nutrients, and anti-inflammatory polyphenols, green tea has quite an impressive list of potent health benefits.

Cognitive function: 

Green tea possesses a potent combo of caffeine and l-theanine, making it an excellent study aid that can help boost your brain and keep your mind in a state of calm and focus.

Immune system:

The process that green tea goes through allows the tea to retain a high amount of antioxidants and polyphenols, boosting the immune system. 

Cardiovascular disease: 

Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, are the leading causes of death worldwide. Many studies have linked green tea to a healthy heart by checking the LDL or harmful cholesterol levels.

How to brew green tea?

To obtain the best tasting green tea is important to understand the different tea types.

People make a common mistake by brewing green tea as if they were brewing black tea by putting a lot of leaves into a big pot and adding boiling water.

Since the green tea leaves are fresh and not oxidized, it is essential to keep an eye on the water temperature, unlike black leaves.

Never use boiling water as it will scorch the leaves, and you will miss out on the tea’s full flavour profile.  

Here are a few more green tea brewing tips to keep in mind:

• Use fresh, pure, cold filtered water. Springwater is the best
• It is best to steep green tea in thin porcelain or glassware
• The suggested temperature of the water is 85°C for Chinese green tea &  70°C for Japanese green tea
• Let the tea brew for approximately 1-2 min before serving

Using the right temperature for steeping your tea avoids overcooking it. As a result, it will draw out the best flavors from your leaves as well as preserve most of the antioxidants found in green tea.

(Note: The brewing times may be shorter or longer according to your taste)

Take a look at this step-by-step demonstration of how to brew Chinese green teas.

Recommendations for Best Tasting Green Tea for Beginners

The teas listed below will give you a taste of the broad palette of flavours that green tea has to offer. As an extra benefit, they are also easy to brew so you can start enjoying them right away.

Himalayan green tea

The leaves for this green tea are picked from the mighty Himalayas ‘ foothills; it has a fresh and nutty aroma characteristic of high-altitude tea plantations. Himalayan green tea can help calm the mind, boost the immune system, and healthy-looking skin.

Best for: Someone who is brand new to green tea and mostly drinks herbal and black teas

Japanese Sencha

Sencha is a word from the Japanese language which means “steam tea” With a rich, brothy, light & refreshing feeling, this tea is a wonderful candidate for an everyday tea year-round. It has a refreshing grassy vegetal flavor and deeper green color.

Best for: Looking for something as an afternoon pick me up with health benefits health & clarity. Avoid if you don’t like grassy notes.

Genmaicha

Genmaicha is a mixture of green tea with perfectly-roasted brown rice, called Genmai. This tea is sweet, with toasty vegetal notes that are easy to enjoy. The rice adds a nutty taste and roasted aroma. 

Best for: Toast lovers, someone looking for an everyday tea to drink plain.

Jasmine Green Tea

Chinese people tend to scent their teas rather than flavor them, with jasmine flowers being the favorite choice. Jasmine green tea has a light flavor with an intense jasmine note and is excellent both hot and cold.

It would be best if you stayed away from cheap Jasmine green tea since it often contains low-grade teas and artificial flavors that make it taste like bad perfume.

Best for: Someone looking for a tea to go well along or after a meal.

Tip: Try brewing a strong Jasmine Green tea and add a splash of half and half, and a bit of local honey. Yummy! 

Matcha Green Tea

The Matcha green tea bushes are carefully grown under the shade for about one month before harvesting to protect them from sunlight. As a result, this step brings out a sweet taste with no bitterness.

Best for: The tea lover who enjoys aromatic tea with a rich mellow taste.

Additionally, matcha is also popular as a food seasoning, and it would be a perfect option for someone who enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. 

Dragon well

Dragon Well tea is harvested during the springtime. Spring harvesting means that the sprouts do not have much of the tannins that produce the bitter taste. The mix of the young leaves and the pan-roasting processing method results in a creamy and nutty profile.

Best for: Nice introductory tea for most people who like to experiment with green teas.

Final thoughts

Whether you’re looking to enhance your wellness or just expand your drinking horizons, maybe a green tea blend sampler should be on your wish list.

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