Green Tea is a bright tea that has a wonderfully light, earthy flavor. Along with Early Grey and Tulsi Tea, a simple Green Tea is one of my favorites for its health benefits and delicious taste. Enjoy a hot cup plain or sweetened for the perfect afternoon break. Learn how to perfectly make green tea recipe for a refreshing and rejuvenating drink.
Tea!
Our mornings typically begin with Indian chai, as it is a very strong and bold drink with a good amount of caffeine. Since I’m not much of a coffee person I tend to try different teas instead, and chai is definitely my go-to for getting started in the morning.
However, for afternoons or evenings I like to make green tea or Kashmiri Kahwa (which uses green tea leaves with lots of spices, such as saffron and cardamom). These tend to have slightly less caffeine than chai but still contain a generous amount of pep.
Table of Contents
I have tried white tea, tulsi tea, english breakfast tea, earl grey and many more varieties. And green tea is definitely at the top of my list of favorites as far as drinkability are concerned.
You can serve this tea hot, with or without your sweetener of choice. Whether prepared as sweet or left plain to be slightly savory and earthy, green tea is great to pair with snacks.
Enjoy a cup as it is or with a healthy side snack or cookie.
Plus, it can also be served chilled over ice to enjoy cold. This is a fantastic refreshing drink for summer!
What is the difference between Green Tea and Black Tea?
Green tea and black tea actually come from the same plant – camellia sinensis. But while black tea leaves are dried and allowed to ferment and oxidize, green tea leaves are processed much quicker. This means they either do not ferment at all, or the fermentation process is not very long. Less fermenting creates a tea that isn’t as strong in flavor or caffeine as black tea.
Does green tea have caffeine?
Yes, green tea does have caffeine. Each cup has slightly less caffeine than ¼ cup of coffee – about 20 to 30 milligrams. However, this is significantly less caffeine than black tea, which has about 55 milligrams of caffeine per cup – or equal to ½ a cup of coffee. It’s limited amount of caffeine is one of the many reasons green tea is terrific to enjoy as an afternoon drink. (Source Healthline)
That said, do not have green tea or even black tea in the night as they will keep you awake.
Green tea has many Health Benefits that you should not ignore. The polyphenols in it lowers the risk of some types of cancer. It also helps in weight loss and in detoxifying the body.
What you need
You will need looseleaf green tea or tea bags from your favorite brand. To the tea you can add herbs and spices such as lemon grass, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black pepper, cardamom.
This green tea recipe makes 2 large cups or 3 small cups. Feel free to double or triple the ingredients to make in larger batches.
How to make Green Tea
1. First, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat add 2 cups water.
2. Add 4 teaspoons of raw sugar or preferred sweetener. This creates a sweeter green tea, so feel free to skip this step if you want a more earthy and unsweet tea.
If using other spices or flavorings, add them to the water now.
3. Allow the water to come to a gentle simmer as you stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Place it on your kitchen countertop. Add 2 teaspoons of looseleaf green tea leaves. Continue reading for my tips for using whole tea bags.
5. Next, cover and steep the tea for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not steep for any longer or else the tea may become bitter.
TIP: Some quality of tea leaves may require you to steep for more than 3 minutes. Check the taste and if the brew is mild, you can always steep for some more time.
6. Use a sieve to strain the leaves. Serve hot or warm, with a squeeze of lemon if you like.
Making green tea with tea bags
Boil one cup of water (237 to 250 ml) for every cup of tea you are making. Once the water comes to a gentle boil, turn the heat off and remove the saucepan from the burner. Place pan on your kitchen countertop.
Gently dip the tea bags into the hot water and allow them to steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Again, do not over-steep the tea to avoid it becoming overly bitter. Never boil the green tea bags or leaves in water.
Now add sugar or sugar cubes or a sweetener of your choice, and enjoy!
How to make Iced Green Tea
To make iced green tea recipe, refrigerate the tea in a covered jar, pitcher or bottle until cold. Serve chilled with a garnish of lemon slices or mint leaves.
Some lemon or lime juice squeezed in the tea will also make it refreshing and cleansing to the palate.
If you plan to add honey, let the tea cool at room temperature and then only add honey. Stir to give a thorough mix and refrigerate. For lighter diluted flavors, you can add 1 cup water later or top with ice cubes.
Expert Tips
- Brewing time: The brewing time varies with the quality and grade of the tea leaves. It can vary from 2 to 5 minutes. From my experience, working with the various types of tea leaves, 2 to 3 minutes work perfectly. Longer steeping time will result in making the tea bitter.
- Sweeteners: I personally prefer to use raw sugar or jaggery in my green tea. You can definitely add your preferred sweetener.
- Honey: I do not recommend adding honey to a hot green tea. Ayurveda mentions that honey becomes toxic when mixed in hot liquids. But you can surely add honey to a lukewarm tea
- Diabetic friendly version: Green tea is supposed to be good for people with high glucose levels. For a healthy cup, simply skip adding sugar or any sweetener in the tea.
- Make ahead and scaling: Make a large batch of this green tea recipe and refrigerate for a few days. Serve it chilled with a few sprigs of mint leaves or a dash of lemon juice. Do not reheat the refrigerated green tea as the flavors won’t be the same. If you love hot teas, then always brew them fresh.
- Where to buy: You can easily buy green tea leaves from any super store, health store or online.
More Coffee & Tea Recipes For You!
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Green Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons green tea leaves or 2 green tea bags
- 4 teaspoons raw sugar or add as required, can add any preferred sweetener – optional
Instructions
Heating water
- Take water in a sauce pan and let it come to a gentle boil on medium heat.
- Add raw sugar or any sweetener of your choice and stir until sugar is dissolved. You can skip sugar if you do not prefer it.
- When the water comes to a gentle boil, place the saucepan on your kitchen countertop.
Brewing with tea leaves
- Add green tea leaves.
- Cover and steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Avoid steeping for a longer time as the tea may become bitter.
- Strain and serve hot or warm. You can add some lemon juice if you prefer.
Brewing with green tea bags
- When the water has boiled, switch off the heat. Place the pan on the kitchen countertop and dip the tea bags in the hot water. Cover and steep for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add sugar or your desired sweetener.
- Stir so that sugar gets dissolved.
- Serve green tea hot or warm
Making iced green tea
- After steeping the tea and straining it, store it in pitchers or jars. Cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled or with some ice cubes.
- Place a few sprigs of mint leaves or lemon slices or include a dash of lemon juice while serving.
- If you add honey, let the tea cool at room temperature and then only add honey. Stir and refrigerate. For lighter diluted flavors, you can add 1 cup water later or top with ice cubes.
Notes
- Brewing time: The brewing time varies with the quality, grade of the tea leaves and ranges from 2 to 5 minutes. From my experience 2 to 3 minutes work perfectly. Longer steeping time make the tea bitter.
- Sweeteners: You can add your preferred sweetener or skip it entirely.
- Honey: I do not suggest adding honey to a hot green tea. Ayurveda mentions that honey becomes toxic when mixed in hot liquids. But you can surely add honey to a lukewarm tea
- Diabetic friendly version: Green tea is supposed to be good for people with high glucose levels. For a healthy cup, simply skip adding any sweetener.
- Make ahead and scaling: Make a large batch of green tea and refrigerate for a few days. Serve it chilled with a few sprigs of mint leaves or a dash of lemon juice. Do not reheat the refrigerated green tea as the flavors won’t be the same. If you love hot teas, then always brew them fresh.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Green Tea recipe from the archives was first published on April 2010. It has been updated on November 2024.
