🍵 Green tea
Green tea is made from tea leaves that are heated soon after picking — pan-fired in China, steamed in Japan — to stop them oxidising, so they keep their green colour. Brewed in hot but not boiling water, it is light and grassy, sometimes nutty or slightly sweet, with a gentle bitterness. It is drunk plain, without milk or sugar.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2–3 g green tea leaves (about 1 tsp)
- 250 ml water
- A slice of lemon or a few mint leaves (optional)
Method
- Heat the water to about 75–80 °C, or let boiled water cool for 2–3 minutes.
- Put the leaves in a pot or infuser.
- Pour over the water and steep for 1–3 minutes.
- Strain and drink; the leaves can be steeped again two or three times.
How to make it lighter
- Plain green tea has almost no calories — keep it that way and skip sugar or honey.
- Steep it shorter or cooler if it tastes bitter, instead of sweetening it.
- Brew a large jug and chill it for an unsweetened iced drink.
History
Tea drinking began in China, where green tea is the oldest and most widely drunk style, with a recorded history going back well over a thousand years. Lu Yu's 'Classic of Tea', written in the 8th century, is the earliest known book on the subject. Tea later spread to Japan and across East Asia, and green tea is now drunk worldwide.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →