Most people would love to take green tea,, but the characteristic bitterness of the tea throws them off. If you are one of them and would like to know how to make green tea taste better without sugar, you are in the right place.
WHY DOES GREEN TEA TASTE BITTER?
Green tea contains three key compounds that make it bitter – caffeine, chlorophyll and catechins. Caffeine is also found in coffee, and coffee has that slightly bitter tinge.
Catechins are what green tea is best known. They pack numerous health benefits ranging from disease-fighting capabilities to weight loss.
However, it is these same catechins that make green tea bitter. Note,, however, that the tea plant is a naturally bitter-tasting plant.
Different teas come with different levels of bitterness. The green tea is hardly oxidized, which means it retains most of the compounds and bitterness.
This is no excuse not to take this drink that has been acclaimed as one of the healthiest on the planet. Once you learn how to make green tea taste better without sugar, you will be good to go!
HOW TO MAKE GREEN TEA TASTE BETTER WITHOUT SUGAR
1. MIND THE BREWING TEMPERATURE
The right temperature is the number one tip on how to make green tea taste better without sugar. Green tea and oolong tea rank as the most difficult teas to brew.
One wrong move and you are stuck with the most bitter cup of tea you would ever care to take. Make your tea at temperatures between 160-180 F.
If you have to boil your tea water, let cool first for around 2 minutes before adding green tea. If you add green tea to boiling water, the tea’s polyphenols are rapidly released, making the tea bitter.
2. LET IT STEEP FOR A SHORTER TIME
Normally when you leave your food on the stove for too long, it loses its flavour and at worst, burns. If you let your conventional black tea steep for too long, it will taste not very pleasant.
And that is only black tea which is much less bitter than green tea. Let the tea steep for not more than 3 minutes.
3. DITCH THE TEA BAGS
While tea bags are the most convenient, they hardly contain the green tea leaves purely.
Dust and fannings find their way in, thus releasing acquired bitterness of their own much faster than the loose tea. Loose green tea leaves are the best to use.
They are much more wholesome than the tea bags because they are made of whole leaves.
You may have to sieve it out which some people might find a little inconvenient, but what is a little inconvenience if the ultimate price is much healthier and less bitter green tea?
4. USE HIGHER QUALITY GREEN TEA
Perhaps your brand or type of green tea could be the reason your tea is bitter. Higher quality pure tea will be quite understandably more expensive, but it will pay off.
Loose green tea leaves tend to be of higher quality than tea bags. It isn’t easy to monitor exactly what goes into the tea bags.
An even better option with incredible health benefits is the matcha green tea, which is ground green tea.
Unlike the tea bags which you eventually throw away and loose leave dredges that you eventually sieve out, you take matcha as whole given that it is finely ground.
You can even infuse it in your cooking and baking if you are explorative.
5. ADD HONEY
If the bitterness is just too much for you and you prefer a sweeter profile, add honey to your green tea. Honey is much healthier than sugar and comes with health benefits of its own.
However, if you are taking green tea specifically for weight loss, remember that honey is very high in calories. Use honey in great moderation.
Read more if you want to know whether it is okay to add honey to your green tea.
6. MIX IT WITH FRUIT JUICE
Which is your favourite fruit juice? Make it and add it to your green tea. Natural fruit juices are packed with great nutrients and are low in calories.
Their sugar is also naturally occurring. Get the double benefit of from the fruits and the green tea. Keep experimenting with different kinds of juices and different amounts until you find a flavour profile that you love.
7. ADD SPICES
Natural spices and herbs will make the bitter taste less obvious, and make your green tea more interesting.
Ginger, cinnamon and cardamom are just some of the spices you can add to your green tea.
The spices are low in calories too,, so you do not have to worry about taking away from green tea benefits.
8. INFUSE OTHER TEAS
Why not mix your green tea with other types of tea? Nobody said you could not have to types of teas on one cup.
Lavender tea and mint tea are some of the teas with warm tones that will counteract the green tea’s bitterness. Experiment with the tea that most compliments your green tea.
9. ADD LEMON
What is better than lemon to add an interesting flavour profile into your tea! The lemon’s citrusy-ness will counteract the green tea’s bitterness just as it does in black tea.
You can either squeeze the lemon into your cup or cut it into slices and add to your cup. This is a fascinating twist to the green tea because of of lemon.
10. TAKE IT ICED
The bitterness in iced green tea is less obvious than when it is not iced. Brew your tea as you normally would, not using boiling water and not oversteeping it.
Let it cool and keep in the fridge for an hour or as long as you prefer. Serve chilled and enjoy.
CONCLUSION
Green tea is very healthy,, and if the bitterness is the only thing keeping you off, you need to learn how to make green tea taste better without sugar.
The most important tips for making green tea taste better without sugar areare mastering the right temperature to brew your tea. Take care not to overstep it.
We have detailed lots of natural and perfectly healthy things you can add to your tea to make it taste better.
Do not shy away from trying something else if one does not work for you. Do not add milk,, however, as milk may take away the green tea’s potent health benefits.
[related_posts_by_tax posts_per_page="4"]
