Have you been avoiding your cup of green tea lately because of its bitter taste?
Green tea is one of the tricky teas to brew and has that astringency to it than other teas. It has a lot of types & variations but is green tea even supposed to be bitter in taste?
This guide will show you the mistakes and ways to steep better if you have this issue. Be ready to make your brew game stronger.
Let’s get to the point and discuss whether green tea is bitter or sweet?
Is Green Tea Supposed to Be Bitter?
There are two sides to the answer.
Yes, if you are tasting green tea for the first time chances are that it will feel a little bitter to you. Regular green teas that are fried and roasted have astringent flavor and are supposed to be bitter.
Most sun-grown Chinese green teas taste like this due to photosynthesis and slight oxidation.
No, if you are a regular green tea drinker and know how to brew a perfect cup of green tea. Steamed green teas are never bitter and have a sweet taste and floral aroma to them.
Most Japanese green teas that are shade-grown and have a high quality have a sweet taste with pure green color.
In general, your green tea should be earthy, sweet, nutty, or slightly astringent but not too bitter.
Therefore, green tea is a hard tea to brew properly if done so it can give you a great taste. The resulting flavors depend upon many other factors like origin, processing, and quality of green tea.
If it is tasting so bitter to the point that it’s unconsumable, then there might be something wrong that you are doing.
5 Reasons Why Your Green Tea Taste Bitter?
Green tea turns bitter when it is brewed at a high temperature and overstepped. Due to this, a beneficial compound called polyphenols is released into the water too fast. This results in bitter and harsh flavors.
Let us see what other factors contribute to making green tea bitter.
1) Using Boiling Water
Green tea leaves contain chlorophyll and polyphenols which are responsible for the color of the leaves.
When you use high temperatures, more of these compounds are released and it creates a bitter brew.
Thus, this may be the reason your green tea turns bitter.
2) Low-Quality Leaves
Most low-quality leaves are grown in sunny areas. Due to a lot of sunlight, they change the color and taste of the tea. These tea leaves are more curly and dried. The brew of these leaves will have an astringent taste.
Therefore, using low-quality leaves may make the green tea bitter as they also oxidized due to not being properly processed and treated.
3) Brewing Too Long
This one is the most common mistake people does. They think through more brewing, they will get more benefits out of the green tea leaves.
But this is not true. Over-brewing makes the essential oils evaporate and release the bitter tannins. Hence changes the flavor of the tea.
4) Choosing Wrong Water
Some waters are hard and themselves have a taste to it which is not pleasant to use and make something. Spring and mineral waters are fine to use.
But beware of using distilled water as they create a different taste which is not pleasant.
5) Using Too Much Tea Leaves
Using the right amount and quantities to follow in any recipe is a crucial step to gain the desired output.
Check out if you are using too much green tea in your pot, it will turn bitter. Follow the instructions to get the right brew.
4 Ways To Make Green Tea Taste Better
You can fix this and change some steps in your steeping methods to make your green tea taste better. Try the following ways to get rid of the bitter tea.
1) Steeping And Timings
The recommended steeping time to brew green tea leaves and tea bags is 2-3 minutes and with hot not boiling water.
When you take care of the temperature and do not over steep your tea that perfect amount of compounds create a good blend.
2) Using Quality Green Tea
Do your research before buying, its better to buy the green tea leaves physically but if you are buying your green tea leaves online, then do your research before ordering.
You don’t want to be disappointed as there are hundreds of green tea brands, each one providing different flavors and benefits.
3) Using Sweeteners
As we told you earlier that some green teas are naturally astringent and have a slightly bitter taste.
To overcome that you can add sweeteners to your green tea. Add sugar according to your taste or green tea with honey is a healthier option.
4) Checking The Expiry
If nothing else works do check the expiry of your green tea. You may have kept it longer than its shelf life. Opening the green tea jar, again and again, oxidizes it and it loses its flavor and color.
Is It Okay To Drink Bitter Green Tea?
Yes, you can drink bitter green tea. Caffeine and chlorophyll are bitter compounds in green tea. They are healthy and provide a lot of benefits like weight loss, boosting metabolism, and making your brain function faster.
Make sure not to over brew your tea, as it increases the release of tannins. Tannins are not dangerous but if taken in high amounts they can cause side effects on the body.
Therefore, you can drink bitter green tea even its expired and lost its color. The green tea should not be moldy.
Frequently Asked Questions
People asked the following questions about green tea. We answered them shortly for you.
Is Green Tea Naturally Bitter?
No, green tea is not naturally bitter. The temperature and processing make the green tea bitter, fruity or tasty.
Green tea should taste earthy, grassy, vegetal, nutty, or even sea weedy but never bitter. Green tea is not supposed to be bitter. If it does it means there is something wrong in brewing or quality of the green tea.
Does Bitter Green Tea Help You Lose Weight?
Yes, bitter or not green tea makes you lose weight especially early morning on an empty stomach and before a workout.
The caffeine and EGCG in green tea help the body to boost your metabolism and burn calories.
Conclusion
Green tea is a delicious drink that relaxes your mind and body. Make your experience better by following the ways we told you and avoiding mistakes.
Try different blends and don’t settle for less. Time to get back to your morning ritual of drinking green tea, this time a perfect cup with great taste.
