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Boil your water, then allow it to cool for a couple of minutes. (70-80°C).
Using boiling water on green tea leaves kills the antioxidants in your tea, and results in a harsh and bitter-tasting drink.
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Take a good teaspoon of leaves (1 tsp per cup, or 2-3 tsps for a teapot) and place in your infuser.
These leaves need plenty of space to release their full flavour, so choose a large infuser. We recommend our two-handeled infusers, as they give the leaves enough room, and are very easy to clean out!
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Rinse the leaves under hot water.
This mini-steep lasts about 5 seconds and ‘awakens’ the leaves. Rinsing the leaves also flushes away bitter compounds and tea dust; leaving you with a smoother and more enjoyable cup. If you are preparing a flavoured green tea, skip this step; by rinsing these leaves you risk losing the added flavours.
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Keep the infusion time short (10-40 seconds).
Green tea leaves do not need to be infused for very long; over-brewing your leaves will result in a very bitter tasting drink. The quality of your leaf should dictate the infusion time: a strong Japanese Sencha won’t need more than 10 seconds to brew, however a premium grade Longjin Dragonwell can take up to 40 seconds.
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Re-infuse leaves (two or three times).
To get the most out of your green tea, re-steep the leaves multiple times. Not only does this allow you to maximise your return on investment, it also allows you to enjoy the full spectrum of a taste that differs very slightly with each infusion. Depending on the quality of your leaf, you may re-infuse more than three times!
