Green Tea
Green tea is made from Camellia sinensis leaves that are heated or steamed soon after picking to prevent oxidation, giving it a lighter color and a more delicate, grassier flavor than black tea, and it also serves as a flavoring in both sweet and savory dishes.
How to buy
Look for a vibrant green color rather than a dull brownish-green, which signals age or poor processing. Loose leaf generally offers better flavor and freshness than bagged tea. Matcha, a stone-ground green tea powder, is a distinct product sold separately for drinking and baking; check for a harvest or packaging date when available, since green tea fades faster than black tea.
How to store
Keep in an airtight, opaque container away from light, heat, and moisture. Refrigeration or freezing in a well-sealed container can extend freshness for delicate green teas, but let it come to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation. Use within about six months to a year for the best flavor.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Grassy, vegetal, and slightly astringent, with notes ranging from sweet and nutty in sencha to savory and seaweed-like in matcha and gyokuro, depending on variety and processing. Oversteeping or using water that's too hot brings out unwanted bitterness.
- Texture
- Brewed tea is thin and light. Matcha, since the whole leaf is consumed as a powder, is slightly gritty unless well whisked, and can give baked goods a dense, slightly chalky crumb if overused.
- Aroma
- A fresh, grassy, slightly oceanic aroma, most pronounced in Japanese steamed styles like sencha.
How to prepare
- Steeped — Leaves brewed in water below boiling, around 160 to 180°F, to avoid drawing out bitterness.
- Whisked (matcha) — Powdered tea whisked with hot water into a frothy drink, or blended into batters.
- Cold-brewed — Steeped in cold water over several hours for a smoother, less bitter result.
- Baked into batter — Matcha blended into doughs and batters for color and a grassy, slightly bitter edge.
Classic dishes
Chinese
- Dragon well tea service — Longjing, a prized Chinese pan-fired green tea, brewed and appreciated for its delicate flavor.
- Jasmine green tea with dim sum — Jasmine-scented green tea traditionally served alongside dim sum meals.
- Tea-smoked eggs — Hard-boiled eggs simmered and steeped in a green tea and soy infusion for flavor and marbling.
Japanese
- Matcha latte — Whisked matcha combined with steamed milk for a smooth, slightly bitter-sweet drink.
- Matcha ice cream — A custard-based ice cream flavored with matcha's grassy bitterness.
- Matcha mochi — Chewy rice cakes flavored or dusted with matcha powder.
- Sencha — A steamed green tea served hot alongside meals as an everyday Japanese tea.
- Genmaicha — Green tea blended with roasted brown rice for a toasty, nutty flavor.
- Ochazuke — A simple dish of rice with hot green tea poured over it, often topped with pickles or fish.
- Cha soba — Buckwheat noodles flavored with powdered green tea, giving them a pale green color.
- Matcha roll cake — A soft sponge cake rolled around cream, flavored throughout with matcha.
- Matcha cheesecake — A baked or no-bake cheesecake whose filling is tinted and flavored with matcha.
Korean
- Nokcha service — Korean green tea brewed and served as part of traditional tea ceremonies.
Vietnamese
- Lotus-scented green tea — Green tea leaves scented with lotus flower for a fragrant, floral cup.
Middle Eastern
- Moroccan mint tea — Chinese gunpowder green tea brewed strong with fresh mint and plenty of sugar.