Comment by camgunz
3 years ago
I got into green tea around 2014 (my how time flies) and I've had a lot of experiences.
Depending on how sensitive you are everything can change the taste, but IMO the big three are:
- water (huge, huge differences)
- type of tea (cultivar, when/ where it was harvested, steam time)
- brew temp and time
I eventually settled on a system where I heat filtered water in a regular pot with a meat thermometer to the right temp (this is usually between 155-170F depending on the specific tea), pour over tea into a glass pot (through stainless steel basket), brew from 30-60 seconds (again depending on tea), serve. I also measure the water, and weigh the tea on a scale.
It might sound convoluted and compared with like, brewing a kettle and dumping over a bag it is. I mostly drink earl grey now, probably as a result. In the summers it's a lot easier, I just dump tea in a pitcher of water and put it in the fridge overnight.
Also, I wholeheartedly recommend o-cha.com for tea and peripherals.
I read that soft and low mineral water makes the best tea and tried to use water with such values bought from market. It was trash. Tap water where I live is very hard and have a good taste and the tea is much better with it - so my experience contradicts what I found about the topic on the net.
Are there any objective parameters of water which makes a better green tea?
Honestly I'm not sure; I think it has to be down to personal preference. I once had tap water in the Midwest that made delicious tea, conversely NYC's famous water was fine. The variation, plus the bonkers amount of contaminants in tap water led me to get a tank with the "lead plus" or whatever filters. It's definitely more "sterile", but on the theory that lead, PFAS, a slurry of medications and a smattering of other minerals is delicious, I'm fine with that.