The green tea recipe
for your table
Bring the water to a boil and let it cool to 70 to 80 degrees. Without a thermometer, do this: pour the boiling water into a second glass or jug first and let it stand there for a minute or two. Each time you pour it into another vessel, the temperature drops by roughly five degrees.
Put three grams of leaves in the glass or pot. Green tea needs room to unfurl, so it’s better to use a spacious infuser or no infuser at all than a cramped tea ball.
Pour the water over the leaves and steep for one to three minutes. Sencha needs just a minute and a half, while gyokuro prefers a longer steep and slightly cooler water. If the water is too hot or the tea steeps for too long, it becomes bitter and astringent; with green tea, that’s the mistake people make most often.
Pour out all the tea, down to the last drop, otherwise the leaves will continue steeping in the remaining water. After that, you can steep the same leaves a second and third time; steep them for less time on subsequent brews, because the leaves have already opened up.
What did you think of this recipe?
One click on a star is enough. If you’d like to add something, we’ll read it first before it appears here.
Save this recipe
Send the green tea recipe to your own email, so you’ll have it to hand when you’re about to make it. You’ll also receive a €5 discount code when you spend €50 or more, for the glasses that go with it.
The story
Green and black tea come from the same shrub, Camellia sinensis. The difference arises in the first hours after picking. If you leave the leaves undisturbed, they oxidize and turn brown; if you heat them immediately, that process stops and the leaves remain green. In China, the leaves are heated in a wok, while in Japan they are steamed, which explains the difference in flavor: Chinese green tea is often nutty and smoky, while Japanese green tea is more seaweed-like and sweet. That one decision - heating the leaves immediately or not - makes all the difference between a cup of green tea and a cup of black tea.
The right glass
You drink green tea in smaller portions than black tea, because you pour the same leaves several times. A glass of around twenty centiliters is the right size for this. A double-walled glass is especially useful here: the outside stays cool enough to hold, so you do not need a handle, and the double wall keeps the tea at temperature for longer. Clear glass also shows the light green color, which is part of the appeal of green tea. More sizes and shapes can be found among the tea glasses.
Luigi Bormioli Thermic Glass Tea Glass 22 cl (2 pieces)
La Rochère Lyonnais Tea Mug 27.5 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 61,90.
The right tools
For green tea, besides the glass, you use a mixing glass in which you let the boiling water cool, and a fine strainer to hold back the leaves when pouring out. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 45,85.
Which pour belongs in green tea?
Green tea is light in flavor, so keep the pour small and choose something fresh. In the glass, liqueur works best, with limoncello and Passoã among the most commonly used bottles. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Sencha is the everyday Japanese green tea; gyokuro is the more expensive variety grown in the shade, with a sweeter, fuller taste. Genmaicha is sencha with roasted rice added, giving it a nutty cup, while bancha is the coarser leaf picked later in the season, milder and lighter. From China comes gunpowder, leaves rolled into small pellets that unfurl in water; it is also the basis of Moroccan mint tea. Grind the leaves into a fine powder and it is called matcha, and you drink the leaves themselves too, for example as a matcha latte. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Place the pot or jug on the table and pour small portions at a time so no one is left with a cold cup. Serve the lemon slice on the side rather than in the tea: some drinkers prefer it plain. Leave the wet leaves in the strainer, so you can brew a second round within the hour.
Good to know
Why boiling water makes green tea bitter
The hotter the water, the faster the tannins and bitter compounds are released from the leaves. Green tea is unoxidized and releases these compounds much more easily than black tea. At 100 degrees, they are released within a few dozen seconds, making the cup sharp and astringent. At 70 to 80 degrees, the sweet, grassy notes remain prominent.
Reaching the right temperature without a thermometer
Boil the water and leave it in an open jug for three to four minutes; it will then be roughly eighty degrees. You can cool it faster by pouring the water into a second jug or glass: each pour lowers the temperature by about five degrees. In Japan, there is even a separate little bowl for this on the table.
Steep the same leaves multiple times
Good leaves yield two to three infusions. The first is the sweetest, the second often the fullest, and the third lighter. Steep the second and third infusions for less time than the first, because the leaves are already open and release their flavor more quickly. Always pour it out completely between infusions, and do not leave the leaves in water.
The well-known varieties
Sencha is the standard Japanese green tea, fresh and grassy. Gyokuro is shaded during the final weeks of growth, making it sweeter and fuller. Genmaicha is sencha with roasted rice, while bancha is the coarser leaf harvested later in the season. China produces gunpowder, rolled into small balls. Matcha is not a separate tea plant, but finely ground leaves that you whisk instead of steeping.
How much caffeine does it contain
A 20-centiliter cup of green tea contains roughly 20 to 50 milligrams of caffeine. This depends greatly on the type and steeping time; gyokuro is on the high end, bancha on the low end. With matcha, you drink the entire leaf, so the caffeine content is higher than in brewed tea.
Frequently asked questions
How hot should the water for green tea be?
Between 70 and 80 degrees. Boiling water extracts the bitter compounds from the leaves within half a minute, making the cup harsh and astringent. Let boiled water cool for a few minutes, or pour it once into a second glass; that can quickly lower the temperature by five degrees.
How long should green tea steep?
One to three minutes. Sencha needs about a minute and a half, bancha can steep a little longer, while gyokuro calls for cooler water and more time. Pour it out completely afterward; otherwise the leaves continue steeping in the remaining water.
Can you steep green tea multiple times?
Yes, two to three times with the same leaves. The first infusion is the sweetest, while the second is often the fullest. Steep it for less time on subsequent infusions, because the leaves have already opened up and release their flavor more quickly.
What is the difference between green tea and matcha?
Matcha is green tea ground into a powder. With regular green tea, you steep the leaves and then throw them away; with matcha, you whisk the powder into water and drink the entire leaf. As a result, matcha has a fuller flavor and a brighter color.
Also delicious
Everything for your bar,
to one address
Glasses in hospitality quality, delivered by the set. Ordered today, delivered quickly.
Shop the glasses →