How to prepare Tasty and Best Green Tea at Home

The origin of green tea is China and now it is a it is a popular health drink all over the world. All health conscious people now drink green tea instead of any other beverage. Not only is it best for your health, but it is good for your skin also. It is also an important constituent in many of the beauty products. It is also useful in reducing stress and anxiety. Green tea is rich in amino acids, many useful enzymes, carbohydrates and lipids.

Green tea has a lot of benefits.

• It is beneficial in reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s by preventing the brain cells from dying and restoring the brain cells that are damaged.
• It is also useful in the treatment of high blood pressure, viral infections, food poisoning, obesity, cancer etc.
• It also strengthens your immune system and the resistance of your body.
• Green tea is good for your skin also. The antioxidants present in green tea fight against the free radicals in the body and make your skin look young and rejuvenated.
• It also reduces damages caused by ultra violet rays of the sun.
• Green tea increases metabolism and helps in losing your weight.
• It helps in keeping the blood vessels relaxed and protects the heat from clots and other diseases.

Preparation of green tea is quite different from the black tea. You must be careful and prepare it in the right way or it will turn bitter and not fit for drinking. To prepare green tea you need the following items

• Green tea leaves,
• A strainer,
• A stainless steel pot,
• A cup
• Water for preparing the green tea.

Keep these ready before you start the preparation. Here are two simple ways to prepare green tea.

Preparation of green tea with leaves:

1. Take 1 teaspoon of green tea leaves for each cup. So if you prepare 4 cups of green tea, you have to take four teaspoons of green tea leaves.
2.  Keep the tea leaves in a strainer and put it aside ready to take when needed.
3. Next you have to take the stainless tea pot and pour the required water into it. Do not boil the water. Just make it hot so that it reaches near the boiling point. So you have to constantly keep a watch on it. This is because the ideal temperature for making green tea is between 80 degree Celsius and 85 degree Celsius. If it starts boiling in spite of watching it, you have to put off the gas and keep it aside. Let it cool for about 30 to 45 seconds. Then you can proceed further.
4. Next take the cup or the mug in which you wish to make the tea and keep the strainer with green tea leaves on top of it.
5. Pour the hot water into the mug and let the tea steep for a maximum of 3 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea to be. This is the most important part of the preparation. Some like their tea strong while others like it light. So take a teaspoon and check how strong the tea is, by drinking a spoonful of tea every 30 to 45 seconds. Continue till it attains the right flavor.
6. Once the correct strength is reached or it is past 3 minutes, remove the strainer from the mug. You may add some sugar, about half a teaspoon, for taste. If you are health conscious, you may add a teaspoon of honey instead of sugar.
7. Stir the tea well and let it cool for a few seconds. Now your green tea is ready and you may enjoy your tea.

Preparation of green tea with powder:

1. For this you need 1 cup of water, 1 and a half teaspoonful green tea powder, 1 teaspoon sugar or honey.
2. Take a stainless steel bowl and heat 1 cup of water taking care not to boil it. This is because boiling the water turns green tea bitter and makes it unfit for drinking. You can use a kitchen thermometer to check it the water has reached 85 degree Celsius. Once it attains the required temperature, put off the gas.
3. If it reaches the boiling point, switch off the gas and let it cool for a few seconds.
4. Now you have to add the green tea powder to the water and keep it covered for about 3 minutes. If you want your tea lighter, you may not wait for 3 minutes. So take a spoonful of the tea and check after one and a half minute to see if it has reached the flavor you need.
5. After 3 minutes or after it has attained the correct flavor, strain the tea using a strainer.
6. Add a teaspoon of sugar or honey to the tea and stir well. Now your cup of green tea is ready. Adding a pinch of cardamom powder to the tea increases its taste and flavor.

A few tips to get the best cup of green tea are:

• You get a variety of green tea leaves in the market under different brand names. Try different variants and choose one that you think is the best.
• Always remember to use good quality leaves or power if you want the best tea.
• When you make black tea you add tea leaves to the boiling water. But when you make green tea, never do this. This will make it bitter. So add tea leaves or powder to hot water instead of boiling water. The correct temperature is 80-85 degree Celsius.
• If you have a habit of drinking 3 to 4 glasses of water, add honey to the tea instead of sugar. This way you can reduce the sugar consumption.

So have at least 1 cup of green daily and stay healthy and fit.