Looking For Suggestions...

[athersgeo]

Does anyone reading have any suggestions as to the best way to make green tea?

Any particular varieties anyone recommends?

What about white tea?

I need to try and cut down my caffeine intake and I know both green and white tea have less caffeine than black tea (which, in turn, has less caffeine than the way I make coffee), but I've only had minimal success in making green tea without poisoning myself. Thus I turn to the wisest people I know...

Comments

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

Place teabag in mug. Pour on boiling water. Remove teabag. Drink, adding honey if desired.

But if you don't like it, you don't like it. Plain green tea is okay, but green tea with jasmine, which you get in Chinese restaurants, is nicer, I think.

Also how about peppermint tea, which is just dried mint, basically, and very nice. Or I like ginger-mint tea, when one can get it. I also, when in France, stock up on tilleul and tilleul-menthe.

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

I'd rather not cut out caffeine altogether - at least, not yet. I've been a caffeine addict for...well...probably the better part of twenty years and I'm pretty sure my body would object!

I may see if I can acquire some honey for the purposes of sweetening, though. And I might try the green tea with jasmine.

Thank you :)

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

The trick with jasmine tea, or any other flavour of green tea, is not to make it strong - you just barely wave the tea-bag over the top of the mug.

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

I don't drink 'real' tea, and mostly stick to Twinnings Lemon and Ginger. They do a very nice green tea with jasmine, and a friend swears by green tea and spearmint. Whatever it is, I find the trick is to leave the teabag/leaves in for a very short time, less than a minute, otherwise it gets very bitter. It varies a lot depending on the brand and type of tea, but I tend to leave in for a short time, whisk out the bag with a spoon, taste it, and then dunk again if necessary. Helps me find my stewing point! Twinnings (or is it Twinings?) lemon and ginger I leave in while I drink - I like it very strong!

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

I've actually tried the Lemon and Ginger tea from Twinnings and, um...well I found it tasted a little like pondwater...! (I have three quarters of a box left, if you'd like it - I'd be happy to hand it over to someone who'll enjoy it!)

Two votes for green tea with jasmine, so I think that's definitely something worth me giving a try.

I'll also try your method of making, too - I had got to the point of not leaving it in for too long (the first time I ever tried to make green tea, I left the bag in in the same way I do for Orange and Cinamon and...yech!!!)

Thank you :)

(And if you do want my lemon and ginger tea, just drop me an email with your address in - finkess at blueyonder dot co dot uk)

[nellikins.livejournal.com]

Clipper White Tea I like again not brew it for very long - it's very pale and less astringent than green tea - I have a sample I could send you if you'd like to try.

My boss drinks green tea with peppermint (I think - it's certainly minty) all the time. I like peppermint tea and green tea (fairly weak) but not tried them together.

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

Oooh - that would be good, thank you :) Do you have my address?

It also sounds like it might be worth me looking into the green tea with mint (whether it's spearmint or peppermint!).

Thank you :)

[nellikins.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that I do, could you message or pm it to me please!

[mrs-redboots.livejournal.com]

Another thing you could try, in order to cut down your tea-drinking if you find you really don't like the green and/or herb teas, is to make a private rule that you don't have a cup of tea without first having a large glass of water. Then, if you were just thirsty, that will take care of that, and if you find you still want a cup of tea - well, have one and enjoy it!

[athersgeo.livejournal.com]

*grins* I actually already do this, or at least, I do something similar. I drink water when I'm thirsty and coffee (or, at least, it's now tea) when I need a pick-me-up.The problem's been that I've been getting tireder so the pick-me-ups have got more frequent which has meant more caffeine which has meant less sleep... Thus the trying to cut back.