Instructions: Not all green teas taste alike; there is a wide variety of quality and grades. Some are more bitter than others and some are infused with other flavors. Ive had fun sampling different green teas and keep a wide selection on hand.

Oriental supermarkets are a good place to look for green tea. So are health food stores. And there are many places that sell it on the Net.

Heres one site Ive used that carries some high quality and exotic teas: with the mumbled chantings of a certified tea shaman! Ive had good service from these folks, and they also sell ScanPan and other neat kitchen stuff.

Heres another location that sells tea, and also has a lot of good information (I have note ordered from them.)

With green tea, less is the rule. While regular black tea should be brewed using only freshly boiled water, green tea should be brewed at a lower temperature. This will allow the subtle taste of green tea to be fully enjoyed.

Bring fresh water to a full rolling boil. Remove the kettle from heat and allow the water to cool for several minutes. Using one tea bag for each cup of tea, pour boiling water over green tea bag and steep 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the tea bag and stir. Serve green tea plain, or with a slice of orange or a dash of nutmeg. Try a flavored green tea for a change of pace.

Because of its delicate nature, green tea is not generally served with milk.

Ellens Notes:
Green tea will not have a dark color. If it does, it has been over-steeped and will most likely be very bitter.

I dont bother boiling the water and letting it cool down: I use my coffee maker to heat the water. I use 1 teabag for 18-24 oz water, and 2 teabags for the whole pot (40 - 48 oz). Then I let the tea steep for 4-6 minutes, or longer when I get tied up with email :-) . Beware that some varieties of green tea will become very bitter if over-steeped.

Green tea is also good iced. I just put some tea bags in a pitcher of cold water and refrigerate. It is important to remove teabags after several hours to prevent the tea from becoming bitter.

Ginger and or lemon are wonderful additions to iced green tea.

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