Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Green tea (brewed)

Drinks & liquids · Tea

Green tea (brewed)

Brewed green tea: light, grassy and gently astringent; used as a drink and in some soups and rice dishes. Contains caffeine.

Also called: sencha, jasmine tea

8 recipes with it

Photo: Alessandro Martini, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)

What it is

This record is the brewed drink made from tea leaves that are heated soon after picking to stop oxidation, keeping them green. Japanese sencha is steamed and grassy; Chinese green teas are pan-fired and nuttier; jasmine tea is green tea scented with jasmine flowers. Matcha is ground leaf whisked into water; see matcha and green tea leaves for the dry forms.

How it’s used

  • Drinking hot or iced
  • Ochazuke (tea poured over rice)
  • Moroccan mint tea (gunpowder green tea with mint)
  • Poaching or smoking (with leaves)
  • Infusing desserts and syrups

Characteristics

Taste
Fresh, grassy and gently bitter; can be sweet and nutty.
Aroma
Vegetal, sometimes floral or toasty.
Appearance
Pale yellow-green.
When cooked
Turns bitter if brewed with boiling water or steeped too long; use water around 70–80 °C.
Sold as
liquid
Cooking uses
Suitable for boiling

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Refrigerated. Best brewed fresh; it darkens and becomes bitter if left. Refrigerate cold-brewed tea and use within a day.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains caffeine, usually less than coffee.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
1 kcal
Protein
0.22 g
Carbohydrate
0 g
Fat
0 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Beverages, tea, green, brewed, regular.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with green tea (brewed)

More tea