First Flush Green Tea

First Flush Green Tea. Tea as a drink has a constant presence in my life from as far back as I can remember. In my family there was never any negative connotation attached to tea drinking . Even though there are some dangers of caffeine addiction associated with excessive caffeine consumption. Tea was always a source of positivity.

No addiction Rule

I am extremely against addiction of any type. I remember that in my teen years I had a curated list of “Things that I want in a partner”. In it the no drinking or smoking clause featured near the top. By God’s grace I was able to stick to this clause of mine. And my partner is an even bigger stickler for the no-addiction rule.

Positivity of Tea

But somehow in case of tea I never ever had this feeling . And always feel a surge of positivity and happiness at the thought of my next cup of tea. Wherever I have gone I have changed people around me from non-tea drinkers to big tea fans. This is because of the plethora of health benefits that tea has to offer.

I am no big tea connoisseur but like to stay updated. So every time I go to the tea shop I am amazed by the wide varieties of tea available. I will share with you a few nuggets of knowledge that I have acquired in my quest for the perfect cup of mood elevating flavourful tea.

In many of the tea varieties you will see the words ‘first flush’, ‘second flush’ followed by some name or the other. Flush refers to the harvesting or picking season of the tea leaves.

First Flush

First flush tea is actually the first new tea leaves that grow on the tea plant. This is after the cold winter month when spring knocks at the door. Throughout the winter season the tea plant seems to be dormant. But is actually busy assimilating nutrients and yummy flavour enhancing components from the soil.

When the warmer spring months set in, the bright green young and energetic tea leaves that pop out from the now awaken tea plants are full of flavour and nutritional benefits that all tea lovers crave. These young, flavourful and tasty leaves are called first flush and are usually unfermented and less oxidised and hence are served as green tea. This green tea has a very mild and light flavour unlike fermented/oxidised black teas and maintain the delicateness of their taste.

Second Flush teas are those leaves which are harvested after the monsoon when the tea leaves have matured and they result in a darker and richer tea liquor.
There is a specific way in which the first flush green teas have to be prepared.
Many people complain that their green tea is bitter and drinking it is like gulping down a bitter medicine. I will share my method of green tea making for the perfect cuppa!
The best way to make green tea for the health conscious is to use this awesome green tea detox bottle from Instacuppa.

 How to make Green tea

The trick lies in the just right temperature of water. Green tea leaves or tea bags should never be added to boiling hot water. If water is too hot, it will bring out the tannins in the tea lives which results in a very bitter and unpalatable cuppa. After the water has boiled, turn off the heat. Add the first flush green tea leaves in the steel diffuser unit. When the bubbles of the boiling water have subsided, it is the right time to add the water into the Instacuppa glass bottle.
Alternatively you can use this french press coffee filter from Instacuppa also know an ‘Uphetta’ which is great for loose leaf green tea steeping.

Now comes the tricky part. The perfect timing for which you have to wait to bring out the mild and delicate flavour of the first flush tea leaves can be determined with the help of this cute as a button tea-timer.

 

We came across this during one of our mandatory tea dates at a nearby tea shop and absolutely loved it. It is perfect for knowing how long the tea leaves have to be stepped to bring out their flavour. For first flush teas 2 to 3 minutes is the ideal time. Then you remove the steel infuser if you are using detox bottle or you can press down the handle of the uphetta and you are good to go. The health conscious person inside you is happy and so is the tea connoisseur.

Enjoy your tea with these delicious cookies

 

This article is written as a part of SuperBloggerChallenge conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com https://healthwealthbridge.com/health/ ,  Allaboutthewoman.com https://allaboutthewoman.com/woman-health/and powered by Instacuppa