Green tea - can I teach myself to love it?

Everyday living
21

Tina,

Following on from Dr Geoff’s recommendation of red bush tea, TickTock make a green tea version of red bush. Although red and green should not be seen, according to the fashionistas, it really is a very palatable infusion. It tastes much better than standard green tea and does not stew. You can add more water without weakening the drink, which is good for the pocket.

I buy it in bags but I do not know if a loose version is available so that you can advantage of your splendid teapot. You can buy loose red bush tea which is very refreshing and tastes just as nice if you let it go cold. Some African recipes use it as a form of stock in cooking. In case that puts you off, the flavour is sweet and nutty when served without milk and any sweetener. The loose version does look unfamiliar as the red bush plant is not a member of the tea family but a separate species peculiar only to the Western Cape. It looks like small red twigs.

I used to drink Gunpowder tea; the small pellets of tea would unfurl into great leaves like seaweed. Very nice tea.

Happy infusing!

Alun

22

Hi Alun,

Thank you, I may try. I’m really confused about how you can make a green tea out of red bush, though? Is it some kind of mixture of the two?

I’ve got quite a lot of the flowering tea still to get through yet, though!

I take it red bush or rooibos tea is not in any way related to real tea? Just named after it?

It seems to be getting very popular now - and you can buy it with various fruit or herbal additives, just like regular tea.

Until recently, I’d never heard of it outside the books about the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency - isn’t that what they drink all the time in that? I keep wondering if it’s the books that have made it so popular.

Tina

23

Ah, that’s one I can’t get on with, I’m afraid.

In fact, I threw a packet away - not because I didn’t like it, but because it kept giving me heartburn.

Google suggests I’m not alone, and in spite of its supposed stomach settling properties, mint is a common heartburn trigger.

It’s a shame, as you’re right that it’s a more palatable way of taking it. Also very refreshing on a summer’s evening. But absolutely no fun if you develop burning under the breastbone within minutes of drinking it. :frowning: I kept trying to persuade myself it was coincidence, and must have been the preceding meal that really caused it. But no - in the end, I had to admit defeat.

Tina

24

Tina,

From what I gather, green tea is made from the leaves of a specific tea plant and then processed by drying or steaming. For the rooibos green tea the same process is applied, hence the name has been retained.

The rooibos plant is not related to traditional tea plants and resembles Broom, with short stalky leaves from which the ‘tea’ is produced.

It is the best tea to quench your thirst and, of course, has no caffeine and is high in antioxidants. A cup is recommended just before bed as it helps to induce pleasant dreams. I have been drinking it since about 1972 and it does seem to work.

As for the famous detective series I think a little blatant product placement has taken place, certainly in the tv dramatisations, as I am sure the Red Bush Tea Company was the endorsed product. I am sure this helped with its popularity as even Tetley sells it. It’s bound to grow well in God’s Own County.

I hope you persevere with your experimentation and begin to enjoy the delights of red bush tea, in both green and red permutations. If you are then emboldened to further rashness, I would recommend the Pukka range of infusions. In particular the Three Ginger and the Liquorice and Peppermint blend, or is that a step too far?

Alun

25

hi tina

you have had some good replies.

i love the idea of ginger and liquorice/peppermint flavours.

i may have to having a shopping expedition.

carole x

26

I definitely need to steer clear of mint, and possibly also anything else “hot” like ginger, as they give me acid. And I don’t much like liquorice, so all of your favourites are out for me.

Most fruit should be OK.

I’m still liking the coffee better. I’m on my fourth sample pack of a selection of nine, at the moment. I’m on the Columbian one, this time, I think it’s the first one I haven’t really liked. I know it sounds odd, of a coffee, but I’m finding it too sweet. I’m putting my usual amount of sugar in, but it always tastes as if I’ve overdone it. So I tried cutting down on the sugar, but it still tastes a bit sickly.

I’m surprised, as Columbian is reputedly the best, but it’s just not grabbing me. I liked the Dominican one, and the one before that, which was Ethiopian.

Tina

x

27

Hi Tina

I don’t drink as much tea as I used to because it irritates the bladder, but I do love the stuff. I’m a bit of a tea purist, and think it’s worth doing properly, and only use loose leaf tea, whether that’s black, green or white.

When it comes to green tea, don’t use boiling water - turn the kettle off just as you start to hear it boil. Then let it steep for no more than 3 minutes - any longer & it becomes too bitter (I tend to go for 2 minutes). Loose leaf is, obviously, better than bags. My absolute favourite is called Antu Valley, which is from Nepal, and has absolutely no bitterness at all. I buy it from a lovely couple who trade as The Tea Experience (they’re online, though I always get it from them at markets as they’re fairly local to me).

I remember having some white tea a few years ago for the first time, made with a tea bag, and thought it was horrible. But a friend, knowing my love for Nepalese tea (both black & green) brought me back some loose leaf white stuff from Nepal recently, and that’s lovely, much more delicate in flavour than green, very gentle & no bitterness at all either.

Another one I tried recently from the Tea Experience is called Genmaicha. It’s a Japanese green tea, but with toasted brown rice mixed in. Sounds odd, but I loved it - the aroma reminded me of pop corn, and had a slight nutty flavour, similar to the barley tea I’ve had a couple of times at a Korean restaurant near where I live.

A quick tip for helping to convert yourself to it is to have it regularly rather than occasionally. Usually, with any food or drink you think you don’t like, if you persist & have it every day, it won’t take long to win your taste buds over. (As an example, when I came to university, I was a cider drinker, & hated beer. But at Fresher’s Week, I forced myself to drink bitter. By the end of the week I loved it, and found cider nasty!)

Dan