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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to use green tea for more than one extraction ?

Austria

Unlike black tea, green tea is unfermented. It is made from the fresh leaves of the tea plant that are steamed, rolled and dried at high temperatures. All green teas should be brewed at between 80 C0 and 90 C0; boiling water is too hot and makes the tea taste bitter. Green tea should only be steeped for one to two minutes at most (depending on the type of green tea and the personal preference of the tea drinker). Allowing steeping to go on any longer will also lead to bitterness.

Important ingredients in green tea include phenolic components like catechin and other flavonoids (antioxidant effects, also add flavour, astringency and bitterness to tea) and caffeine (mild stimulant affecting the central nervous system, a 200ml cup contains an average of 30 - 40 mg of caffeine). Green tea leaves may be re-used. A good Green tea will provide at least three infusions, but most of the important substances are extracted  during the first infusion Therefore, reusing green tea for additional infusions is mainly done for flavour and taste.

The amount of flavanoids that ends up in your cup of green tea will vary according to the amount of tea used and the length of time the leaves are infused. Shorter brewing time leads to lower flavanoid levels. People sensitive to caffeine should drink the second infusion, because approximately 80 % of the caffeine will be removed during the first brewing.

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Source: European Food Information Council

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