Green tea- quality difference?

dinneenp · 12-04-2022 03:59PM #1

Hi,

So I drink green tea, maybe 3 cups a day. In Aldi it's well under a euro, for branded versions about €3 or thereabouts. Is there any difference in the quality/pick of the tea? My gut is saying no.

Thanks,

Pa.

maninasia · 12-04-2022 04:02PM

There won't be since it's all poor quality tea in the first place.

maninasia · 12-04-2022 04:02PM

witchgirl26 · 12-04-2022 04:16PM

I drink tea from a small tea company based in the UK & honestly since having their green tea versus supermarket green tea I've noticed a huge difference in taste quality. That said, I don't mind the supermarket ones & if you like them, keep on with them.

dinneenp · 13-04-2022 04:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118916964#Comment_118916964

Not sure if you mean poor taste or poor quality; if poor quality, why?

maninasia · 14-04-2022 12:50PM

That's a really great question , and what is a great taste in particular can be very subjective, but I will try to explain below what I mean. I've studied how to make tea so I know a bit about it.

Because really good quality tea is usually hand picked from the tips of the tea plant at high altitude . The tips of the tea plant have less bitter compunds but packed full of polyphenols and theanine (one of chemicals that makes you feel calm) and caffeine (that gives you a little kick). The high altitude allows the leaves to grow slower and thicker. Will all be hand processed to avoid damaging the leaves.

Then the same tea grown at lower altitude will still be excellent but not the top grade.

The next level down will be machine cut whole tea leaves from a single harvest and hand processed .. Still far better than anything you will ever find in a supermarket

Then the next level down would be mass produced green tea mixed from various farms and highly automated but keeping whole leaves .

The the next level is highly processed and cut green tea into very small pieces for quick brewing (such as your Lyons or Barry's teabags).

And so on. Even more than coffee, tea plant varieties , how they are grown, where are grown and processed can give very different flavours. Simply put you will never get very high quality green tea from a supermarketmass market brand at that price level . I'm not saying it's not drinkable, and enjoyable taste can be subjective , it's just like the difference between table wine and fine wine,or instant coffee and fresh brewed Arabica.

In my opinion and those of many tea professionals , how to define good quality tea , is if you don't need to add sugar and it can brew for three- five minutes without being bitter, like good oolong tea, that could be a great tea. Because the tea grower and processor avoided introducing the bitter compounds into the tea leaves (which is why we need to add sugar and milk to poor quality black tea..It's too bitter otherwise ..Good quality tea is never instantly bitter).

Fine loose leaf tea is more expensive but I recommend you try all the different loose leaf teas out there it's amazing to discover the very diverse world of pure loose leaf tea leaves. There's actually 7 major types of tea and not just Green Tea and Black Tea as most people are familiar with . It's not as expensive hobby as you may think.

CrookedJack · 14-04-2022 03:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118925905#Comment_118925905

Great post, very informative. The only thing missing is some recommendations for different teas and where to get them - You could be starting us all off on our new hobby!

WaveWatcher · 14-04-2022 03:48PM

For sumerparket green tea my prefrence is the Numi range or Robert Roberts if Numi's not available. I'm not a fan of the Aldi or twinings brands.

2011abc · 14-04-2022 08:50PM

Clearsprings organic Sencha loose leaf brewed in a basket . Water off the boil or you risk fishiness . ( Although boiling water will get the last bit of life from spent leaves if you’re a cheapskate like me . I sometimes ‘dilute’ this stuff with Aldi /Lidl cheap ‘powder bags’ . You can get 3-6 cups from a quarter full ( or less ?) basket .Cold green tea from the fridge is still my morning kickstart despite becoming a ‘coffee guy’. Better than water for hydration and detox .

maninasia · 15-04-2022 01:11AM

I live in one of the world greatest tea producing nations . As such I generally only drink local direct from the tea farmer and processor sourced tea, you could say it's single origin tea , from a spring , winter or summer harvest , so it's a bit hard to recommend for you. Loose leave teas from a shop or specialized vendor are almost always going to be the best. Go into the shop , and look at the tea, smell the tea (fresh loose leaf tea smells incredible ), and even ask the owner to brew a sample or send you samples . There's no need to buy a large amount of any one tea. Just try out different ones and have fun and see what you like.

Not a brand sold in a supermarket. Because the brand is trying to sell a mass market homogenised product that tastes the same every single time at a low price that consumers expect to buy for. That tea could have been harvested years before . Now there's some mid market brands that do what they do well , but they will never be as good as hand-picked hand processed single origin tea. And just like wine you'll get an exceptional tea one year and kind of mediocre the next due to the weather mostly. All tea growing regions have competitions where they select the finest teas of this year's season and variety.

I'm always happy to talk tea . In the future I may be able to share some back in Ireland. I would love if Irish people could start to discover the amazing world of tea out there. Most Irish people think Barry's tea is the be all and end all and it's just the tip of the iceberg. Or rather the over processed dusty remnants of assam tea leaves .😁

the beer revolu · 16-04-2022 02:39PM

In my limited experience, Gunpowder green tea from Asian shops tends to be nicer than the big brand green teabags.

ash97 · 13-05-2022 12:02AM

I cant' find good tea lately too..

Planet X · 16-01-2025 10:26AM

I’ve started drinking a lot of different teas lately. Reason, stopped drinking caffeine, almost 100% but still drink decaf coffee and some black tea.

Finding good teas? I buy from both Wall & Keogh in Dublin and just started buying from Loose Leaf teas in Cork. I have a fair collection now 😀, rooiboos, black, green, herb etc etc. Both above do online and have stunning collections.

I don’t do tbags. Never have……never will. 😀

dinneenp · 16-01-2025 01:41PM

I'm based in Galway (and the OP). I've moved from green to white tea, drink Clipper organic white tea. There is a herbalist, whom I am planning on going to for loose tea https://www.drclareapothecary.com/

In the evenings I drink chamomile tea; it's meant to help you sleep well.

NiceFella · 16-01-2025 02:14PM

A friend gave me a tea called gynostemma loose leaf and it was a lovely caffeine free, very calming and had a subtle natural sweetness to it. I had a look around for it in different places with no look. Can be got online but it's pricey because it has to travel far.

2011abc · 17-01-2025 08:02PM

Again Clearsprings loose leaf Organic Sencha Green tea is my firm favourite .Cheaper stuff just dust not leaves and may be far more likely to contain toxins .White tea higher in caffeine and made me shake like a leaf!

dingdangdoo22 · 02-02-2025 10:18PM

Was just looking on their website doesnt look like they deliver to Ireland? You in the UK?

GalaxyRyder · 22-02-2025 10:37AM

Any further recommendations where I can get good green tea? (preferably decaf).

I bought some in Tesco, horrible!

GalaxyRyder · 22-02-2025 10:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123067462#Comment_123067462

Do I have to buy this online, or any Irish stores sell it?

Is there a decaf version?

2011abc · 22-02-2025 08:35PM

yes and no

2011abc · 22-02-2025 08:36PM

https://evergreen.ie/products/clearspring-organic-sencha-japanese-green-tea?variant=41385068560575&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD7Ee_zPc67aONmBybq0F4IrkOePG&gclid=CjwKCAiAiOa9BhBqEiwABCdG88nfT2TPbsLtHy1D4SMMNV4b6RPdZ1rizelugieMMblCwjJH0kxPzBoC9ZkQAvD_BwE

dinneenp · 24-02-2025 10:17AM

Hi all,

I'm the OP. Just as a FYI in case you don't know white tea is meant to be better than green so it's what I drink now

White tea contains the highest degree of antioxidants because it's the less processed tea, followed by green tea and then black.

2011abc · 06-03-2025 11:03PM

I find the caffeine levels in white tea sky high , worse than the strongest coffee .I brew a batch of green tea in a jug to last about a week by steeping the leaves - maybe a dessert spoon ful in a basket and making it cup after cup with hotter water for longer periods as the leaves ‘weaken’ .If you leave it brew from fresh leaves for more than a few minutes in the ‘early’ phase it gets very ‘jittery’ with caffeine .This stuff is a great start to the day cold from the fridge but made with decent organic leaves not Aldi floor sweepings / ‘dust’