Microgreen tea is packed with antioxidants and other plant compounds that support good health, has delicious herbal flavors and only takes five to ten minutes to make
Served hot or iced, tea is a refreshing beverage that also comes with numerous health benefits. It’s used when you have a cold to help you recover, in the mornings to wake you up, in the evenings to help you sleep and throughout the day to help you focus.
Drinking tea brewed from microgreen leaves provides benefits similar to what you’d get from eating them. Freshly picked leaves will have more nutrients than leaves picked a few days ago, or even a week ago. They also have a rich flavor comparable to their mature counterparts and make for a delicious, spicy tea.
Related: microgreen tea for preventing common nutrient deficiencies
Steeping Microgreens
Steeping tea releases the flavors, aromas and health compounds of the microgreens into the water. The longer the microgreen leaves are steeped for, the more nutrients will be released. You can over-steep your teas so they’d have even more of the antioxidant properties, but it may taste bitter.
You can also add a lemon to your tea. Low pH water (acidic) supports a more effective nutrient extraction from the microgreen leaves than high pH (basic) water. Most tap waters have a pH of around seven, which is neutral, so it can be beneficial to add a slice of lemon in your tea.
Compared to brewing tea using tea bags, steeping loose tea leaves results in better taste and aroma, and can be used for more cups of tea.
How To Brew Microgreen Tea
What you'll need:
- A pot or electric kettle
- Water (the amount of water to use depends on how much tea you’d like to drink; only 6 to 8 ounces will brewed at a time)
- Tea strainer
- Microgreens
Steps:
- Boil water on the stove or use an electric kettle.
- While you’re waiting for the water to boil, harvest two 2 to 3 grams of fresh microgreens using a scale to measure.
- If you don’t have a scale, it’s approximately ¼ cup, loosely packed.
- Rinse your microgreens with cold water.
- Put the microgreens in the tea strainer.
- Once the water is boiling, remove from heat and pour 6 to 8 ounces into the tea strainer. Steep for 5 to 8 minutes.
- For stronger tea, you can either add more microgreens or let it steep longer.
- Optional: add a slice of lemon or a few drops of lemon juice.
- Strain the water, pour it into a cup and enjoy!
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 for additional cups of tea.
- You can steep the same microgreens for multiple cups of tea!