Often, after I’ve chugged back my morning coffee, I find myself wanting another.
(Fair enough.)
I’m a bit late to the party.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Green tea is an ancient beverage enjoyed for thousands of years.
The best part about this tea is that it offers a pleasurable drinking experience and a mellow caffeine boost.
But beyond those perks, a truly great tea should taste good, too.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
So, to find out which brand offers the best flavor, I recently tested nine common varieties.
Some popular brands' bagged offerings, like Tazo, actually mix in lemongrass or spearmint.
I skipped those and honed in on pure green teas for this list.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
I steeped all the teas for two minutes, as directed on each package.
(Those who like a stronger flavor would likely want to steep for longer.)
After two minutes, I snapped a photo showing the color difference.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
Green teas can range from bright green to dark yellow and even amber, depending on the punch in.
Twining’s Green Tea
Twining’sis a venerable British brand dating back over 300 years.
I picked up a box of 50 green tea bags at my local Walmart for $5.83.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Pale greendefinitely one of the lighter green shades of the bunch.
Overall, this bitter and strong tea was just not for me.
I ordered a 16-count box of its pure green tea bags online for $5.39.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
The look:A nice deep amber color.
The taste:I had high hopes for Yogi’s.
It had nice packaging that mentioned high quality, organic tea leaves.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
It’s not as bitter as the Twining’s.
I would call it bright and light.
Strangely enough, this was both the most boring and one of the more offensive tastes.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
It also packs quite the caffeine punch, with 56 milligrams of caffeine, according to the package.
I’d call it a darkish yellow.
I picked a 24-count container of its pure green tea from a local grocer for $3.28.
Photo: Emily Latimer, Eat This, Not That!
The look:Tetley’s option was a nice amber color, though not the deepest of all.
The taste:Unlike some online customers, I wouldn’t describethis teaas mild or mellow.
In fact, I’d probably go with bright and bitey.
Overall, it was a good middle of the road option.
Tetley’s green tea has 34 milligrams of caffeine per six-ounce cup.
Numi Organic Gunpowder Green
Numiis a better-for-you brand, promising only pure ingredients and no artificial flavorings.
An 18-count box of its non-GMO Gunpowder Green tea bags cost me $6.58 at my local grocer.
The look:A light golden colorjust like apple juice.
More experienced tea drinkers may find it’s too mildor heck, even too basic.
To each their own: that’s what I liked about it!
The tea was slightly sweet and velvety.
A 20-count box of its premium green tea cost me $4.97 at my local grocer.
The look:Stash’s green tea was a bright, vibrant light green.
Definitely the brightest and lightest of the bunch.
The taste:Quite nice!
When I first poured it, I was slightly nervous because of the bright green color.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the mild taste and smooth mouthfeel.
That was its shining quality.
I liked that there was no astringent aftertaste; it was easy drinking through and through.
Green teas are its signature, though the brand offers many other varieties, too.
The look:Uncle Lee’s green tea had a rich, true amber color.
The taste:Right away, this stood out due to its pleasant aroma.
It was almost nutty.
Completely devoid of any bite, Uncle Lee’s was rich and smooth-drinking from start to finish.
This tea is made from young green tea leaves from the Fujian province of China.
Strong and crisp, this tea had the most flavor off the top, and the least offensive aftertaste.
For those who like a stronger, silky green tea, this is the one.
The taste:This tea was a wildcard pick.
I hadn’t heard of the brand before, but it ended up being my favorite.
Triple Leaf’s green tea was tasty, refreshing, and soothing.
It was also more flavorful than some of the green teas at the bottom of the list.
It tasted more high quality than its competitors, with a natural sweetness to it.
Triple Leaf’s green tea was aromatic and slightly vegetal.
In fact, I’d be curious to try more teas from Triple Leaf.
