Green tea is the hero of summer. It can be brewed hot or cold, made sweet with honey or refreshing with lemon, and gives you a caffeine hit without crushing you under malty or rich notes. So, what better tea to review this week than Two Spoons Tea Green Tea?
This tea is Xiang Cha, which translates as fragrant tea according to Two Spoons Tea. It’s sourced from China (though we aren’t entirely sure where) and is available in tea pillows or as loose leaf at Two Spoons Tea – full review and links to buy it are below.
Fragrant Green Tea at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Origins: China
- Flavour: Soft green tea with a bright quality
This tea is very simple, which puts a limit on the top score it can get on my blog, yet it’s also flawless. There’s no bitterness, no catch in your throat, no reason not to sip and savour right to the bottom of your teacup.
Full Review - Two Spoons Tea Green Tea
- Type: Tagged biodegradable tea sachet (square “pillow”)
- Tea: Green tea
- Origin: China
- Flavour Notes: Soft, bright, smooth, grassy, mellow
- Aroma: Warming, mellow, grassy
- Milk or Lemon: Lemon and/or honey, if desired
- Where to Buy: Two Spoons Tea
For a tea that’s described as fragrant, the dry green tea leaves are lacking. Like, seriously lacking. There is no aroma whatsoever – I even stuck my nose right inside the packet to see if the scent got stuck to the inside.
Thankfully, adding water brings it to life.
Two Spoons Tea Green Tea brews into a sunny, yellow-coloured tea with no hint of green whatsoever. The aroma that finally emerges is mellow and warming with hints of grass and sunshine. It’s very pleasant and was worth the wait!
As for the flavour, it has this beautiful softness with a slight brightness. It’s not grassy or astringent in any way. Coupled with the smooth and slightly thick texture, it goes down extremely well.
How to Brew Green Tea
The trick to brewing green tea is to use a slightly lower water temperature. Aim for 80°C but if you’re in a rush you can sometimes get away with 90°C. I used 1 tea pillow, which holds 2g of green tea leaves, in approximately 200ml of water. My steep time was 2 minutes.
If you are new to green tea, start at a 1-minute brew time and see if it’s strong enough for your tastes. I highly recommend adding honey or lemon if you aren’t a huge fan – it’s amazing how well these additions can change the whole vibe.
In the summer, brew this tea at 80°C with a teaspoon of honey, then pour over ice and serve with lemon slices and mint sprigs. It is super refreshing!
I find that green tea is a good palette cleanser but you can pair it with a meal or fruit platter if you fancy a snack with your cuppa.
Why Two Spoons Tea?
Two Spoons Tea are a British brand that reached out to me on Instagram and arranged to send me samples from their range to review. But while this tea was gifted to me, the review is not paid for.
This green tea is sourced from China, though Two Spoons Tea don’t disclose precisely where, and consists of pan-fired whole leaves. You can see from my photos that the tea leaves aren’t huge, but they are far better than usual teabag quality tea leaves, and they have a great verdant green colour.
Two Spoons Tea Green Tea won a Great Taste Award in 2022 too.
As for the packaging, I am a huge fan of the biodegradable pillows and the resealable pouches it arrives in. If you don’t want the pillows, you can also buy this tea as loose leaf and resteep it multiple times using a tea infuser (I have a guide to tea infusers here).
Summary
Ultimately, this tea is very simple and doesn’t pack the amazing fragrance I was expecting. Nonetheless, it is flawless in its simplicity and the flavour is a real treat. You can drink it hot or cold, sweetened or plain, lemony or minty – amazing versatility.
If you’d like to try this green tea for yourself, the only place to buy it is directly from Two Spoons Tea. Use the button below or link above to go directly to their website. They ship internationally with free delivery in the UK on orders over £25 (at the time of writing).
Tea Recommendation
If you want a green tea that does a little more both flavour-wise and function-wise, try out Twinings Glow Tea next. It got some hype on social media, and while my full tea review debunks some of the health benefit claims, it is still a solid option for exploring the world of green tea (plus it’s a little easier to get your hands on than Two Spoons Tea Green Tea).