One of the best things about microgreens is that you can incorporate them into any dish, and tea is no exception. Aside from eating them as salads or as toppings in your pizza, you can now sip your microgreen as a warm cup of tea. Now that we got that out of the way, how do you make microgreen tea?
Using the freshest ingredients available for dispensing, wash them thoroughly and air dry the microgreens. Brew your microgreen for five minutes. You can mix microgreens with other microgreen options to create a unique flavor. Serve and enjoy.
While the answer above is relatively compact and direct to the point, you might have a few questions. Below we answer your questions and get you through a thorough step-by-step process of making microgreen tea.
How Do You Make Microgreen Tea?
Making microgreen tea is a long process, but it is worth it. The sheer thought of sipping your mornings away with the delicious taste of health; oh, the joy! So how do you get started making microgreen tea?
Steps To Making Microgreen Tea
- Prepare your freshest ingredients
- Dry your microgreens (if desired)
- Mix-and-match flavors
- Brew
- Serve and enjoy
1) Prepare Your Freshest Ingredients
A critical point in creating any tea is using the freshest ingredients. Over time as microgreens are stored, they lose their flavor, primarily when refrigerated. The best option is to grow your own microgreens and start the process of turning them into tea just after harvest. Alternatively, you can buy microgreens from a local organic microgreen provider. Organic microgreens may be pricier, but they can be worth it. They are GMO-free, and these microgreens do not subscribe to synthetic growing methods.
However, organic microgreen sellers are hard to come by, and as such, the best option is to grow your own microgreens. We provide various guides to growing your microgreens, from traditional or hydroponics.
2) Dry Your Microgreens
There are two types of teas, the teas that utilize dried leaves (or microgreens in this context) and those that use fresh leaves or undried tea.
The drying process can last from a few hours to a few days. The critical identifier to know if the microgreen is sufficiently dry is to check the microgreen’s moisture thoroughly. If it breaks apart easily in your fingers, then it is dry. Certain variables such as the weather and climate may affect drying speed.
The best way to dry your microgreen is to air dry, but this process is far from optimal for many and can take a long time. To hasten the process, use your oven to make your microgreens crisp.
Microgreen Dehydration
Drying microgreens is a process where you turn your freshly harvested microgreens into a dried version by extracting all water and moisture. Dehydration is actually one of the oldest forms of preserving food.
- Place your microgreens on a baking sheet and evenly spread.
- Turn up your oven to 140 F, and once it has a steady temperature place your tray of microgreens in the middle.
- Leave them until they feel crisp (varies from microgreen to microgreen).
- Be sure to move them around every other minute to dry all the sections of the microgreen evenly.
- Allow for the process to take between 5 – 10 hours. This is not a fast process!
If you are interested in learning more about the dehydration of microgreens, we have a full article on the topic!
Should Microgreens Be Dried Before Use?
Do you need to dry your microgreens to undergo the drying process before using them in tea? Of course not, and there are indeed benefits of not drying your microgreens for tea.
According to a tea company’s consultant and registered holistic nutritionist, Allison Tannis, undried tea retains nutrition from fresh leaves. Moreover, it makes the taste of the tea not bitter and leaves a non-astringent taste.
However, drinking tea with dried leaves, or in our case microgreens remains supreme worldwide. There are numerous benefits to why dried microgreens are ideal for your next cup of tea.
Why You Should Consider Drying Your Microgreens First Before Brewing (according to Tony Gebeley, barista and tea enthusiast):
- Drying your microgreens before consuming them allows for a better shelf-life. Because the heat extracts the water during the drying process, any microorganism reliant on the water ceases to proliferate as moisture levels drop to 2-3%. Moreover, the oxidative process slows down to increase shelf life.
- Dried microgreen tea is more flavorful compared to undried tea. One reason could be that you can concentrate flavor palettes in a single cup. Moreover, since they are dried, the integral structure of the microgreens has started to break and can release more flavor. However, the taste can be more bitter compared to fresh tea.
3) Mix-And-Match Flavors
Microgreens can be delicious, but they alone made into tea may not make the most intricate flavors. So before we get into the brewing process, it would be best to get other flavors into the mix.
Should You Mix Them With Normal Tea?
How do you make microgreen tea? If you want your microgreen tea to taste as close to conventional tea, it would be optimal to add tea leaves. You can utilize tea in bags or dry your homegrown batch (achieved through the same methods as microgreens).
Tea has a lot of health benefits as well, and it would not hurt you to add your favorite flavors. Green tea would be a friendly beginner option for those new to enjoying tea.
Should You Mix Different Microgreens?
You can make microgreen tea composed of one type of microgreen. However, we recommend mixing and matching different types of microgreens for tea. This method allows you to create a variety of flavors, limitless options, and a varied source of nutrients.
Mixing broccoli and kale will produce a fantastic blend to get you started. Add a bit of green tea, and you are up for a ride.
READ ALSO: Three Microgreens You Can Use For Tea
How Do You Make Microgreen Tea? Let’s get to the final steps of brewing and serving!
4) Brewing
The process of brewing is an art in itself. This process indeed is what makes tea “tea.” From a humble leaf to a refreshing drink, the brewing process marks the culmination of such intricate art.
The brewing of microgreens can make or break the taste. So, how do you make microgreen tea, and how long should you brew it?
Traditional brewing uses hot water to extract the microgreen and tea leaf flavors. This process is a conventional method that’s almost unrivaled. For microgreens as tea, we will use this process.
Heat your water optimally at boiling temperature (100 C, 212 F). Next, place in a teapot and your tea mix (including the infused tea and other microgreens) and hot water. Then, follow the instructions below.
How Long To Keep Microgreens In The Water?
Answering such a tricky question through empirical means is not optimal. As such, we will be using science to back us up. Depending on the type of tea you have infused your microgreen tea with, follow these general guidelines:
General Microgreen Brewing Time Guidelines:
- Microgreen tea with oolong (3-5 minutes)
- Microgreen tea with white tea (4-5 minutes)
- Microgreen tea with black tea (3-4 minutes)
- Microgreen tea with green tea (3-4 minutes)
- No tea infusions, dried microgreens (10 minutes)
- No tea infusions, chopped undried microgreens (15-30 minutes)
5) Serving
Now that you have finished brewing your tea, you can pour it into a teacup and let your mornings be ever fresh!
Summary
Tea and microgreens are a unique combo but not necessarily new. To turn your microgreens into tea, you must dry them thoroughly to ensure that the microgreen flavors infuse correctly. However, fresh microgreens are also an option.
Air drying is the best option, but letting it go through an oven may be easier and is definitely a faster option. Afterward, mix and match your flavors. You can add tea or other microgreens; your call.
You can then steep your microgreens according to what you infused them with and whether you dried them. As a summary, below is a quick run-through.
- Dry your microgreens
- Add preferred tea/microgreens
- Brew according to steeping times
- Serve
Enjoy your tea!