Hit up the Asian markets. I used to work in Markham and would buy green tea from local Chinese grocers. Way better than the crappy Lipton or Tetley blends you see in chain grocery stores. Haven't really drunk much green tea the past few years I should get back on it. There are some medicinal properties to its regular consumption.I've been drinking green tea for a few years but I don't think I'm drinking the good quality stuff. I want a REAL green tea. The best...?
Talking about pesticide, I wonder how much is in Chinese brands....The worrying aspect of Green Tea is the Pesticide Residue that is present in nearly all the commercial brands in Canada. The only one brand that does not have any such issues is Red Rose:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pesticide-traces-in-some-tea-exceed-allowable-limits-1.2564624
This study was undertaken in 2014. So, I am not too sure whether these toxic substances have been addressed. These brands could now be free of the pesticides found — including endosulfan and monocrotophos, depending whether Health Canada has imposed strict regulations on the imports of the brands that contained these banned substances that were present above the safety thresholds.
YES - matcha tea powder! Add in a whisk and you're goooood. All frothy and stuff.You want high quality LOOSE LEAF tea, not anything from a grocery store in a teabag. Go to an actual tea shop, there are also plenty in chinatown or you can look online. There's many varieties and some will have different flavors and strengths. You also don't want to use boiling water as it burns the tea leaves and makes it bitter. There should be instructions for how long to brew and what temperature. 2 minutes in 176°F (80°C) water is quite common, but some are even more fragile and prefer as low as 60C.
One of my faves now is using matcha tea powder (ground green tea) and making latte's with it or adding it to smoothies, totally different taste of course.
Green tea is bland, I much prefer a strong ginger tea.