How to make and use green tea extract?

April 28, 2009 7:48 AM

How can I make my own green tea extract (or concentrate)?

I saw this article where they explain how to make your own "herbal" extract, but the article explains neither how to use it (e.g., such as 1 tsp per ??? what) nor what they think as herbal (does green tea count?). Concentrate would also be fine, but I want to be sure that I don't lose the nutritional value. After all that's the whole point. :P

As mentioned, I'm looking to make my own green tea extract/concentrate, but also possibly (later) other things such as valerian or whatever else tickles my fancy.

So the question is how do I do it, and once I do it, how do I use it?

posted by magnoliasouth to health & fitness (4 comments total)

Green tea is usually steeped in hot water, and I don't think alcohol would extract anything else desirable from it. Also, when green tea is made with fully boiling (not just hot) water, it has an unpleasant burnt taste (and some of its healthful compounds are probably broken down), so boiling it to a concentrate may not work all that well, either. I guess it depends what you're intending to use it for. (You never really say...)

Oils will dissolve in alcohols, some other things dissolve in water. I'm not an herbalist, but if something is otherwise used as a tea, consider water-based methods, and be mindful of which herbs are safe to consume. Books on herbal teas and/or liqueur making should be helpful.

About "1 tsp per ???", the concentration of compounds in herbal extracts varies widely, as it does in the herbs themselves. You would probably need to be quite a bit more specific, and/or use lab equipment, before you could arrive at a precise answer there.
posted by silentbicycle at 2:40 PM on April 28

I'm not asking how to make tea. I know how to make green tea. The question is how to make green tea extract.

I know it can be done because I can buy the extract at the store. The only use for green tea extract, as far as I know, is for herbal pills. Just like any herbal extract, it's to concentrate it so you don't have to drink or take a ton of it. Have you never purchased any herbal extract before? You don't need to go to a health food store, but nowadays pharmacies have them too.

The reason I'm asking, is to find someone who actually knows. There are plenty of experts here and I myself know quite a bit about herbal stuff, though I'm no expert.
posted by magnoliasouth at 5:38 AM on April 30

I know, I'm just saying that there are reasons why doing it through relatively simple water or alcohol-based methods probably won't work.
posted by silentbicycle at 6:19 AM on May 1

Ah. Gotcha. Now I'm seriously depressed! I would love to make my own extract rather than buying it.

*sigh* Well, c'est la vie I suppose.

Thanks much for your input. It is very appreciated.
posted by magnoliasouth at 1:47 PM on May 5