How many cups of green tea per day?

How many cups of teas do I drink per day ?

That’s actually a question I ask all the tea farmers I visit, and believe me, you can’t beat these numbers. Let’s say that they traded water or any other non-alcoholic fluid with green tea and their supply is almost infinite.

For me (us), we have reached a nice balance around 6-8 cups per day and a bit more in summer where we also use our cold brew bottle.

So the first cup is enjoyed in the early morning, during breakfast. Our son gets a good cup of shiraore (low levels of caffeine, and cold brewed) and the first 2 sips are used for gargling (an effective way to avoid sore throats and other nasty stuff) and the rest as a drink.

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By the time he has left for school we are at our second brew already, that’s 8 AM. So where’s the coffee ? Aha ! Yep, something is missing right ? It’s true that when we came to Japan back in 2009 our main energy drink would be an espresso, also because I had (yes…had) quite a good Italian espresso machine. But even then, we would not drink more than 2 or 3 a day.

Now, the machine needs repair (after over 12 years of use) and…I  am a bit lazy on that part. So the espresso machine just lies open in the kitchen, and I am waiting to buy the spare parts. Honestly, getting a good espresso has become a bit of a hurdle, and I have to say that the only way I could enjoy them again was when visiting Italy. So coffee has been replaced by green tea over the years.

But above all, it’s because of some real advantages I can feel with green tea compared to coffee. First of all concentration and alertness come gradually, and stays much longer. Brewing tea every hour or so is just perfect for me. What I also felt was that my “creativity” energy would increase more than with coffee with new ideas popping… Another huge advantage of green tea (mostly because I react quite quickly with coffee-based caffeine) is that I can drink green tea even later in the afternoon, or also early evening. With coffee, past 2pm would seriously alter my sleep…

By 10.00 AM, we’re at our third brew of Sencha and we can feel its energy.

Depending on our schedule, we brew new leaves after lunch, and that’s also a great difference between tea and coffee: coffee will accelerate your digestion and this is why you can have a “coffee crash” after lunch and feel sleepy. Huuuuge gain here! Especially with a low-caffeine green tea or a cold brew, which becomes our daily drink in summer. If caffeine can bother you, then cold brew is a must. Have a look at our special page !

Sometimes we brew a Gyokuro: lower temperature, less caffeine and a strong Umami shot helps to get back to work. Expect two other re-brews during afternoon, and we get to pick up our son, ready to check homework, decipher all the Japanese papers we usually receive on a daily basis but most importantly play some board or card games when he feels like it.

And here we are, 6 cups already, so why not re-brew it a third time and maybe add a small glass of cold brew ?

The important thing to remember is that you need to find your own balance. Everyone will react differently to green tea, and I found a good number. There was clearly a difference when I started increasing my daily intake (some of the farmers we met said that the green tea health effect would start to really kick in with 5 cups per day).

While this may not apply to everyone, it worked for me (us). By all means don’t force yourself in drinking too much of it if you don’t feel like it. For us, on top of the many tastes we discover among all teas at hand, it’s also a way to have a real, cozy and peaceful break. We usually enjoy our tea on our balcony when working at home. Taking the time to prepare and ENJOY your tea may also help to go through a long working day.

Another question you may ask at this point: Do you feel in better health after drinking all that tea ? By all means there’s a difference at many levels. I have to say though that I started drinking more green tea at the same time I increased my physical activity.

So I hope you will find your ideal number, and we would be interested to know about your green tea experience, how you feel after drinking it on a regular basis, any improvement in your mood, stamina etc…

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