<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi All--

Thanks so much to everyone who replied to my inquiry about reputable, good tasting GF green teas. Amazing....I had almost as many different suggestions for GF green tea as respondents.
For those of you who think you've found the best tea, you might find another in some of those listed below. It appears that the GF status might depend on flavoring, though I'm just guessing here.

Thanks, again, to all who shared their thoughts and suggestions on GF tea! --Ayn in Alabama
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There is no gluten in any green tea....
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Have gf teas.  I'm not sure if they have green tea.  All their other
teas are very good!
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buy loose tea, brew it in a pitcher (or a special filter for brewing loose tea), and then strain it into your teapot or cup. there is absolutely no reason that green tea would have gluten in it unless it had been added on purpose...and why on earth would anyone want to do that? there is potentially a risk of finding gluten in some of the materials used in sealing tea in bags, which is why it is simplest (and best-tasting) to brew from loose tea (go to the nearest asian grocery, whole foods store, or order it online). green tea should be brewed for 2-3 minutes in water that has has been allowed to cool slightly after boiling...this will reduce the bitterness.
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Ten Ren is GF I believe.  Celestial has a Pear and a Peach flavored white tea which is supposedly as good for you as green, and it is very good, labeled gluten free on box.  Ten Ren tastes ok, I bought a box of 100 bags at Costco for $7, which is very reasonable.
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 I drink Bigelow Green Tea.  It's very good, not bitter.  I think it's a national brand, but I'm not sure.  Also, Red Rose Green Tea is very good, bought in supermarket, but I don't think that's a national brand.  I know Tazo has one, but I don't know the exact name. My understanding is there is no reason for real, pure, unflavored green tea to have gluten.
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I drink Equal Exchange green tea.  I like it.  The added benefit is that it is fair trade tea and benefits the growers also. I find it at my local Ten Thousand Villages store.
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I have a Chinese friend who is a professor at Rutgers U in NJ. He bought me tea leaves in an Asian supermarket. I used it up and I went back to the supermarket and bought another cannister. That is the "real" thing. It is very easy to brew it for a few days and keep it in the refrig and reheat in the microwave. It has caffeine so I only drink it in the  morning or at lunch. If you have an Asian store near you, go in and ask them which one to buy. It is very easy to make. Boil water in a tea kettle, put less than one tspoon per cup and put cover on and let sit. The tea leaves settle to the bottom and you don't even have to strain it. Pour the rest into a glass jar and refrigerate when cooled off. If you want to make it in the microwave, one cup of water boiled, then less than 1 tpsn in the cup. Cover it with a saucer and let stand. I make it in the teapot so I can have for several days. The "real" chinese tea is not bitter. If it is, you are making it too strong. Lipton and all the
 other American brands do not taste like the "real" Chinese tea. It is all in Chinese so I can't tell you the brand but it comes in a tin cannister, sealed in a bag.

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Uncle Lee's Green Tea is GF.

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If you go to www.celestialseasonings.com, and then click on products and then product information, it will list all the various kinds of teas.  Click on green tea, and then whichever type of tea you want.  I drink (and like)  the decaffeinated green tea, and right on the product info list it says "gluten free".

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I drink/sell the best tasting one I know of...Brassica de-caf green tea. I have one woman who buys it by the case almost monthly! It is really good. check it out...great day to you!
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I wrote to Tazo Tea a couple of months ago regarding the gluten-free status of their teas, and a representative wrote that all of their teas are GF except their Green Ginger filterbags, Tazo Honeybush filterbags, Lemon Ginger bottled tea, and Tea Lemonade bottled tea.  I haven't tried their green tea, but I really enjoy their Chai Tea.  Just thought I'd share! =)
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Any green tea will be bitter if brewed too long, too strong or too hot. I generally get a plain old unflavored loose .green tea at the oriental market and brew it in a tea ball, using about 1/2 teaspoon of tea per cup of simmering (*not* rolling boil like you use for black tea) water, and brew for 2-3 minutes, tops. By the time green tea has been brewing for 5 minutes, or if it gets hit at all with boiling water, it will be way too bitter to drink without extremely generous quantities of sugar (kinda' defeats the purpose if you're drinking it for the health benefits)
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We like Salada but we never talked to them about its GF status; however if I get even a little wheat in a product I get very stiff and have never had this problem so I suspect it is safe.
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Lipton has a green tea (Orange, Passionfruit & Jasmine) that tastes pretty good and is not bitter.  I boil it and drink it as Iced Tea.  The flavor is so good I don't need to add sweeteners or lemon.  I called Unilever to verify that it was gluten free and they assured me that it was.  You can call 1-888-LiptonT or 1-888-547-8668 or visit www.lipton.com to verify gluten free status for yourself or find out what other types of lipton teas are gluten free.
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Have you looked in health food stores?  Choice - organic teas are very good.
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I like YOGI green tea. . . my mom doesn't like the taste so she makes a pot with one green tea bag and one decaf black tea bag - it tastes pretty good - maybe you would like it!
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I use Salada green tea - it is naturally decaffeinated and not bad tasting. Lipton would not state their green tea is gluten free.  Hope you get some more great suggestions.  I love drinking tea.
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Green tea is from the same plant at black tea, oolong, and white tea.  The difference is in the level of processing.  I don't know how it could have gluten.Your green tea was probably bitter because it was steeped too long.  Only steep it a minute or two.  I order green tea from a company named Ten Tea on the internet.  I have gotten wonderful teas from them.
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I like many of the flavors of Bigelow green tea and they are all gluten free.  I drink them hot or ice them for cold tea.  They have a bunch of flavors including:  Green Tea, Green Tea with Peach, Green Tea with Lemon, Green Tea with Mint, Green Tea with Mango, and Decaffeinated Green Tea.  They also sell Constant Comment Green Tea and Earl Grey
Green Tea, but they are stronger favors than I like with green tea.  My two favorites are Green tea with Peach and Green Tea with Mint, but of  course taste is all personal preference.
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I am a big fan of Mighty Leaf teas.  I have read on other forums that they state all their teas as being gf. They have very high quality teas... green, black, herbal, etc... Here is their website:
http://www.mightyleaf.com/
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First, go with a good tea dealer who only does tea. That way the risks of contamination are small. I usually order from Upton Tea -- http://www.uptontea.com/ -- though there are plenty of excellent tea companies out there. Their customer service is great, and they should
be able to answer any questions. The most important thing with green tea is the preparation method. Boiling water and long steeps will result in undrinkable tea. The water should be (at most) 180º, and the steep around 2 minutes. I've found that one part cold water to 4 parts boiling water (cold water in the pot first) gives the correct temperature. For iced tea I often forgo the boiling water altogether and steep overnight in the refrigerator. You have to use at least double the tea with this method.

I've found that I prefer the Japanese teas, but everyone has their own tastes. Upton offers sample packets so you order a variety and see which ones you like best. My particular favorites are ho-ji cha and gen-mai cha. But I don't have celiac (yet) -- my mother does -- so I can't tell you if these are gluten free. The second one has toasted rice.
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I'm a green and white tea fanatic -- I drink about 8+  cups a day.  I’ve had the tea you mentioned and it bitter for two reasons: the quality and the water was probably too hot.  I highly recommend buying loose tea leafs – dry tea not in an individual tea bag.  A quality loose leaf green and white tea will always be gluten free since the only processing that occurs to the leaves is to have them air-dried, pan-fired, steamed or fired in an oven.  A good quality tea will not have any added chemicals and will give you the best health benefits (antioxidants) plus it will taste sooooo much better!!!!.  Anyway, to get the best price
I buy my tea online.  Here are two links to two tea companies with whom I have made purchases.  Their websites also include some intro to tea information.
http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/
http://www.enjoyingtea.com/index.html

Again, if you want the best taste and health benefits buy a quality loose-leaf green (or white) tea.
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If you want the health benefits of green tea, your best bet is buying real tea from a reputable importeer, like Harney and Sons (www.harney.com), not dreck in a bag like Celestial Seasonings. Call up Harney's and tell them you want unflavored green tea and ask for recommendations - they are extremely knowledge and helpful.
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Celestial Seasonings Wellness Teas are labeled Gluten Free on the back of the boxes.  I always check!  I also use the Green Tea drops,  ask for them at your health food store.  I prefer the no alcohol brand if you can find them.  They are great to use in bottled water for a quick cold tea.  I sweeten it with stevia also in liquid drops.
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I am a green tea lover and my favorite is Numi Tea brand - Monkey King Green Tea.  It is my understanding that all of their teas are gluten-free.
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I checked out Lipton Green Tea bags awhile back and they were GF.
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Try some STASH Tea.  www.stashtea.com I love it!!!! Actually 'white tea' is better for you,,but their teas aren't too bad,,and not too bad of price.  I receved some samples,,,only because the catalog is a bit confusing,,,,,the lady I talked to was sooo nice. Also, I love the Bigelow Teas.  Again,,,they will list the ingredients on the tea boxes, I get the flavored Green Teas.
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I use the Tetley Decaf. Green tea and I really like it.  I checked probably 2 years back about GF and have some everyday.  It is kind of expensive but I use other Tetley decaf tea with it when I make a pot so that it goes a little farther.  It really is not bitter to my taste and I have had some green tea that was very bitter so I really like it.  Maybe if you wanted to try it you could call the company and tell them you would like to try it.  Sometimes they send free samples and/or coupons if you just ask and that way you won’t have to buy a whole box before you know if you really like it.
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I purchase mine in bulk from local oriental stores, and use stainless steel mesh tea balls.  I also use "white tea", several varieties, none of which have been bitter, and also I've heard they're naturally decaf and much higher in anti-oxidants than green tea.
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I went to a tea shop in Chinatown in San Francisco to  ask about green tea.  Their advice was the following: Buy the best that you can afford.  Use hot boiling water to make the tea.  Steep the tea for 3 minutes only.  (It can get bitter and dark if you leave the bag in for a while.)  That should leave you with a slightly greenish tea that has a light refreshing taste.
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I have been using Organic Trader Joe's Earl Grey Green Tea for the past year.  Before that I drank Bigalow's Earl Grey Green Tea. (Trader Joe's is just as tasty for half the price). They both contain oil of bergamot which is a citrus like pear fruit that grows in England and tastes so good in green tea. I've also used Stash Tea.
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I have a Chinese friend who is a professor at Rutgers U in NJ. He bought me tea leaves in an Asian supermarket. I used it up and I went back to the supermarket and bought another cannister. That is the "real" thing. It is very easy to brew it for a few days and keep it in the refrig and reheat in the microwave. It has caffeine so I only drink it in the  morning or at lunch. If you have an Asian store near you, go in and ask them which one to buy. It is very easy to make. Boil water in a tea kettle, put less than one tspoon per cup and put cover on and let sit. The tea leaves settle to the bottom and you don't even have to strain it. Pour the rest into a glass jar and refrigerate when cooled off. If you want to make it in the microwave, one cup of water boiled, then less than 1 tpsn in the cup. Cover it with a saucer and let stand. I make it in the teapot so I can have for several days. The "real" chinese tea is not bitter. If it is, you are making it too strong. Lipton and all the
 other American brands do not taste like the "real" Chinese tea. It is all in Chinese so I can't tell you the brand but it comes in a tin cannister, sealed in a bag.
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