What You Will Need
Tea of choice, this could be teabags/sachets or loose leaf
Recycled glass jar, a water bottle, BPA free bottle, or a dedicated cold brew bottleor
Infusion teapotsor French press and
Coffee filter paper for super smooth tea: this is optional if you used large loose tea leaves or tea sachets You can also use cheesecloth but if you are not careful, some tiny tea particles might escape into the tea.
Small hole strainer: this is perfect to strain
Cold Tea Recipe And Why You Need To Make Yours At Home
Cold brew is the way if you want more from your iced tea, you are guaranteed a flavoursome tea that is fresh, smooth, robust and refreshing.
It is a perfect refreshing drink on hot summer days, cold brew tea is not bitter or acidic as it would if you used hot water. However, you can sweeten your cold brew with any sweetener of choice, sugar, stevia, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and more.
No fancy gadget or equipment to make your own cold brew at home. I recycle large jars to make my cold brew coffee and tea.
You only need 2 ingredients, tea of choice and water. How simple does it get again?
It is totally handsfree, once you have combined tea with water, you just have to leave it in the fridge or on the countertop to steep and infuse beautifully.
Put The Jar In The Refrigerator For At Least 8 Hours
Now its time to place the tea in the refrigerator. Ideally, cold brew tea should steep for 8-12 hours and no more than 24 hours. Personally, I brew it about 12 hours overnight.
Heres a little known tip if youre pinched for time.
The tea experts at Whittard of Chelsea recommend using a flash heat method to wake the tea up before adding cold water. This is accomplished by covering the leaves with 2 inches of boiling or near-boiling water. Then it is topped off with cold water and brewed at least 4-6 hours.
On another note, Whittard also explains that hot water kills natural bacteria in unprocessed teas.
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How To Cold Brew Herbal Tea
Some herbal teas are great for cold brewing too. Just like green or black tea, you will need a pitcher or a glass teapot and your favorite herbal tea. We recommend using 1-2 spoons of leaves per pitcher .
Keep in mind that you will need to steep herbal tea longer than green tea. Some of the best herbal teas for cold brewing are lavender, lemongrass, rose, chamomile, hibiscus, yerba mate, mint and rooibos. Try some of the following blends: Blood Orange, Lavender Raspberry, Prickly Pear Herbal.
How Do I Make Cold Brew Tea
It couldnt be simpler!
Chilling it: Its up to you whether you refrigerate your tea or not. Just know that the steeping process will be slower inside the fridge than out. To speed up the process, you can leave it out of the fridge for 6 hours then put it in the fridge for the last couple of hours to chill it.
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Can You Cold Brew Any Tea
Yes, once you learn how to cold brew tea, you can make any cold brew iced tea recipe. This means you can make iced green tea or other cold brewing loose leaf tea recipes cold brewed white tea, cold brew herbal tea, and also cold brew black tea. The best part about making cold brew tea is that you can change up the flavor every time. Mix and match and see what you think!
What Is Cold Brew Tea
- Cold brewing is a slow and gentle process where tea steeps in water for hours in the refrigerator. Cold brew tea makes absolutely the best iced tea. Its also the easiest way to make iced tea, but it does take several hours.
- Cold brewing makes a sweeter, smoother tasting tea since tannins, which make tea bitter, arent steeped out of the tea in cold water the way it does in hot water. This means no more bitter iced tea!
- Because cold brewing doesnt involve hot water, its perfect to make in the hot summer months.
For a quick overview, see the cold brew tea web story.
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Here’s What You Need:
That’s really all there is to it! Any water-tight container is fine.
On the road and don’t have any container? Just buy a bottle of water and put your tea leaves in that!
Forgot your travel stash of your favorite loose leaf tea? Humble thyself and stuff whatever tea bag they offer in the hotel room in the water bottle!
OK, we made our point.
NOW GET YOUR COLD BREW ON AND ENJOY IT ALL DAY LONG!
The Mark Of A+ Iced Tea
What does a fantastic iced tea taste like? Much of that answer depends on you and your tastebuds, but for me that means a tea that’s naturally sweet , clean-tasting, and refreshing with little to no bitterness and astringency. Astringent tannins dry out the tongue, leaving you feeling parched even after a big gulp, and while they add structure and balance to hot tea, they’re just not what I’m after in a glass of iced.
A really good tea doesn’t just taste good it’s aromatic, too, and it also has some body, a rounded richness than lingers long after you’ve finished a sip, leaving a sweet finish on the tongue and down your throat. I want that quality in my iced tea as well, something to cool me down even once I’ve drained my glass.
In short: A great iced tea makes you pause and take notice. It’s a different animal from hot tea, but done right, is just as worthy of savoring.
On the road to great iced tea, we have three questions to consider: the brewing method, tea leaf concentration, and the teas best suited to the job.
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Loose Leaf Tea Hot Brewing Chart
Here are some general guidelines on how to brew using hot water.
Our suggested ratio
*Scale it to your teaware volume and feel free experiment to your taste
Steeping time & water temperature
White 1-1:30 minutes in 180-195° F . Taiwanese/Chinese Green 1-2 minutes in 185-195° F .Japanese Green 0:45-1:30 minutes in 160-185° F .Twisted Leaf Oolong 1-2 minutes in 195-205° F .Ball Shaped Oolong 1-2 minutes in 202-212° F .Black 0:45-1:30 minutes in 195-210° F . Pu-erh 1-2 minutes in 195-210° F .Herbal Tisane 2-3 minutes in 202-212° F .
Steeping Hot Brewed Tea Vs Cold Brewed Tea
There are distinct chemical differences between cold-brewed tea and hot-brewed tea. Tea is typically steeped in boiling water for 3 – 7 minutes. Compared to well-established hot brew methods, cold brew methods are still being developed.
The same pleasant chemicals extracted from steeping tea leaves in hot water are not pulled in cold water. The steep time and amount of tea leaves are drastically altered to combat this extraction problem.
Hot brewed tea pulls out the tannins, which are the bitter flavors in tea. The cold-brew method gives you a perfectly refreshing, super-smooth tea for slow summer sipping. It isnt bitter at all.
Cold-brew tea produces a different flavor than traditional iced tea because it pulls out fewer catechins and tannins. Tea tannins are typically the substances that make tea taste bitter. It is not clear yet how the caffeine content is altered.
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Using A Slotted Spoon
If you dont have a sieve at home, a slotted spoon also works well for this method. Although, it can work better for some types of tea than others depending on how big the slots are.
For example, a fine black tea would might escape through holes that are too big, whereas green whole leaf would be fine. Use your own judgement as to whether this method will work for your loose leaf.
Just brew the tea in a mug and pour into another cup through the slotted spoon once brewed.
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What Is Cold Brewing
Cold brewing is making tea using only tea leaves, a pitcher or some other tea brewing vessel and a refrigerator. Cold brew tea is different from your typical glass of iced tea. Its lighter, takes much less effort to prepare and doesnt require any sugar. Typical iced tea is made by brewing tea with hot water, then diluting with more water and/or ice. Because hot water will give a much stronger, and sometimes bitter, brew in only a few minutes, sugar is often added to iced tea to make it taste better. On the other hand, cold brewing will never give a bitter infusion only refreshing and gentle drink that can be enjoyed throughout a day. With cold brewing you can easily control the flavor by steeping the leaves for a few hours more or less.
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How Long Should You Steep Loose Leaf Tea
Steep your full-leaf, spring teas for one and a half to two minutes for optimal flavor.When steeping for a longer period of time, there is always a greater body and richer notes.When you see huge bubbles breaking the surface of the water, you should quickly rinse the oolong and/or Pu-erh leaves, then drain off the water and re-steep the tea.The current temperature ranges from 205 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Refresh Your Senses With Cold Brew Tea
Cold brew tea offers all the health benefits of a cup of hot tea, but with the refreshing kick of a glass of iced tea. Best of all, you can cold brew just about any type of tea from matcha green tea to fruity blends such as Snow White and Organic Rosehip tea. Add water and let the tea steep for a few hours before sipping down great tasting tea. Swap out the hot brew for an ice-cold glass of cold brew tea and enjoy an afternoon filled with great tastes and lifes simple pleasures.
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Brewing Tea With A French Press
Who knew a coffee making device could double up as an infuser?
Before starting this method, make sure the French press has been thoroughly cleaned to avoid any coffee taste in your tea.
Take out the metal plunger and drop your loose tea into the beaker. Pour in the hot water and allow to brew. Once brewed, put the plunger in the beaker and press down as you would when brewing coffee.
Then simply pour into a mug to enjoy some fresh tea.
Difference Between Iced Tea And Cold Brew
Before I show you how to make cold brew tea, let me explain how its different from iced tea.
Iced tea is made using a traditional hot brew method. The tea is poured over ice to create summers favorite drink.
On the other hand, cold brew tea is brewed with cold water. It can be poured over ice to create an iced tea drink, as well. Therefore, the main difference between iced tea and cold brew tea is the brewing technique .
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How Long To Cold Brew Tea
That depends on the type of tea and also on how strong you want it! Here are my suggestions on how long to brew tea in the fridge:
Green tea: 3-6 hoursWhite tea: 6 hoursBlack tea , Oolong tea, Herbal tea: 12 hours
After the time has passed, strain the liquid to remove the leaves. Use a fine mesh strainer to filter the loose tea leaves easily.
Then enjoy a refreshing cup of tea with no bitterness. You wouldnt even need to add honey or another sweetener.
How Do You Make Cold
Step 1: Add Tea Leaves
The proportions for tea and water vary based on what type of tea and what format youre planning to use.
- For tea leaves, youll need 2 Tbsp of tea leaves for a 750ml bottle and 1 Tbsp for a 300ml bottle.
- If adding matcha to the mix of tea leaves, use1 tsp for a 750ml bottle.
- For matcha blends like our Lemon Matcha and Hibiscus Matcha, use 1 Tbsp for a 750ml bottle .
- For teabags, the proportions vary based on the type of tea youre using. You can check the quick guide below.
Step 2: Add Water and Ice
Fill your container or bottle with room-temperature or cold water.
- If youre brewing on-the-go, fill ¾ of the container with ice, then fill up the remaining with water.
- If youre willing to wait, fill all the way with cold or room-temperature water and then let brew in the refrigerator.
Step 3: Swirl and Steep
Once the tea leaves and water are in the bottle, put the cap on, then lightly swirl or shake to stir up the leaves.
For quick brewing with Japanese green teas, you only need to wait around 15 minutes before serving . When your tea is ready, turn the bottle upside down a couple of times before serving to get the full flavor.
You can also leave your tea in the fridge overnight to enjoy it the next morning. Cold-brewed tea stays fresh for up to three days in the fridge. Additionally, cold-brewed tea can be enjoyed with fruits or mint to create your own cold brew green tea infusions.
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Tea Tools & Accessories: What Youll Need To Get Started
Before you can start brewing loose leaf, you need a few important items to help get the job done.
The below quick links are some of the most commonly used tools to help brew loose leaf tea. They take you to Amazon and well also go over them in more detail shortly.
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Cold Brew Iced Tea Drink Ideas
If you made ready to drink cold brew tea add sweetener if desired and pour over ice. Simple syrup is ideal since its already dissolved.
Heres an idea. If you made multiple flavors like a fruity herb tea and green tea, mix them together and pour over ice.
If you made cold brew tea concentrate, the combination of drinks you can make are as limited as your imagination.
You can even look at the Starbucks iced tea menu to see their lineup of delicious iced tea drink combinations.
For instance, they combine tea concentrate with another drink like lemonade or peach juice to create a thirst-quenching iced tea. Here you can see my Starbucks copycat recipe for Iced Green Tea Lemonade.
Furthermore, cold brew tea concentrate is ideal for making iced tea lattes. As a matter of fact, I cold brew English Breakfast tea to make an Iced Caramel English Breakfast Tea Latte. Yum!
And heres my recipe for a decadent Iced London Fog Latte with Vanilla Sweet Cream, made with cold brew earl grey tea.
Finally, to make regular iced tea using concentrate just add fresh water or even seltzer water to make it a little fizzy.
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How To Brew Loose Leaf Tea In A Teacup
A good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of tea for no more than 8 ounces of water.
Experiment according to your tastes, because I usually prefer a little less water maybe 6 ounces.
The main thing tea needs is room to expand.
A teaball like the one pictured below is almost always too small. The leaves expand, and flavor gets trapped inside.
But is your cup or mug bigger than 8 ounces? Probably! That means using more dry tea so your brew isnt weak. And THAT means more space for the flavor to blossom.
Heres an easy solution: A strainer like this can hold a tablespoon of teaand more importantly, it will release the flavor right into your cup!
If you already have a French press, that can be a great way to brew tea.
Just be sure to clean it thoroughly with baking soda if you have also used it for coffee.
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Tea Brewing Instructions: How To Brew Loose Leaf Tea
Brewing loose leaf tea may seem like a daunting task, but itâs easier than it seems! We truly believe that the difference in taste and reduction of waste is absolutely worth it ! Our blog post âHow to Brew Loose Leaf Teaâ goes over all of the ins an outs!
The Process:
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