How to cold brew your tea for summer!
How to Cold Brew Tea (and why)
You know that cold brew coffee is a thing but what about cold brew tea?
The cold brew tea method is making tea with cold water only and eliminating the water-heating process. It’s not the same as iced tea but this method is just as refreshing and offers many advantages. You will be surprised with some of the subtle flavors that show up – especially when cold brewing green tea!
Did you know: Tea will release it’s flavor into liquid whether the liquid is hot or cold? The only difference between hot and cold methods is that hot tends to work a bit faster.
When no hot water is used, the tea leaves are extracted much more slowly which results in a lighter-bodied tea with less astringency and bitterness.
It’s an easy way to enjoy any tea type (black, green, white, oolong, puerh and herbal) and depending on how what kind of brew you want.
The Science
Tea is simply an extraction of compounds from the tea leaves into a solvent: water. Hot water is very efficient at pulling out many different compounds from tea leaves such as caffeine and aromatic flavor compounds. Heat also helps to break down the cells so these chemicals are easily released into the water. But you only want to steep your tea for 1-5 minutes because steeping too long in hot water begins to extract undesirable flavor from tannins–particles that make your tea taste acidic and bitter.
With cold-brewing the water is able to pull out the flavor and caffeine without too much tannic extraction. The result is a mellow and balanced tea.
Why Should You Cold Brew Tea?
This method is incredibly simple.
You may even find it easier than steeping your tea in hot water because with cold water you don’t run the risk of over steeping. Because cold brewing is more forgiving you don’t have to worry as much about the amount of tea leaves or how long you steep the tea. For example, many people tell me they’re not a fan of green teas and usually it is because the water temperature is too hot and/or the leaves are steeping for too long. This results in a very bitter drink.
If that’s the case for you, then cold brewing a delicate tea, like Japanese sencha, would be an excellent way to taste it with no bitter notes.
How Long to Cold Brew Tea
You can cold steep your teas for as little as 2 hours or as long as 12 hours or more. The point is to experiment and find out what you like best. Check back on your tea often to taste where it is at and see if you like the flavour profile.
The only downside to cold brew tea is the wait time, but it’s easy to get over that if you just set your tea in the fridge to steep overnight. The next morning you’ll wake up to a refreshing drink waiting for you …hooray!
Which Teas to Cold Brew
The guide pictured is helpful but you notice it has a range of steep times because not all teas in a category brew alike (ie. rolled oolong tea leaves may take longer to cold brew than other oolong teas).
You can even cold brew your spent tea leaves from a hot steep! There are many times when you can save your used tea leaves and set them in a pitcher to steep overnight in the fridge to pull the rest of the flavor out.
*If you’re looking to cold brew matcha there is no need to wait. Matcha is tiny particles of finely ground tea leaves and can simply be shaken or blended with ice cold water and enjoyed immediately.
How to Cold Brew Tea
What You’ll Need:
A pitcher or jar
Tea of choice (for best flavor use loose-leaf tea)
Room temperature or cold water
Optional: flavoring (fresh herbs, fruit, spice, etc.)
STEP ONE: MEASURE OUT TEA INTO JAR
Measure 1 heaping teaspoon of loose-leaf tea per 8 ounces of water into a pitcher or jar. (or follow brewing directions on the tea container label) I like to have tea loose in the pitcher opposed to using a tea infuser or filter. This way the tea leaves have plenty of room to dance around and steep, allowing them to release all of their good flavours. Remember, you can use any tea you like and tea bags work just as well here as loose leaf.
STEP TWO: ADD WATER
Fill jar with room temperature or cold water according to how much tea you are making. 5 heaping tablespoons per gallon of tea is a good general rule.
*OPTIONAL: You can also add slices of fruit, fresh herbs, spices and sweetener etc. to cold steep with the tea at this stage.
STEP THREE: CHILL
Cover the jar with lid and place in the refrigerator for at approx 6-12 hours. You can prepare and place in the fridge overnight for use the next day. Feel free to experiment to see how long each stee time works for your favorite tea.
STEP FOUR: TASTE & ADJUST
After cold steeping, take note of the liquid’s change in color. It should be about the same color as if you hot brewed it. Taste test your cold steep tea to see if it’s to your liking. If you think it was steeping for too long and is now too strong, simply mix in more cold water.
When it is perfect, pour it through a fine mesh tea strainer or cheesecloth to remove the loose leaf tea. However, if you placed your tea leaves in a tea infuser, or you used tea bags, then simply remove and discard.
To make your Cold Brew life easier- you can now purchase cold brew tea pitchers that have lids with filter to catch any tea leaves when pouring (some also have built in strainers etc.
STEP FIVE: ENJOY
Don’t forget to pour yourself (and others!) a glass over ice. Enjoy!
How to Cold Brew with a French Press
Fill French press pitcher with water and loose tea leaves.
Use approximately 1 teaspoon of tea for every 8 ounces of water.
Place in the refrigerator (plunger up) 6-8 hours – or until desired strength is achieved.
Slowly depress the plunger to filter and serve.
How to Make Sun Tea
While this technically is not a cold brew method, it is a slower solar brew method that’s lots of fun and is faster than waiting for cold brew!
When brewing tea using sun power, just fill up a large glass jug (preferably something with a lid you can close) with water.
Then add your tea. A good general guide is 5 heaping tablespoons of tea per gallon of water. How many you add will depend on the strength of the tea you’re using. Add a bit of mint, some muddled fruit or other herbs to the mix if you desire.
Seal it up and place glass jar in the direct sun.
Leave it outside for about 2½ hours or so depending on how hot the day is. If it’s really hot outside and the tea is starting looking dark quickly, the brew time might be less. The length of time you settle on will again depend on how strong you like your iced tea.
After it’s brewed, refrigerate or pour over ice and enjoy!
As the summer begins, let’s savor the tea season!
What’s your favorite iced tea recipe?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
