Category: Brewing Tea

Sometimes it’s just too hot to put on the tea kettle, which probably means iced tea is needed more than ever. Good thing there’s a perfect solution – cold brew. In addition to beating the heat, the cold brew method can produce superior results reducing both dilution and bitterness. The result is a sweet, smooth tea with increased clarity.

By not exposing tea leaves to hot water, fewer catechins and tannins are steeped out. The benefit is a less astringent brew which allows more delicate and elusive flavors to shine. However, the same holds true for caffeine, so keep that in mind if iced tea is a go to pick-me-up or an evening elixir.

Cold brewing works with most every type of loose leaf tea including green, white, black, and oolong. It’s a fantastic way to breathe new life into old favorites. The subtle to dramatic shifts in flavor achieved by cold brewing is worth the wait. Since the method can take up to eight hours it’s essential to plan ahead.

Other than the time spent waiting, cold brew is one of the simplest methods. Just place cold water and tea leaves in a vessel, refrigerate, wait, and strain. However, it doesn’t hurt to know the details.

How to Cold Brew Tea:

1. Measure 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea in a vessel.
2. Add 48 ounces of cold, clean water.
3. Place in the refrigerator and steep for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
4. Strain and add sweetener if desired.
5. Serve over ice or drink it cold, straight from the fridge without any ice to dilute the flavor.

Cold-brew Iced Tea Brewing Tips:

• Use double the amount of loose leaf tea used for brewing hot tea.
• Use fresh, cold water. The quality of water will affect the taste of the tea.
• Be sure to strain the leaf from the tea once steeping is complete.

Now that basics are covered, experimentation is key to developing unique and delicious cold brews. Again, since the chances of bitterness and clouding are significantly reduced, it’s hard to go wrong. Feel free to increase the amount of tea, don’t be afraid to use more leaf, or vary the steeping time.

Already cold brewed a tried and true favorite? Try something new. This method is particularly suited to delicate white teas like White Peony or Snow Buds. The mild flavors of these refined and understated teas are truly enhanced by cold brewing.

For those who like sweet teas try our Tropical Breeze or Black Currant. Keep in mind this method brings out more of the tea’s natural sweetness, so sample the batch before adding additional sweetener. If needed, try honey or agave, both dissolve more easily in cold liquids.

Already have a pitcher of cold brew that’s not quite ready? Need tea now? Try this alternative hot brewing method for flavorful iced tea.

Summer time is tea time and what better way to kick off the season than by brewing up your favorite iced tea? It’s easy, here’s how.

Start by choosing the perfect tea. While black teas are most commonly used for iced tea, almost any type of loose leaf tea or herbal blend can be chilled and made into a refreshing iced tea.

What You’ll Need:

• Your favorite loose leaf tea
• Fresh water
• A way to heat the water: electric tea kettle, stove with a tea kettle, a campfire
• A vessel to put the water and tea in for steeping: a large pitcher
• A method of straining the tea: coffee filter, tea strainer
• Cups, glasses
• Ice

How to Make Homemade Iced Tea:

1. Heat the water to just a boil and pour the hot water into your steeping vessel.
2. Measure out the tea and add it to the pitcher of hot water. You want to double the amount of tea you would use for hot tea when making iced tea. Allow the tea to steep for 2-3 minutes and strain.
3. Pour over ice and enjoy.

Once you’ve got that delicious beverage in hand find a cool, shady spot and enjoy the summer months.

Spring is here and we can start looking forward to sunshine, warmer weather, and drinking plenty of refreshing iced tea. There are many bottled or ready-to-drink iced teas on the store shelves, but they can be loaded with sugar and preservatives.

Brewing your own iced tea is fun and allows you to control the ingredients. You can personalize your iced tea by adding fresh or frozen fruits, different herbs and spices, and sweetener to your taste.

Sometimes iced tea can turn out cloudy or foggy in appearance, referred to as clouding. This happens randomly and is purely cosmetic – it doesn’t change the flavor or reflect the quality of the tea.

Solutions to Three Causes of Clouding

1. Hard water contains high concentrations of minerals that can form visible solids which are not easily dissolved in cooler water temperatures.
   Solution: Use filtered water.
2. “Shocking the iced tea” (a term coined by tea industry consultant Richard Guzauskas) is a phenomenon that occurs when black tea is cooled too quickly.
   Solution: Allow the brewed tea to come to room temperature naturally prior to refrigeration.
3. Black teas are most prone to clouding due to the oxidation during production.
   Solution: Use green loose leaf teas, herbals, rooibos, or yerba maté, all of which make tasty iced teas.

TIP: If your tea does become cloudy you can save it by adding a small amount of hot water. This will reorganize the chemical structure of the tea and remove the cloudiness. Take care not to add too much hot water or the tea flavor will become diluted.
To avoid cloudiness all-together try the cold-brewing method.