How to Cold Brew Iced Tea

It is the middle of June in Atlanta. Most people are not drinking hot tea right now. But making bulk iced tea can be time consuming and can use a lot of tea leaves. My husband LOVES my raspberry vanilla black tea during the summer. I used to spend an hour heating water to the right temperature, making tea balls out of cheesecloth, steeping for just the right amount of time, then trying as hard as I could not to pour it all over the floor while putting it into the pitcher. All for it to last about 3 days. Then start the process all over again.

Then I discovered Cold Steeping. While it does take some time, it is super easy and can be done overnight while you sleep.

What you need

• A bottle of some kind that can close tight. I love using mason jars for cold steeping but it can make getting the tea leaves out at the end an extra process that not everyone wants to mess with. They do make Cold Steep pitchers with infusers that work great.
• Tea bags or tea leaves of your choice. If you are using loose tea, I recommend 2 teaspoons of tea for every 8oz of water. Use more tea if you want it stronger, less if you want it weaker.
• Cold or room temperature water.
• Sweetener if you want it.

The Cold Brew Process

Now this part could not possibly be any easier.

1. Put your tea leaves in the jar
2. Add cold or room temperature water to the jar
3. Close the jar
4. Put it in the fridge!!

You can also add fresh fruit if you want to add a bit of extra flavor. I love adding strawberries, raspberries, and even cucumbers to my teas!

Some people say to leave the jar out for about 30 minutes before putting it in the fridge but I haven’t noticed a difference. You are welcome to make that decision for yourself.

How Long to Steep

The next question is always how long to steep your tea. When steeping hot there are very strict steeping temperatures and times how different could this be? Since you aren’t putting hot water on the tea, there is no way to burn the leaves! So tea can steep for a lot longer without concern. This is where I recommend prepping it at night and leaving it to steep in the refrigerator while you sleep. In the morning you have a perfect pitcher of cold brew tea!

I have even left my herbal teas in for longer and they are still just as good. Cold brewing herbal teas can bring out the natural sweetness in the tea so you may want to try it before adding any extra sweetener. I always have cold brewed Peach Tranquility from Teavana in the fridge (my toddler LOVES Peach Tranquility) and it does not need any sweetener at all!

Please also keep in mind, these are guidelines that I have found that work for me. You can play with the timing to see how you like the flavors and make the final decision for yourselves.

Finally, add some ice (and lemon if you want it) and ENJOY!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions about the process.

What tea are you going to Cold Brew first?! I would love to hear about your success!

**Please keep in mind that with Teavana out of business some of my teas are no longer available. In this instance, I will link to teas and products that I have found to be similar from other companies.

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