Cool down this summer with this make ahead cold brew iced tea method. Super simple, refreshing, and lasts up to 5 days in the fridge!
Cold Brew Iced Tea (Make Ahead Iced Tea)
I am a sucker for tea. There is at least 4 boxes of bagged tea on my desk right now and 5 tins of loose leaf within arm’s reach. And don’t get me started on bubble tea. We go get bubble tea at least twice a week haha.
Anyways, you must be wondering if I’ve gone out of my mind. Like really Carmy? Meal prepping tea? You just add hot water and bam, done but hear me out! I love tea and but when it’s 28C/82F outside, a toasty hot cup of tea is a wee bit too hot for me.
So of course, I’d turn to iced tea but 1. traditional iced tea can have quite a bit of sugar in it and 2. doesn’t a cool cup of iced tea sound refreshing on a hot day? Also, this isn’t really related to the taste of the teas or anything, but how pretty are these cold brew teas?
What is Cold Brew? What is Cold Brew Tea?
You might recognize the term cold brew from cold brew coffee. Similar to cold brew coffee, cold brew tea is steeped in cold water instead of hot over a long period of time.
Some methods of iced tea has you steeping the tea in hot water then transferring it to a pitcher of ice and popping it in the fridge. Heat brings out the tannic, bitter flavours in tea and when you chill it after, it gets more bitter.
So by cold brewing tea, you skip that step and you’re left with a refreshing, light, and sweeter cold tea. Bonus: you pretty much can’t overstep cold brew iced tea.
What About Caffeine in Cold Brew Tea? Or Antioxidants?
I’ve read that a cup of cold brewed tea has half the caffeine of hot tea in forums but I couldn’t find any scientific sources on that. Same with antioxidants in tea. Take this information with a grain of salt in my opinion.
What Teas Can You Cold Brew?
You can use any teas that you wish! For this blog post, the pictured teas are cold brew hibiscus tea, genmaicha tea, and chrysanthemum tea. For cold brew tea, you can use both loose leaf teas or pre-packed tea bags.
I usually pick up my tea at David’s Tea as it’s right by work. I also have a few green tea blends that I’ve picked up from Japan and a few local tea shops in that I love as well. Harney and Sons is also a great place to pick up tea online.
Want to try new teas but don’t want to commit, you can try Teabox.com’s subscription plan and taste 5 new teas every month.
What’s the Difference Between Loose Leaf Tea and Tea Bags?
Loose leaf tea is dried, large, individual loose tea leaves. Whereas the leaves used in most tea bags are the “dust and fannings” from broken tea leaves and are much smaller “leaves” than the whole leaves. When steeped, they release more tannins than whole loose leaf tea, making the tea a bit more bitter in comparison.
However, this doesn’t mean all tea bags are low quality leaves! Some speciality tea stores do carry high quality tea bags where the bag itself is larger to allow for the whole leaves inside to unfurl and steep fully. Oteas uses whole leaves and a pyramid-shaped tea bag so there’s room to unfurl. Be sure to check 🙂
Bonus note: if you are using loose leaf tea, you are re-cold brew it once you are done with the first batch! Get your money’s worth by using it a couple times before tossing.
How Long Does Cold Brew Tea Last?
Cold brew tea doesn’t last long around me! The iced tea will keep well if covered and refrigerated, for 3 to 5 days.
What You Need To Cold Brew Tea
- loose leaf tea (or tea bag)
- a large air tight container (I use a 750mL mason jar)
- water
- stainer, if you’re using loose leaf tea
- optional: ice for serving
How To Cold Brew Tea aka “Meal Prep” Iced Tea
- In a large pitcher or a mason jar, mix your room temperature (ideally filtered) water with tea leaves.
- Cover and refrigerate the tea overnight.
- Strain out tea leaves and discard or reuse for another batch of cold brew tea.
- Serve with some ice if desired or store for up to 5 days, covered in the fridge.
Notes on Making This Cold Brew Iced Tea
- The cold brew tea should be naturally sweeter than hot steeped. However, if you wish to make it sweeter, I would suggest adding a syrup of sorts as honey may not dissolve fully in a cold brew tea.
- Want to be extra? Freeze a batch of tea in an ice cube trays and then serve the tea with tea ice cubes!
Cold Brew Tea / Make Ahead Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp loose leaf tea or 2 tea bags
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- In a large pitcher or a large mason jar, mix your room temperature (ideally filtered) water with tea leaves.
- Cover and refrigerate the tea overnight.
- Strain out tea leaves and discard or reuse for another batch of cold brew tea.
- Serve with some ice if desired or store for up to 5 days, covered in the fridge.
More Recipes To Make When It’s Hot Out
- Cold Peach Quinoa Salad
- Cold Chicken Spinach Pasta Meal Prep
- Easy Pineapple Salsa
- Mango Chili Lime Chicken
- Cold Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Peas
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: carmy@carmyy.com
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