There are few things more iconic than iced tea on a hot day ~
When it comes to brewing, it’s easy to pour your favorite tea over ice and enjoy. But there’s another way to brew cold iced tea that yields even better, more well-rounded flavors without the risk of overstepping.
Cold brewed tea retains more antioxidants than hot brewed teas. Studies also show that cold brewed teas contain about half about the amount of caffeine. Cold brewing is the best way to make iced tea and it’s just as simple as the traditional hot-to-cold method. In fact, it’s easier–and healthier!
Brewing makes all the difference to a cup of tea. Leave the tea bag in too long and it’s bound to get bitter. Take it out too soon and it will taste weak. With cold brewing, you don’t have to worry about timing. Cold water extracts flavors more slowly and naturally so the result is less bitter and cleaner than hot tea.
Brew cold ice tea step >>>
- For every liter of water (that’s about 4 cups), weigh out 10 grams of tea(usually, about 1 rounded tablespoon or 4 tea bags, though it depends on your specific tea). Once you taste your result, you’ll know if you need to use a little less (8 grams) or a little more (12 grams) in the future.
- Put your tea into a plastic or glass container, pour the cold water over top, cover, and chill for about 8 hours(though don’t stress if you need to leave it for a few longer—it’s hard to over-steep cold brew tea).
- Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the tea, then pour it over ice, or do like I do and chug it straight from the pitcher.
Have a taste of your tea. It will likely be perfect as is. But if you usually take your tea with a bit of sweetener or lemon, it may great than before.
