Being a tea drinker, you have to be somewhat patient as you can’t just pour a pot of tea and go. Steep times take up some of your time, but it’s totally worth it. Up until this Summer I have been avoiding the cold steeping method of making tea because, well, I just didn’t think I could wait that long for a cuppa. I decided to experiment though, and settled on trying to cold steep a white tea as I found that it required the least amount of wait compared to other types of tea.
Cold brewing is easy and can be quite rewarding. This method involves making your tea with cold water only, eliminating the water-heating process. It will produce a lighter-bodied tea with less astringency and bitterness. Any black, green, oolong or white tea will cold steep well, all varying in times. I have yet to try any tisanes with this method.
What You’ll Need
- a jar with a lid (mason jars can work well for this!)
- loose leaf tea of your choice
- cold water
- flavouring of your choice (optional)
Directions
- Measure 2-3 teaspoons of your loose leaf tea and place it into your jar. I put my leaves directly into the jar to get full flavour. If you’d like you can use an infuser.
- Fill the jar to the top with cold water, preferably filtered.
- Add in any additional flavours you would like to be present in your cold brew tea. Some options could be honey, fresh mint, lemon, cinnamon sticks, etc. This step is optional as cold brewed tea is naturally sweeter.
- Seal the jar and refrigerate for appropriate duration based on the tea you chose. (See times below) *Tip: it’s a good idea to do this overnight so you can wake up to a refreshing drink waiting for you and eliminate your waiting time!
- Before drinking or storing your cold steep, be sure to strain the leaves if you did not use an infuser.
How Long To Cold Brew For…
- Black Tea: 15-20 hours
- Green Tea: 6-8 hours
- White Tea: 6-8 hours
- Oolong Tea: 8-10 hours
Experiment with each type of tea and see what you come up with! Be sure to let me know if you give it a try and how your results were.
For the past couple of days, I've been cold brewing green tea with a teaspoon of dried nettle pieces. It's such a refreshing drink to have in the office during the day 🙂