3 Steps for making a great glass of cold brew iced tea

3 Steps for making a great glass of cold brew iced tea

It’s iced tea season and we are jumping for joy. After many months of Covid fatigue, what better way to enjoy the outdoors than with a nice tall glass of iced tea. Skip the store bought sugary version and home brew a zero effort pitcher of refreshing iced tea. Literally you just put tea in the fridge with cold water, so let’s get to it!

Step 1 - The method

For every 4 cups of water, add about 1 rounded tablespoon or 4 tea bags (though it depends on your specific tea) into a plastic or glass container. Pour the cold water over top, cover, and chill for about 8 hours. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the tea, then pour it over ice and add sugar as you like. If it’s your first time using a certain type of tea, taste it to know if you need to use a little less or a little more in the future.

Step 2 - What type of tea should you use?

Really you can cold brew any loose leaf or tea bags. If using tea bags - a 5 hour steep may be sufficient. Since colder temperatures don’t steep out the tannins the way hot water does, cold-brewed tea is actually less astringent and less caffeinated. However, flavors will be muted by the extreme temperature, so it’s best to use bold, flavourful teas.

Step 3 - What else?

Don’t toss out your tea leaves - especially if using high quality teas. You can actually re-steep the next night however, let it sit for longer than just overnight (so, maybe 16 hours instead of the usual eight hours). The flavor will be a little bit lighter, but you'll still get a great cold brew.

Now that you know how easy it is to D.I.Y cold brew iced tea, enjoy a perfectly refreshing, super smooth tea for slow summer sipping.