Cold Brew Iced Tea

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We’ve all heard of cold brew coffee, but have you heard of cold brew iced tea? This innovative way to prepare tea is easy and creates a smooth, flavorful brew.

If you know me, you know I love a good cup of tea. During the fall and winter, I drink several cups of hot tea per day; I especially love warming teas with flavors like chai, vanilla, cinnamon, etc. During the spring and summer, I love iced tea with lighter tea flavors like peach, mango, mint, etc.

What do you need to make Cold Brew Iced Tea?

You only need a few basic items to make cold-brew iced tea:

*cold brew tea bags: Black tea is the most common basic tea you get when you order an iced tea at a restaurant. If you plan on making iced tea in large amounts, consider getting a pack like this that’s designed for cold brew methods. However, if you have a basic variety like this, it will work just as well. 

*cold brew tea maker: Now you don’t necessarily need a dedicated tea maker to prepare this, but this one does look pretty awesome to me. However, you can still make a cold brew tea with a regular old glass or preferably, a mason jar with a lid.

How do you make Cold Brew Tea?

It’s so simple to prepare cold brew tea. The most important distinction with iced tea, as compared to hot tea, is proportion of tea to water. When I make iced tea, I often like to prepare a pitcher-full of it. So I will typically use about 10 tea bags for 8 cups of water. If you like your tea a little stronger, try using more tea bags. For ease of preparation, I will usually put the eight tea bags in a small mason jar with a lid and leave that in the refrigerator overnight. This tea should steep for about 8+ hours.

What are the benefits of Cold Brew Iced Tea

When you steep a tea bag in hot water, more tannins are released into the water. Tannins are essentially a chemical compound in tea that gives tea its dry, slightly bitter flavor. When you steep the tea in cold water (as we do with this method,) fewers tannins are released; this results in a smoother, slightly sweeter tea. 

Is there more caffeine in Cold Brew Tea?

In general, a cup of cold-brewed tea will have around half of the caffeine of its hot-brewed variety. This is because cold brew tea infuses very slowly into the water. This is perfect for those of you that may prefer a lower-caffeine beverage. 

 

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