Return to T Ching Classics: Cold Brew Tea
Summer is here! The weather is getting hot, and dare I say sometimes too hot for tea? We’ve all had iced tea, where you brew up some tea really strong and dilute it with ice, but what about cold brewed tea? This has become one of my favorite ways to enjoy tea. Cold brewed tea is very simple to make, and is very refreshing in the hot weather.
To make cold brew tea, you need to plan a bit in advance, as the tea typically needs to steep several hours or overnight. The vessel can be just about anything from a measuring cup, to a glass, to a tea tumbler. Personally, I like using a tea tumbler because it has a filter on top. I have found that the Libre 14oz tumbler is perfect because of the filter, there is no hassle in filtering the tea, just take the tea out of the refrigerator and start drinking. Plus it has a nice lid so I can throw the tumbler in my backpack without worrying about the tea spilling. It also has the added benefit of having borosilicate glass, so l can drop it and it won’t break.
Most teas work very well cold brewed. My favorites are light roasted oolongs and golden tipped dianhongs. Cold brewed tea tastes completely different from a traditional hot tea. Tannins are not extracted as much at lower temperatures, so there is a much smoother tasting cup. Light roasted oolongs become incredibly floral and dianhongs taste like honey. The teas I would recommend staying away from cold brewing are anything flavored or anything smokey. Those teas really shine with hotter water.
For ratios, I like to use about 4g of tea in my 14oz tumbler, after about 8 hours in the fridge my tumbler is packed with leaves! The tea is extremely pleasant and not too strong. I like to leave my tea in the refrigerator a minimum of 8 hours, but I’ve left them there for 24 without any issues of bitterness or astringency.
Cold brewing tea is a nice change of pace in the hot weather. You can get a very smooth easy drinking tea with little effort. I’ve even used leaves leftover from a gongfu session and cold brewed them for a nice light tea. Instead of grabbing a cold soda this summer to cool down, try cold brewing some tea!
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Very interesting James. I thought borosilicate glass was great for temperature fluctuations and high heat. Didn’t realize it was less fragile regarding breakage as well.
I’ve never been an iced tea fan although I haven’t tried cold brewed. After reading this, I will give it a shot. You never know, i could become a convert.
Thanks
Good tea. Good post