Cold Brew Tea
Recently, the cold brew method has been all the rage in the world of coffee. Attracting connoisseurs and caffeine fiends alike, cold brew coffee became popular for its lack of bitterness, rich and full texture, and bright flavour. Less known, but still equally as good is the cold brewed tea. While it may not be as popular as the famous cold brewed coffee, Cold brewed tea is very delicious and extremely easy to make in your own kitchen with only a few tools.
Cold brewing simply put is brewing tea or coffee in room temperature or cold water for an extended period of time. With the lower temperature, the water’s flavour extraction capabilities are drastically reduced, necessitating an increased brew time. Whereas hot water brewing usually takes only a few minutes, cold water brewing can take hours to get the full flavour potential from the tea leaves. The result of cold water brewing is naturally sweet with no bitterness or harsh tastes and a perfect beverage for after a workout or long workday.
Cold brewing is easy to do at home. With only a few simple tools and tricks, you can enjoy cold brewed tea regularly and affordably. To make your own cold brewed tea, you will need a vase or pitcher of water, some tea leaves, and a tea strainer.
The first step is to measure out your tea leaves. I recommend using a few more grams than you would normally use for hot brewed tea. The specific amount of tea you use will vary depending on the type of tea you use. For green tea (my personal favourite for cold brewing), I recommend around 1g of tea for every 150ml of water, however you may have to do some experimenting to see what works best for you. It is important not to go overboard with the amount of tea leaves used as too much can result in a bitter finished product.
Place your tea leaves into your vase or pitcher and fill the vase or pitcher with cold, filtered water. When filled, place your soon-to-be cold brewed tea into your refrigerator and wait for 3-5 hours. When the time is up, strain the leaves from the cold brewed tea and discard them (preferably in the composter to help the environment). If you used a paper tea filter or tea kit to make your cold brew, the straining step can be skipped and you can easily remove the paper tea filter and discard it. Serve your cold brew over ice for a refreshing post-workout beverage or a replacement for unhealthy sodas.
Cold brewed tea is a great way to mix up your tea routine and get an enjoyable, cool and refreshing beverage. No sugar is necessary to enjoy cold brewed tea’s natural sweetness and refreshing taste. Just make sure to plan your cold brew in advance so you can make it in time!