Cold-Brew Tea
Cold water takes its time. Over several hours it often creates a soft, lightly sweet tea with less obvious bitterness and astringency than a hot brew of the same leaves.
Smooth does not mean caffeine-free. Cold water still extracts caffeine.
The overnight recipe
- Put 5–8 g of tea per liter into a clean food-safe container.
- Add cold drinking water and cover.
- Refrigerate for 6–10 hours.
- Taste, then strain all the liquid from the leaves.
- Keep it refrigerated and enjoy within a day.
Green, white, light oolong, and aromatic black tea are friendly places to start. Tight rolls may need longer. Dark tea can work too if a chilled woody cup sounds appealing.
Adjust the next bottle
- Watery: give it more refrigerator time before adding lots more leaf.
- Heavy or drying: shorten the time or use less leaf.
- Cloudy or gritty: use a finer filter; small fragments release faster.
Try the same tea hot with one long steep. Temperature changes both extraction and the way aroma reaches you, so the two drinks may feel like cousins rather than twins.
Keep it clean
Use clean hands, water, tools, and a container meant for food. Keep the brew refrigerated throughout. Do not leave wet leaves at room temperature for hours.
Danger
Cold brewing cannot rescue moldy tea, chemical odors, or unknown contamination. When storage seems unsafe, discard the leaf.
For a hot travel drink, try Tea in a Thermos.