How To Cold Brew Every Type of Tea?

Tea addicts cannot go a day without having a sip of from their cup. There are people who enjoy cold brewing their drink instead of hot brewing it because of the array of health benefits it brings about in the person drinking it.

This process might seem to be difficult to grasp if you haven’t tried it before, but in reality, it is a very easy task and you will get a tasty drink as a result.

There are 7 types of tea; Oolong, Green tea, Fermented tea, White tea, Herbal tea, Yellow tea, and Black tea. Continue reading to acquire knowledge about the process of cold brewing every type of tea.

Why Cold Brewing Is Different?

As the name suggests, instead of using hot water you would have to use cold water to obtain this particular kind of drink. The latter takes hours to make while the former only takes about 5 minutes.

This process is worth the wait as this kind of tea has a more distinctive taste than the conventional hot tea- it’s smoother and sweeter, and doesn’t pull out the tannins in leaves which is responsible for the bitter taste sometimes found in the hot drink.

The health benefits involving this type of drink are that it contains less caffeine than the warm brewed tea, which would help you to avoid feeling anxious.

A cold tea has more antioxidants than the hotter one which means that you will enable the disease-fighting and anti-aging components. The warm water in the drink wipes out the catechins- the chemical which is responsible for the antioxidant properties in the leaves.

Method 1: The Use Of Cold Water 

This particular method can be used for all types of tea there is and is known as mizudashi. A long time is needed to move forward with this process; approximately 3 hours if not more.

You have to prepare the leaves first to get everything started. Quickly wash them with cold water to make sure all the dust and impurities have been removed. Glass or ceramic vessels are the ideal choices as it makes sure that no foreign taste has been imparted to the sediments.

In order to make the chilled drink, in per quart of water, a ratio of one to two tablespoons of desired tea leaves have to be used. If you are in a hurry and are looking for a quicker option, tea bags are the way to go.

At the base of the large container, place the tea leaves and then pour in water. The water has to be at room temperature. After that, you have to cover the container and store it inside a refrigerator to allow it to steep.

Once you have left it to sit inside the fridge for an ample number of hours, remove the pot from inside and give it a light whirl or mix it with a spoon before taking a sip to ensure that no strong-flavored deposits are settled at the bottom whilst being brewed.

There wouldn’t be a problem if you steep the tea for up to 24-hours as it does not become bitter like the hotter version of this drink. If you wish to have a stronger brew, then carry out this process overnight and you can have the refreshment during the early hours of the day.

However, if it gets sticky you have to throw it away as this indicates the growth of bacteria in the container.

Method 2: Just Cool Down Hot Tea

Hands down, the simplest and the fastest way of getting your tea ready is this method. If you are in a rush and really need your fill of the cold tea, just add in some ice cubes to the warm glass of the stimulating drink.

Usually, this process is used for green tea and works properly with both tea bags and loose tea leaves. The only problem you might have to face is that the ice would cause the refreshment to become watered down.

So, you would have to make use of two tea bags or double the number of tea leaves from the usual amount to make it stronger.  

Method 3: By Melting Ice

If you enjoy a very light and soft taste in your tea, you should opt out of the other ways and stick to this one. Naturally flavored teas, such as herbal tea, are flavored by this process and show the best result which is why loose tea leaves are preferred over the ones in the bag.

In a pot, add about two tablespoons full of the leaves and fill in the remaining with ice. Let it remain untouched that way. Your drink is ready to be served when all the ice has melted. Filter out the leaves from the refreshment by either using a cheesecloth or through a mesh sieve.

Final Words 

Now that you know everything regarding the process of making chilled tea, you should also know that you could use the same leaves twice, especially if high-temperature water hasn’t been used. You can remove the leaves from the solvent by filtering it with the help of cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve.

All has been said and done. What are you waiting for? Run along and make your first brewed cup of chilled tea today itself!