Tea Time with Peggy: Cold Brew Tea

By Peggy A. Alaniz

With the high heat and humidity of a summer day in Michigan, the last thing I want to do is boil water for tea. It’s summer! I want to take life easy, maybe play in my garden or go out on the lake. While boiling water is not hard, I don’t want to waste time waiting for the tea to chill. While I could let the sun brew some tea, I could just as easily cold brew it in the refrigerator overnight. Cold brewing has been becoming more popular in recent years. While you mostly hear about cold-brewed coffee, this technique probably originated with tea. The great thing about cold brewing tea is that you can let your imagination go wild with fresh summer ingredients. The only rule for cold brewing is placing your ingredients in a jar of iced water and letting them steep.

The traditional teas that cold brew the quickest are oolong, white, and green. However, that doesn’t mean that black tea won’t work. It just takes a little longer. Cold brew tea is actually a good way to go if you like fruit flavored tea. You just need to mash your mint, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, strawberries, or black berries first. Then add your ice, tea, and water to the container and leave it to sit overnight.

I’d like to encourage you to expand your horizons by cold brewing your own herbal ingredients and make a tisane. Hibiscus is not only a pretty flower to look at but has a great tart flavor that pairs well with any fruit. Think about adding lemon, lime, or orange peel. Mint tea is also refreshing, should it be spearmint or peppermint. Don’t forget to add other herbs like lemon grass, thyme, basil, and lavender. Possibly even add some chamomile or a cinnamon stick to create a little different flavor profile. Have fun playing with in season fresh ingredients from your local farmer’s market. It is summertime after all! The important thing is to keep it simple. Just let time and the cold water make your tea creation. Should you desire, you can also replace the water with your favorite spirit, making a great complement to your summer picnic or party.

Some advantages of cold brewing tea, besides the fact that it can save you time, is less caffeine, more antioxidants, more vitamin C, and an overall sweetness in taste. More caffeine is released from traditional tea when using hot water versus cold, while the antioxidants and vitamin C are diluted. Warm water also brings out bitter notes in the tea, possibly because of the quicker disbursement into the liquid.

There is only one way to find out if you’re going to like cold brew tea and that is to try it! Might I suggest you start with either a blueberry mint or strawberry basil cold brew tea.

Blueberry Mint Tea Recipe Strawberry Basil Tea Recipe

2 cups of ice 2 cups of ice

4 cups of water 4 cups of water

Handful of fresh spearmint Handful of fresh basil leaves

3 to 4 bags of black tea 3 to 4 bags of black tea

¼ cup of mashed blueberries ¼ cup of mashed strawberries

In both of these recipes you will want to start with the fruit, mint, or basil in the bottom of the container. The fruit and herbs should be ruff smashed prior to placing in the container. Add ice, and then add water. Next, submerge the tea bags into the water and leave the covered container in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning you can strain the tea mixture to remove any particles. The tea bags can be left in the water longer than overnight should it not have the desired strength. Pour the strained liquid into a glass with ice and enjoy.

P.A. Alaniz is a tea enthusiast who has an MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She has also been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul.

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