Say goodbye to bitter brews and hello to chill vibes. Cold brew tea is your summer refreshment hero. Steeped slowly in cold water for a smooth, delicate flavor without any bitterness. This recipe is the classic version using an everyday run of the mill black tea, but is totally customizable to the tea of your choice including green teas. Let it be your go-to sip for staying cool this summer.
In the South, iced tea isn’t just a drink, it’s a way of life. Often served at backyard barbecues, front porch chats, and Sunday dinners, it’s the go-to drink for beating the heat. Cold brewing takes that tradition up a notch, giving you all the smooth, refreshing flavor Southerners love, without the bitterness.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
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No special equipment is really necessary, you just need a large pitcher for brewing and serving. If you are going to make simple syrup to sweeten the tea, a small saucepan will be needed.
Ingredients to make Cold Brew Tea
Water – the base of the drink. Filtered water is best, but whatever water you use for drinking will do.
Tea – I keep things simple using orange pekoe tea bags from Tetley, or Lipton. But you can use loose leaf tea if you prefer.
Sugar – Used to add sweetness to the tea. I like to make a simple syrup with water and sugar, since adding plain sugar to cold tea doesn’t dissolve easily.
Instructions to Make Cold Brew Tea
Fill a pitcher with 6 cups of cold water.
Add in 8 tea bags.
Let the tea and water sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours to steep (see notes for brewing in the refrigerator as well).
While the tea is brewing make the simple syrup. For a more in depth look at the simple syrup process you can look at my vanilla simple syrup recipe – just don’t add the vanilla extract unless you want to.
Add 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat the solution on a stove top set to medium heat. Stir gently on occasion to encourage the sugar to dissolve. You do not need to bring this to a boil, you can turn off the heat once all the sugar has dissolved (solution is no longer cloudy and no granules can be seen on the bottom of the pan.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, pour into a jar with a lid to store in the fridge for up to a month.
After the tea has finished brewing, remove and discard the tea bags. Add 1/2 cup of simple syrup, stir and taste. Add more simple syrup if you would like it sweeter.
Place the Cold Brew Tea into the fridge to bring to a cold drinking temperature. Usually takes an hour or more to get cold.
When ready to drink, fill a glass with ice, pour in your sweetened cold brew tea and serve. Garnish with lemons or other fruits of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- The amount of tea bags has an effect on how strong the final brew is. Add more if you like it stronger and less if you like it weaker. I would recommend starting with 8 tea bags to 6 cups of water the first time you try it. If you are using loose leaf tea add 1.5 teaspoons of tea per cup of water.
- You can brew the tea at room temperature or in the fridge. I find brewing in the fridge gives an even smoother final product, but it lacks the tea flavor (IMO), so I prefer brewing at room temperature where you get the best of both worlds – smooth flavor, but it still tastes like tea.
FAQ
Can I make this cold brew tea sugar free? Yes, you can drink this with no sweetener at all if you like, or you can sweeten with a sugar alternative of your choice.
How long is cold brew tea good for in the fridge? If stored with a tight lid, it should stay fresh for up to a week.
What’s the difference between cold brew tea and iced tea? Cold brew tea is steeped in cold water for several hours, resulting in a smoother, less bitter flavor. Iced tea is typically brewed hot and then chilled.
Can I add sweetener before brewing? I think for food safety it is better to not add the sweetener and then let it sit out on the counter for X hours, you don’t want to encourage bacterial growth. So best to add the sweetener just before it goes to sit in the fridge, or just before drinking.
What types of tea are best for cold brewing? Most teas work well! Try green, black, white, oolong. Fruit or floral teas make especially refreshing brews too.
Why does cold brew tea taste smoother than hot brewed tea? The cold steeping process extracts fewer tannins, which means less bitterness and a softer flavor profile.
What can I do if my tea tastes too strong? Different tea companies use different amounts of tea in their tea bags, so if your tea bags are stronger than mine, you can simply dilute the final product with a little water. Just adjust it to your like.
What should I do if my tea is too weak even after 6 hours? This might be due to your tea bags being less strong than the ones I used. I would add another tea bag or two and let it brew for another two hours.
Can I make a large batch ahead of time? Absolutely! Cold brew tea is perfect for batch brewing—just store it in the fridge and pour as needed throughout the week.
Cold Brew Tea
Ingredients
- 6 cups cold water
- 8 tea bags (your choice)
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Fill a pitcher with 6 cups of cold water.
- Add in 8 tea bags.
- Let the tea and water sit at room temperature for 4-6 hours to steep (see notes for brewing in the refrigerator as well).
- While tea is brewing make the simple syrup.
- Add 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat the solution on a stove top set to medium heat. Stir gently on occasion to encourage the sugar to dissolve. You do not need to bring this to a boil, you can turn off the heat once all the sugar has dissolved (solution is no longer cloudy and no granules can be seen on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, pour into a jar with a lid to store in the fridge for up to a month.
- After the tea has finished brewing, remove and discard the tea bags. Add 1/2 cup of simple syrup, stir and taste. Add more simple syrup if you would like it sweeter.
- Place the Cold Brew Tea into the fridge to bring to a cold drinking temperature. Usually takes an hour or more to get cold.
- When ready to drink, fill a glass with ice, pour in your sweetened cold brew tea and serve. Garnish with lemons or other fruits of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- The amount of tea bags has an effect on how strong the final brew is. Add more if you like it stronger and less if you like it weaker. I would recommend starting with 8 tea bags to 6 cups of water the first time you try it. If you are using loose leaf tea add 1.5 teaspoons of tea per cup of water.
- You can brew the tea at room temperature or in the fridge. I find brewing in the fridge gives an even smoother final product, but it lacks the tea flavor (IMO), so I prefer brewing at room temperature where you get the best of both worlds – smooth flavor, but it still tastes like tea.
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Made this for the weekend, and it barely made it to Monday. Everyone loved how the flavor was so smooth and sweet.
My son is just getting into cooking and this was the perfect recipe for him. He was so excited to make this all by himself and we enjoy that he can make us all something nice to drink now.