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Side shot of two pint glasses on a silver serving tray. Each glass is filled with ice and cold brew tea. Each glass has lemon wheels floating between the ice and the side of the glass, and each are garnished with fresh mint and half a lemon wheel on the edge of the rim. Each also have a light blue and white straw. A basket of lemons are in the background.

Cold Brew Tea

Leanne Neill
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.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Brew Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Course Drinks, Tea
Cuisine American
Servings 6 cups

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
Keyword Cold Brew Iced Tea, Cold Brew Tea, Iced Tea