Nothing could be easier, or faster, to prep: just combine loose leaf tea and fresh water in a mason jar, attach the Craft Cold Brew Filter, and let the tea leaves infuse for 20 minutes to overnight.
Refer to the guidelines by tea type below (they’re also on the filter package). But don’t stress about it! Unlike hot brewing, steeping time is flexible and very forgiving for cold brew tea. Heat is what brings out the tannic, bitter flavors in tea. When you cold brew, you’re left with a super smooth tea, which isn’t bitter in the slightest.
You can leave your mason jar on the countertop (for ambient-temperature tea) or chill it in the refrigerator (see instructions below for specifics). Cold brewing tea is a lot like making sun tea, since you’re just steeping tea in water for hours, but cold brew takes place in the a cool, dark place or the fridge, instead of a sunny porch.
Then strain into serving glasses, and you have gourmet iced tea that tastes fantastic!
Cold Brew Pro Tips:
Tea: For best results, use loose leaf tea, as the flavor extraction from the leaves is maximized when they’re freely in contact with the water. This is actually a great way to make tea taste its best, as the leaves aren’t constrained by a tea bag, or an infuser basket.
Water: Use freshly drawn (filtered, if possible) cold water. Tea leaves love oxygen! It helps their flavor develop while they’re infusing. This is even more helpful when you cold brew, than in the case of hot brewing, when the water you’re adding is boiling.
Storage: Once your cold brew tea is ready, you can serve it right away, or strain it and store it in the fridge. It will taste fresh for up to 3 days.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp - 2 TBS loose leaf tea per 16 oz water (depending on tea type and desired strength)
- Optional add-ins: sliced lemon, fresh mint or basil leaves, sliced cucumber
Find out even more at our blog post here: Using the Craft Cold Brew Filter to make your perfect Iced Tea
Here are suggestions of some of our favorite teas to cold brew on various occasions.
Favorite crowd-pleaser cold brew teas:
Boulder Blues green tea
Jasmine Petals green tea
Coconut Cabana oolong tea
Mango Tango black tea
Lady Lavender black tea
Pink Rose Lemonade herbal tea
Flat Belly Hibiscus Cucumber herbal tea
Blood Orange Smoothie herbal tea
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Favorite “Ladies Happy Hour” cold brews:
These sophisticated teas are perfect choices to brew straight up for happy hour!
8 Immortals oolong tea
Peach on Earth oolong tea
Monkey Picked white tea
Meditative Mind white tea
Wild Harvest green pu’erh tea
Japanese Orchid Sencha green tea
Ceylon Orange Pekoe black tea