How to make cold brew and iced tea with loose leaf
Cold brewing is leaf and cold water left in the fridge overnight. No kettle, no cooling, no cloudiness, and because cold water pulls out less tannin, the tea comes out smooth and naturally a bit sweet. It is also the best use for a tea you find harsh when it is hot. Here is how I do it.
The method
Put 10g of leaf, about four heaped teaspoons, into a litre jug or bottle. Fill with cold water from the tap. Lid on, fridge, eight to twelve hours. Strain or pour through a sieve. It keeps in the fridge for three days.
That is it. There is no step where it can go wrong. Too strong, add water. Too weak, leave it longer next time or add a spoon of leaf.
The teas that work best cold
Green teas are made for it. Sencha cold brewed is sweet and grassy with none of the bitterness it can have when brewed too hot. Jasmine Green is the one most people fall for, it tastes like a summer garden. Genmaicha is nutty and refreshing.
Crimson Berry is the showpiece. It brews a deep ruby red, tart and fruity, and needs nothing added. It is honestly better cold than hot.
Peppermint and Chai Nana make a very good cold mint tea. Rooibos Kalahari, with its lemongrass and orange peel, is a lovely caffeine free one for the evening or for kids.
Oolongs cold brew beautifully, especially Orange Oolong. White tea does too, though it needs the full twelve hours.
The teas to leave hot
Breakfast blends and Assam are built for milk and heat and come out a bit flat cold. Lapsang Souchong cold is an acquired taste, though a few people love it. Chamomile and lavender work, but they are gentler cold and you may want to double the leaf.
Quick iced tea when you have not planned ahead
Brew the tea hot at double strength, two heaped teaspoons per 200ml, for the normal time. Pour it over a full glass of ice. The ice melts and brings it back to normal strength. Black teas can go cloudy this way, which is harmless but not pretty, so this method suits green, herbal and fruit teas best.
Sweetening and extras
Sugar does not dissolve well in cold tea, so if you want it sweet, stir a spoon of honey or sugar into a splash of hot water first and add that. A slice of lemon or orange in the jug while it brews adds a lot. Fresh mint with Jasmine Green is a good one.