Cold brewed tea is the best way to make iced tea at home. The big negative is that you’ll need to wait… a long time. But trust me, the sweeter, less bitter taste is worth the wait!
Here’s everything you need to know about making cold brew iced tea… plus continue reading for a time saver hack for some cold brew tea in a pinch!
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
First, What Is Cold Brew Tea?
Cold brew tea is when you brew your tea leaves with only cold water over several hours (usually 8-12 hours).
What’s The Difference Between Cold Brew And Iced Tea?
Like I said, cold brew tea is a specific way to make iced tea that uses only cold water.
Typically, to make iced tea, you still use hot water to steep your tea leaves. Once they’re steeped, you can cool down your tea in the fridge for a few hours, or use quick chill method (with ice cubes).
So, instead of hot water, you’re letting your tea leaves steep for a lot longer than normal. For example, the quick chill method will have iced tea in 5 minutes.
Cold brew tea will never be ready that quickly. The fastest it will be ready is 8 hours.
Why Is Cold Brew Tea Better Than Iced Tea?
Only using cold water to steep your tea leaves is the reason why it’s the best way to make tea.
Hot water will extract the bitter tannins from the tea leaves. You also risk burning the leaves altogether – causing your tea to taste even more bitter.
So, if you never use hot water, you never risk drinking bitter tea!
The cold water never has a chance to over extract or burn the tea leaves. So you’re left with less bitter, smoother tasting tea!
What You Need For Cold Brew Tea?
You can use anything you want to make cold brew tea (another reason why it’s great!). You don’t even need a kettle!
You’ll need tea, of course. The better the quality of tea, the better your iced cold brew tea will taste! P.S. see my favourite teas for iced tea.
You’ll also obviously also then need water! Use filtered for the best tasting cold brew iced tea! And don’t forget your iced cubes!
You’ll also need something to make your tea in. Depending on if you’re using loose leaf or tea bags, you can use something different…
If You’re Using A Tea Bag…
If you’re using tea bags, you can use a simple container to steep your tea. You’ll just want to make sure it has a lid so the water stays fresh in the fridge (and no other flavours end up being absorbed!). A mason jar will do the trick for this!
Shop mason jars on Amazon.
If You’re Using Loose Leaf Tea
If you’re using loose leaf tea, you can either put them in a tea bag (like these on Amazon) and add it to a mason jar.
Or, add your loose leaf leaves directly to a French Press (like this one).
You can also invest in an iced tea pitcher (like this one).
How To Make Cold Brew Tea
When making cold brew tea, I recommend making more than you normally would. Because it takes so long to make, you’d rather make more than less.
If you’re making it for your daily tea, you can even get into the habit of making it the night before for the next day (or two). This way, you’re never without a brew!
Cold Brew Iced Tea Recipe
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
- 2 family size Lipton iced tea bags (refer to size conversion)
- 4 cups water
- ice cubes for serving
Directions
- Add 4 cups of cold water to a mason jar, French press, or iced tea pitcher
- Add 2 Family size tea bags to water
- Let sit in fridge for up to 10 hours
- Once the time is up, remove the tea or press the filter down
- Serve over ice!
If you want stronger tasting tea, feel free to let it steep for longer or add more tea!
Lipton Tea Bag Size Comparison
| Grams / Bag | Caffeine / Cup | Cups Of Tea | Cost / Bag | Shop | |
| Lipton Black Tea | 2.5 grams | 50 mg | 4 Cups | ~.04¢ (use 2 = .08¢) | Walmart.com |
| Lipton Family Size | 7.2 grams | 42 mg | 4 Cups | ~.11¢ | Walmart.com |
| Lipton Gallon Size | 28.8 grams | 42 mg | 1 Gallon (16 cups) | ~.32¢ | Walmart.com |
Time Saver: Use A Lipton Cold Brew Tea Bag
If you don’t have time to wait for a delicious tasting cold brew tea, Lipton has you covered. They’ve made a cold brew tea bag that steeps cold brew tea in 5 minutes… yup, this is a cold brew iced tea bag that no hot water is needed and is ready in minutes!
P.S. the trick is tea extract! The bag contains tea leaves, but I think most of the work is from the tea extract that’s included in the tea bag.
Honestly though, I’ve tasted it and it’s by far the best tasting Lipton iced tea bag they sell! So I’d say it’s worth it and a really great option for when you want good tasting iced tea in a pinch!
Interested In Tea Tasting? Get The Tea Tasting Bundle!
Refine your tea palette with my Tea Tasting Guide and take notes on every new tea you try to remember for next time in my Tea Tasting Journal.
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My Iced Tea Amazon Essentials
Read More Related Posts
- 10 Best Teas For Iced Tea That Taste Even Better Cold
- 10 Iced Tea Cocktails To Relax With All Summer Long
- How To Make Iced Tea At Home: 5 Easy Ways
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Last update on 2024-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API