Cold Brewing Tea

You know about iced tea and must be pretty familiar with it. In fact as the mercury heads north, you must be guzzling gallons of it. But have you heard of cold brew tea, and have you tried to make some? Some kinds of tea will take you close to heaven on a cold brew.

The tradition of cold brewing tea is old. It is believed to have originated in Japan, where people poured cold water over tea in a pitcher that was left to sit for hours in the coolest part of the house. The resultant brew was cool, smooth, full of flavor with very little bitterness.

We have found out that Darjeeling first flush teas - the ones harvested during spring and which are slightly oxidized, with a crisp, grassy-floral character in the cup - make for some of the best cold brew teas. Because of its delicate character Darjeeling is hard to make iced tea out of - the ice greatly dilutes the tea, leaving very little flavor in the glass.

However, cold-brew Darjeeling is stunning. The taste and the aroma of the tea are exquisite, flowing over the palate with perfect clarity, every note clear and precise. The floral sweetness of a first flush perfectly complements the taste of a cold brew. The freshness of the tea also enhances the flavors.

The difference between a hot brew and cold brew tea can be pretty stark in case of say a Japanese green tea like Sencha. But what we like about cold brew Darjeeling is that the complexity of the flavor and aroma is retained. In that respect it is not a “lighter” brew than a hot cup of tea.

Instruction for cold brewing Darjeeling:

•         Use a level teaspoon of tea per cup.
•         Pour room temperature water over the tea.
•         Stir gently to make sure all the leaves are wet.
•         Leave it in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
•         Strain the leaves.
•         Your super delicious cold brew Darjeeling is now ready to be enjoyed!

Summer? Yes, please.

I live in the northeast US. We see snow. Lots of snow. We are legendary for snow. So when warm weather finally arrives, we make the most of it.

As much as I love hot tea of all kinds, I’m not exactly enthusiastic about a steaming cup of Constant Comment on a 90-degree day. Call me picky; I don’t mind.

Fortunately, there is a lovely concoction called sun tea. 

Plain tea will always be my favorite. Look at that deep, rich color. Nothing beats the tinkling of ice cubes in a tall glass as tea is poured over them. Add a sprig of mint or a lemon slice and you have heaven. Okay, half of heaven. For the other half, I recommend cookies. Or pie. Or Ice cream. 

Ice cream and summer. Mmm.

Where was I? *looks up at masthead* Oh, yes. Tea.

Now sometimes I want a drink with more substance than regular iced tea. Hello, blender! Because I’m all about the cooking, here are a few of my go-to tea smoothies.

First, brew a cup of tea the night before: black, green, peppermint, whatever you like, and let it cool in the fridge.

When you’re ready to kick back on the porch or deck or lawn, assemble your ingredients. I use vanilla ice cream because I don’t touch yogurt no way no how. But if you’re a yogurt fan, substitute it for the ice cream below and add a few ice cubes for heft.  

Morning tea smoothie:

Black tea

Vanilla ice cream

Peach or banana

A dash of ginger

1/3 cup milk

Sugar to taste

Anytime tea smoothie:

Green or black tea

Vanilla ice cream

Strawberries, raspberries, a peach, a mango, a plum—use blueberries for the healthiest choice!

1/3 cup milk

Sugar to taste

The Marriage of Tea and Orange Julius for the Sophisticated Palate:

Constant Comment tea

Vanilla ice cream

Orange sherbet

1/3 cup milk

Sugar to taste

Mojito tea smoothie for hot summer nights:

White tea

Vanilla ice cream

Fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp lime juice plus a bit of grated peel

1/2 oz of rum (or to taste)

Bonus tea anecdote: People often ask me how much my ex-nun sleuth is like me, her creator. I can tell you one way she is definitely not like me: Now that she’s pregnant and her coffee intake is limited, she’s trying herbal tea as a substitute. She hates every flavor she’s tried. I don’t understand that woman.

Watermelon Lime Zinger Iced Tea My Absolute Summer Favorite

Karen here, do your tea drinking habits change in the spring and summer? For me I still drink my hot tea in the morning and afternoon however through out the day in the summer my thoughts turn to iced teas, black, green, herbal etc really top my list of summer beverages. One in particular I brought back from Boulder Colorado last year. I had been on the Celestial Seasoning Tour in August. It was so hot and the tea tasting room had anything you could possibly want to try from their line of teas, My most favorite was the Watermelon Lime Zinger Tea. I was amazed that the iced tea I was drinking was herbal and I liked it! Normally I prefer a black tea for an iced tea but this one opened my eyes to a whole new world of well rounded sweetened iced teas.

I brought back 6 boxes and wished I had brought back at least twice that, my own stores here in Canada do not sell it and I am going to need to make a run for the border to restock soon!

To make one jug of the tea, I simply boil the hot water, and in a Pyrex liquid measuring cup place 4 bags of the tea, I pour 2 cups of  the boiling water over the bags and let them steep and cool. Next I measure out the sugar, I only put 1/4 cup in my jug then I add water until the jug is half full. I stir the sugar in making a very simple un-cooked syrup. Once the tea is cool I add it to the jug, top with more water and then stir and chill.

It is truly a delight to have in the fridge and is very inexpensive to make. My youngest son and I love it, it is full flavored, slightly sweet and a beautiful red color. Learn more about this tea and where to find it on the Celestial Seasonings Website by clicking here.

I would love to have you join me for tea daily at www.acupofteaandacozymystery.com 

The Salton Iced Tea Machine

The Salton Iced Tea Machine

Growing up we always had iced tea in the house. It was a go to beverage, especially in the summer. My mom would put some teabags in a large CorningWare carafe, pour boiling water in, then let cool. She still makes her iced tea this way, and still uses the same carafe. 

Many years later I decided I wanted to make iced tea, but I wanted more instant gratification-none of that waiting for boiling water to get ice cold. I discovered a wonderful machine: The Salton Iced Tea and Coffee Maker. This beauty could make iced tea (or coffee) in minutes. You simply fill the reservoir with water, put your tea in the top, put the pitcher filled with ice underneath, and press a button. The machine steeped the tea and poured the hot liquid into the ice instantly making a cold beverage. You could even drink before the machine finished by removing the pitcher and filling a glass. The steeping would continue once the pitcher was back in place. Talk about instant gratification!

I loved my machine so much I bought one for my mom, but she never used it. Mom said her way was easier, plus she didn't have enough room on her counter, and the machine needed a lot of ice to run. (She doesn't need ice for her method.) Time went on when the unthinkable happened-my little machine died! I pressed the button and nothing happened. I looked to buy another one only to discover to my horror that the machine was no longer made! The US manufacturers advised me to check with Canada-but Canada told me the same thing. My little machine was no longer being produced. I saw other iced tea machines in the stores, but they looked like cheaply made plastic playthings. So I did what I had to do...asked my mom to give me back the Salton I gave her. Happily she did as she never used it anyway.

So I still use my wonderful little machine. I can use bagged tea, or loose. For loose leaf teas I simply put the tea in a muslin bag, or plain unfilled tea bags which you can buy. The only downside is needing a good deal of ice (and not having an ice machine). I'm just terrified of the day when my Salton no longer works.

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I was going to take a picture of my Salton, but the photos didn't come out well. I was able to find the above picture online at a website that actually sells it...2daydeliver.com. (Well, there are 2 in stock.) It's even on sale...for $247.68. Sigh, obviously no longer being produced.