What's Cold Brewing?
Did you know that you don't need hot water to make tea?
There is a method of steeping tea called “cold brewing”, where you put tea leaves in cold water and let them infuse slowly.The taste of the tea is different from regular steeping. Even if you don't like the regular "hot brewed" black tea, you might like it if it is "cold brewed".
Spring and summer are the seasons to have fun with the method! Isn't it nice if you can make delicious iced black tea without boiling water? It's a great way for busy morning or for parties and events, as you can get all the work done in advance. It's easier to make, difficult to mess up.
Let's learn some tips to make a delicious cold brewing black tea !
Taste Difference between Hot and Cold Water Brewing
Look at the photos of black tea infused in cold water.
1 hour infused
5 hours infused
The taste of cold brewed tea is different to regular hot water steeping, as by infusing slowly in water, the tea is milder and sweeter. It’s easy to drink as that’s soft and calming.
The taste difference comes from the levels of tannin and caffeine, which gives us astringency and bitterness. They are very low in the cold brewing as tannin and caffeine need a high temperature to be extracted from the tea leaves.So, cold brewing would be good for someone who is caffeine intolerant, or someone who drinks a lot in a day. You can also enjoy it without sugar, as you can feel a gentle sweetness in your mouth.
The Choice of Black Tea
Full-bodied type of black tea usually taken with milk such as Assam would not be good for cold brewing. Light and fruity black tea such as Darjeeling would be better.
Either using a tea bag or loose tea leaves is fine.
The Choice of Wakoucha, Japanese Black Tea
Japanese black tea ,or wakocha 和紅茶, is produced using tea cultivars meant for Japanese green tea such as Yabukita, Okumidori and Sayamamidori, or using tea cultivars specially developed for Japanese black tea such as Benifuki, Benihikari.
The black tea grown in the Japanese climate tends to be milder and less astringent than black teas from other part of the world. The flavor matches Japanese cuisine and wagashi (和菓子, Japanese confectionaries) very well. Some people say the flavor is special, somewhere between green tea and black tea, although the flavor is different depending on the cultivar and tea producer.
Wakoucha Japanese black tea is a good option for cold brewing.
What You Need
You need tea, a container with lid, water and a fridge.
Biogradable fillable tea bags would be useful to make tea with loose leaf tea as you can take the leaves out easily.
Let's make it !
How to Make Cold Brewing Black Tea
INGREDIENTS
1 Liter (1 quart) water
15g of tea leaves or tea bags
INSTRUCTIONS
Put water and tea leaves to a resealable vessel. Refrigerate it for 5-6 hours or overnight for the best result. Remove the leaves.
Put cubes of ice, a piece of mint or a slice of lemon on top before serving ,to taste.
Naturally sweet tea without astringency that taste amazing without sugar or milk.
Enjoy your summer !
Related articles
Today's recommendations
Black tea with Benifuuki cultivar (cultivar for Japanese black tea)
The tea ,which won 4 stars (out of 5), taking the Premium Tea Award at the 2019 Japanese Tea Festival in Tokyo, is made from the tea leaves cultivated in the mountains at an attitude of 600m in Yabe Village (Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture). Grown without the use of pesticides.
Black tea with Yabukita cultivar (cultivar for Japanese green tea)
・Ogura Tea Garden: Yabukita Wakocha First Flush Black Tea from Ashigara, Kanagawa 2020 vintage
From the first flush in late spring, farmer Yuki Ogura produces this black tea in the style of first flush Darjeeling tea, withered, rolled, then lightly oxidized. Grown without use of pesticides.
・NaturaliTea #12: Japanese Black Tea Setoya Momiji from Shizuoka
Ayumi Kinezuka returns to Sri Lanka frequently to study techniques and incorporates them, combines them with our knowledge of Japanese Yabukita tea plants to create the the black tea.Grown without use of pesticides.
Fillable Tea Bags
・Biodegradable Cotton (Bemliese™) Fillable Tea Bags by Subaru
60 fillable bags sized 9.5 x 7.0 cm before filling
The bags decompose in a few weeks, when buried in the ground, as they are
created from cotton.
Tea Infuser
It could be useful to experiment with a small amount of tea !
