Cold brew coffee is a thing and so is cold steep tea. The cold steep tea (aka cold brew tea) method is similar as it involves making your tea with cold water only, eliminating the water-heating process. Don’t confuse it with iced tea as cold steeping tea does not involve any ice but this method is still refreshing and offers many advantages. Since you are using no hot water here, the tea leaves are extracted much slower which may result in a lighter-bodied tea with less astringency and bitterness. It’s an easy way to enjoy any tea type (black, green, white, oolong, puerh and herbal) as they will all cold steep well, steep times varying.
Why Should You Cold Brew Tea?
This method is incredibly simple. You may even find it easier than steeping your tea in hot water. This is because with cold water you don’t run the risk of over steeping.
In fact, because of it being more forgiving you don’t have to worry too much about the amount of tea leaves or how long you steep the tea. For example, many people tell me they’re not a fan of green teas and usually it is because the water temperature is too hot and/or the leaves are steeping for too long. This results in a very, very bitter drink.
If that’s the case for you too, then cold steeping delicate teas like a green tea would be an excellent way to give it another try.
Teas to Cold Brew
With the step-by-step guide below, I have also included a graphic with information on how long to cold steep certain teas. Please note that it is there to serve as a guide only.
You may notice that I wrote a range of steep times because not all teas in a category may be treated the same (ie. rolled oolong tea leaves may take longer to cold brew than other oolong teas).
You can even use spent tea leaves from a hot steep! There are many times I did not want to toss away my spent tea leaves just yet. So instead I set them in a pitcher to steep overnight in the fridge. Good ’til the very last bit!
Tea Recommendations
If you need some recommendations to get you started here are a few teas that are cold brew approved!
- Limonada Rosa from Tielka Tea (an herbal infusion similar to pink lemonade!)
- Berry Boost from Twin Flame Tea (purple leaf tea loaded with berries and fruit!)
- Organic Moroccan Mint from California Tea House (a classic gunpowder green tea + mint combo!)
How Long to Cold Brew Tea
You can cold steep your teas for as little as 2 hours or even as long as 12 hours and more. The point is to experiment with cold steeping teas yourself. Check back on your tea often to taste where it is at and see if you like the flavour profile then.
The only downside to cold steep tea is the wait time, but it’s easy to get over that if you just set your tea in the fridge to steep overnight. The next morning you’ll wake up to a refreshing drink waiting for you and eliminating your waiting time…hooray!
*If you’re looking to use matcha, the method is a bit different with green tea powder. Here’s a handy tutorial on how to cold brew matcha.
How to Cold Steep Tea
What You’ll Need:
– a pitcher or jar
– tea of your choice (for best flavour use loose-leaf tea)
– room temperature or cold water
– optional: flavouring (ie. fresh herbs, fruit, spices, etc.)
Let’s Get Started…
STEP ONE: Place 2 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea into the pitcher or jar. I like to have mine loose in the pitcher opposed to using a tea infuser or filter. This way the tea leaves have plenty of room to dance around and steep, allowing them to release all of their good flavours.
Remember, you can use any tea you like. For this step-by-step guide I am using a sencha green tea (a personal favourite for cold steeping!) Some other teas I really enjoy steeping cold are Silver Needle, White Peony, Tie Guan Yin, Genmaicha, and Rooibos.
STEP TWO: Pour 2 cups of room temperature or cold water into the pitcher. If you would like to make more cold brew tea then simply double the amount of tea leaves and water.
*OPTIONAL: Add slices of fruit, fresh herbs, spices, etc. to cold steep with the tea if you want add more and different flavours. You can also try to add sweetener here if you’d like, but cold steep tea is naturally sweeter, so it may not be needed and the water is not hot to dissolve.
STEP THREE: Cover the pitcher and place in the refrigerator. Use the chart above as a guide to tell how long your tea needs to be cold steeping in there.
As mentioned before, you can always prepare and place in the fridge overnight. Feel free to experiment.
STEP FOUR: After cold steeping, take note of the liquid’s change in colour!
Taste test your cold steep tea to see if it’s to your liking. If you think it was steeping for too long and is now too strong, simply mix in more cold water.
When it is perfect, pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the loose leaf tea. However, if you placed your tea leaves in a tea infuser, or used tea bags, then simply remove and discard.
I like this pitcher for cold steeping tea because the lid has a filter that catches any tea leaves when pouring.
STEP FIVE: Don’t forget to pour yourself (and others!) a glass. Enjoy 🙂
Cold Brew Tea
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons loose leaf tea of your choice or 2 tea bags
- 2 cups room temperature or cold water
- optional: flavouring ie. fresh herbs, fruit, spices, etc.
Instructions
- Place the tea into a pitcher or jar. If you're using loose leaf tea you can use a tea infuser or just steep loose and strain later.
- Pour room temperature or cold water into the pitcher with the tea leaves. Optional: Add slices of fruit, fresh herbs, spices, etc. to cold steep with the tea if you want add more and different flavours.
- Cover the pitcher and place in the refrigerator for 6+ hours. Use the chart on the blog as a guide to tell how long your tea needs to be cold brewing.
- Taste test your cold steep tea to see if it’s to your liking. If it is too strong, simply mix in more cold water. When it is perfect, remove/strain tea leaves.
- Pour a glass and enjoy!
Like this cold steep tea guide? Pin it for later here –> http://bit.ly/2svSbrz
Do you have a favourite tea you like to cold steep? Let me know in the comments below. Also, be sure to let me know if you give this method a try and how your results were!
This is great! Thanks for tips on enjoying tea without turning on the stove. It’s been fun trying my teas as a cold brew during these recent hot days. 🙂
You’re welcome, Karen! It’s definitely one of the best ways to still feed your tea addiction but stay cool in the summer 😉
When I take Matcha, I usually just swallow 4 grams of powder and then chase it with water. Would I be getting the same benefits when comparing this method to the traditional method?
Thanks
Interesting! I have not heard of that before. I believe the same benefits would apply since you’re still consuming the entire leaves with just water.
Hi Lu Ann, do you get the same benefit of cold brewing silver needles overnight as opposed to brewing them regularly for a few minutes using hot water? By benefits, I mean the same amount of (or more) antioxidants and polyphenols.
Hi Gialuka, great question! It’s my understanding that you get the same amount, and in some cases, maybe even more. So, if you are drinking tea for health benefits, you shouldn’t rule out trying to cold steep it sometimes 🙂
Great summary! What are your thoughts on brewing at room temperature vs in the refrigerator? I tend to do my coffee at room temperature on the counter but my tea in the fridge but I’m curious if anyone here prefers tea at room temperature?
Thanks for sharing!
I have not experimented with steeping tea at room temperature opposed to in the fridge for cold brewing simply because I prefer it cold when using that method. However, steeping at room temp. is definitely an option!
For black tea,I have tried both: cold brew in fridge, overnight and cold brew, on kitchen counter overnight (both minimun 8 hours). Cold brewed in fridge,overnight has a weaker taste, and is less bitter taste than hot water brewed tea. The cold brew, on kitchen counter overnight has a stronger taste, and is less bitter as well. Of the two brew methods, I prefer cold brew on kitchen counter, over night. The tea taste is stronger, smoother, and is less bitter.
Thank you! This is the answer I wanted to hear.
Great to hear you leave the cold steeping out for that long. I was about to throw mine away because I left it to steep for 9 hours and was reading that brewed tea goes bad after a few hours. Then realized mine wasn’t heat brewed and did a google search finding this. I wasn’t sure if it was the heat or what causes it to go bad but mine is cold steeped so I will drink it!
I hope your cold steeped tea was delightful! 🙂
Good to read this. I cold brew at room temperature, rather than fridge, because I can do this in my office (which has no fridge). However, I was wondering if there is ever a problem with microbes growing in the tea when it sits a long time and is not refrigerated. Anybody know about this?
Thank you for your explanation! I’m glad I read this before trying to make cold steep tea. I was very surprised to see the time it takes to steep cold steep tea. Is there any way to speed up the steeping process, or should I just stick with hot/iced tea (when I want a cup of tea without waiting for hours)? Thanks again!
Hey Nate,
Cold steeping definitely requires some patience, which is why I usually like to prepare it right before I call it a night, so I can sleep through the process and wake to delicious tea, lol. If you want something quicker, you can try it with a green or white tea as it requires less time than the other tea types. Also, those times are definitely just guidelines. You can taste test your cold steep tea after a couple of hours and see how it is then. But if you really want something quick and cold, I recommend iced tea!
I love cold brew tea. I found a green tea in hot/cold brew bags, but I can’t seem to find any other varieties… Do you have any recommendations for other cold brew tea bags like white, oolong, or mint? Also, if I go the loose leaf route (which sounds great for making my own flavor combos) how long will it last? Can I make a huge batch Sunday night and enjoy it throughout the week? I assume the refrigeration process will make it last longer…
Hi Nina,
You can try to use any tea for cold brewing, whether it is tea bags or loose leaf. I prefer loose leaf because I think it provides more flavour, and as you mention, is great for adding other things to it to make it your own. It should definitely be able to last throughout the week in the fridge, too. But, it might be pretty tasty that it won’t last longer than a day or two, if you’re like me! lol.
Hi Lu Ann, I am going to be making kombucha with a cold brew tea, so does it have to go in the fridge, or can it just brew at room temperature for 8 hours?
Hi Lori, You can definitely try brewing the tea at room temperature, just make sure it will be covered still. Hope that kombucha turns out lovely 🙂
how long should i try to steep red tea for? I love a strong red tea, and tend to condense/make things too strong to water them down to the appropriate strength later to make a huge jug last a while. Since rooiboos has such a delicate flavor, i assume it takes a super long time to brew to get all the flavor out.. Thanks in advance!
Hi Kyla,
I would treat rooibos as an herbal tea here, and let it cold steep for about 12 hours or more! But you can definitely taste test the steep beforehand to see if it is to your liking earlier as well 🙂
If you’re using tea bags, how many would you recommend using per cup of water? Thanks!
Hi Marissa,
Two teabags per 2 cups of water would be my recommendation.
Where can I buy the steeping jug you show, with the strainer in the lid. I will be trying your method for the first time and want to use the best but easiest method.
Hi Carolyn,
It’s FORLIFE’s Mist Glass Tea Jug. You can find it on Amazon here –> https://amzn.to/2LmQNOv
I hope you enjoy your first cold brew tea experience 🙂
Thanks for the info about the steeping times. I just made a white tea, but I left it in the fridge for quite a lot, I believe 18h and the result was bitter as hell. I could barely drink it. It may be healthy, but the taste was awful. I used 7g for 600ml of water. Do you have some recommendations about quantity of leaves per ml? At step 2, you refer to as cups. How much water your cups can take? I will try your recommended times this time, maybe I get to something drinkable. :)) ps: The leaves used for cold brew can be used again for at least another cold brew? Thanks again! 🙂
Hey Cristi, I believe 2 cups (which is what I use in step 2) is about 500ml. If you ever feel your cold brew tea is too strong, you can simply mix in some more cold water to dilute it a bit and hopefully that will help with the bitter taste next time! Also, I do like to use my leaves twice for cold brewing. Depends on the tea, but some will still offer a strong flavour. Hope your next experience is delicious 🙂
Have you tried a pinch (or two) of salt? It’s done wonders in taming bitterness in regular coffee. Perhaps it can do that same thing with cold brew tea. Just make sure it’s a pinch and not say, a teaspoon or more.
I’ve been cold steeping since last year and it’s been very enjoyable. Since its summer I’ve been doing my usual hot steep and then using the leaves for a cold steep. My last one (a harney and sons Peach and Ginger tea) was so refreshing.
I love this article. So many people I talk to think that they only way to make tea is with hot water. SOO NOT TRUE! 🙂 On a warm summer day iced tea is the only way to go. Thanks for posting such a great article. One thing that many people miss is how long the tea should steep. You hit it out of the park. Cheers!
Hi Lu Ann! What do you think about cold steeping and then slow simmering to get a tea concentrate? Sometimes I need the health benefits without drinking all the liquid…i.e. sleepy time tea 🙂
Hey Jess, I’ve never tried that before. If you try it, I would love to learn how that goes!
Hi Lu Ann! Thank you for the information. I have tried several green teas and have been disappointed with all of them. I refrigerator steeped a Jasmine Yin Hao (loose leaf) last night. It is delicious, no bitterness or off flavor at all! I have never had white tea become bitter, even steeping it for a week. I have used Silver Needle and Mutan whit tea, both loose leaf
This looks interesting! So if I leave a teabag in a standard cup full of water, cover it and leave it to steep overnight at room temperature, would it achieve the same result?
Tea bags definitely work for cold steeping! I have not tried it just at room temperature though, but it should be similar! Feel free to let me know how you like it 🙂
This is very informative! I found this when searching how to do it. I tried the method last night before reading much and my tea (green tea loose leaves) didn’t change the water colour at all and there is only a hint of the tea flavour after being in the fridge for over 12 hours. Do you think this could be due to not using enough tea leaves for the amount of water? I will try using more 🙂
Hi Charlotte, it could definitely be because of the tea-water ratio. How did it go when you tried using more? 🙂
This is a really refreshing and interesting way to make tea! And since you are relying on a different extract process with cold steeping, your resulting drink may actually have less acid and caffeine than its hot counterpart!
Hi Lu Ann,
I landed into this webpage when I searched Google for Green Tea preparation. I have been taking Herbal Tea (infusion) hot one at that for quite sometime.
Few days back I bought loose leaf green tea. That is when I searched Google for making the best out of it.
Your step-by-step guide is appreciably quite methodical and I shared the link to some of my friends. I am visibly moved by this guidance.
I have not yet tried this one though. I have one doubt: if we are using a fine mesh strainer to filter the steeped loose green tea leaves and other herbal ingredients (say mixing the herbal infusion bag in the cold steeped green tea process), do we still need to store and steep this content only in Tea Glass jug with filter (or) storage for steeping can be relied on any other utensil like stainless vessel with or without filter?
I also find it little amusing that despite having a such rich enthusiasm for everything connected to varieties of tea, you have never adventured to experiment cold steeping in room temperature as against fridge.
In another post you mentioned cold brewing in milk. Would it basically be the same process? Thanks!
Hi Luke, yes it would be the same process! You may need to increase the steep time a bit, depending on the tea though. I haven’t done this with every type of tea but had a lot of great success with cold brewing black teas in milk.
Thank you, Lu Ann! I may try this when making pancakes.
I have just purchased the same glass jug you show here, with the strainer in the lid. Since the tea leaves stay in the jug, will they continue to steep and make the tea bitter if I don’t consume it within a day or so? Thanks!
Hi Kristen, yes, the tea will continue to steep while the leaves are in the pitcher. With cold brew though, I don’t find that it gets bitter, but it will get stronger. You can dilute it with extra cold water if that’s the case or you can choose to remove the tea leaves if you’re keeping the cold brew tea in the fridge for longer than a day.
thank you!