While we’re all sitting at home hoping and waiting for the COVID-19 situation to reach it’s end, we thought we’d help all of you looking to learn, practice and perfect a skill or two with the down time you have.
And since summer is around the corner, we thought we’d let you in on something that’s extremely popular in the F&B industry especially this time of year – the Cold Brew Iced Tea.
Why Cold Brew:
Cold-brewed tea is real good for you from a general health and wellness perspective. While steeping green tea for 3 -5 minutes in hot water can produce more of certain antioxidants, keep in mind that most tea experts recommend steeping green tea for a maximum for one or two minutes, since the longer wait in hot water will render the tea bitter, tannic, and astringent.
Steeping tea in cold water for at least 12 hours is seen to have better extraction abilities than hot water brewing while cold-brewed tea would have half or two-thirds of the caffeine content of a hot cup of tea.
It’s also a good practice to switch up the temperature of your tea every once in a while, especially when you’re feeling extra thirsty in the summer and want something cold.
How to Make Cold Brew Iced Tea:
The method itself is incredibly simple. Just combine loose-leaf tea or whole tea bags and water in a pitcher and let the tea infuse the water for 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator (see instructions below for specifics). Strain, and you have cold-brew tea that will taste great for days!
For best results, use Loose Leaf Teas. For easier preparation, dunk whole tea bags in a jar of water!
Your easy-to-make, refreshing cold brew iced tea without the tannic, bitter flavors found in regular tea is now ready! What’s even better is that it stays fresh for several days!
INGREDIENTS:
1 tea bag (or 1 teaspoon loose-leaf tea) per 6 to 8 glasses of water, depending on desired strength
Optional add-ons: sliced lemons, sweetener of choice, fresh mint leaves, sliced cucumber
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the best flavour while using tea bags, snip off the corners and dump the loose tea into your pitcher. Or, just put the whole bags in the pitcher for tea that is almost as good, and easier to make. Fill the pitcher with room temperature or cold water.
Cover the pitcher and refrigerate. Steep white or green tea for 6 to 8 hours; steep black or oolong tea for 8 to 12 hours.
Once your time is up, strain the loose-leaf tea out of the pitcher by pouring the tea through a fine mesh sieve (for best results, cover the sieve with a cheesecloth or paint-straining bag used exclusively for food products) or just pull out the tea bags. Discard the tea or tea bags.
Serve your cold brew as is or with any add-ons of your choice. Your cold brew will retain freshness, when covered and refrigerated, typically for about 3 – 5 days.
Switching on the Style with your Cold Brew:
As you get better with your brewing techniques, chances are you may want to evolve your brewing methods too. We recommend that you try pairing different teas to get a cold brew blend that’s unique and your signature. Just make sure to check whether the teas you’re planning to cold steep together are compatible.
Also, another great way to find your groove is to try different infusions with your cold brew while serving a tall glass of iced tea. Mix and match from a whole range of fruit, berrys, vegetables and flavours while making your iced tea for endless summer possibilities!
That concludes this edition of lockdown DIY’s from your friendly neighbourhood Chai Point. Alternatively, if you’re thirsty just looking at this and want to skip some steps, pick up your phone and take your pick! We’ll send some home!
We’ll be back with more stuff that you can do that’s fun and engaging while we see the lockdown through together. More Chai to you!
