When life gives you tea... you will consume it in every possible way and be happy about it :)
Summer is here and what could be a better way to cool yourself than a proper self brewed iced tea!
So let's get our Renegade iced tea masterclass started! Firstly about some different brewing methods. There are plenty of ways how to brew a great iced tea and luckily it is a fairly simple procedure that does not require much of effort… in some cases only a bit more time.
1. COLD BREW ICED TEA – Our favourite for sure! Use a sealable container. Pour cold water over loose leaf tea and place it in the fridge. The ratio of leaves and water are the same as you would brew hot tea. Flavours will come out after a few hours of steeping but you can easily let it steep overnight (especially if you are making white or green iced tea).
No need for added sugars, the taste of the tea will be refreshing and smooth and you can keep it in the fridge for several days. Colder temperature doesn't steep out the tannins the way hot water does, so cold-brewed tea is less astringent and less caffeinated. Feel free to add some lemon or orange to your cold-brew oolongs or black teas! Renegade favourite - white tea with no additional sugars :)
2. THE HOT METHOD, COOLING WITH ICE – This method requires brewing your tea with hot water. As you will cool it down with ice, you would need to prepare a concentrate of tea. Take a loose leaf tea and pour it over with half the required amount of hot water. The temperature of the water should be chosen according to the brewing instructions of the exact tea as well as the steeping time. After steeping is done, remove the leaves and pour over ice.
This works best if you enjoy bold tastes of black teas. We used First Kiss with lemon as our test rabbit- strong, bold and refreshing!
3. THE HOT METHOD, COOLING NATURALLY – You simply need to make a regular tea (amount of leaves, water temperature and steeping time according to the instructions of the exact tea). After steeping, remove the leaves and let it cool naturally. A perfect way to consume those pots of tea that you don't finish in the first go!
4. SUN TEA – Firstly, pour just a little boiling water onto your loose leaf to so that it is sterilized, as this will assist in the prevention of bacterial growth. After this is done, add cold water. The amount of leaves is the same as it would be with a regular hot brewed tea. Leave the tea either in a sunny window or outside in the sunlight. Brewing time is around 6 hours.
TIPS:
- If you like your tea really sweet, add some kind of sweeteners like sugar syrup or honey. For cold brews, sugar is usually not needed though, especially with Georgian teas, that are sweeter by nature.
- Add flavours with berries, fruits, and herbs according to your own taste. Blacks and oolongs go really well together with different citrus tastes according to our tests at least :)
- Freeze berries and fruits before adding them to your iced tea. This way tea won’t be over diluted.
- Cool your glass in the fridge beforehand
- To ensure that there will be plenty of flavour in your tea, make it rather a bit stronger than you would do with a regular hot brewed tea, as cooling with ice will dilute the tea
Test it out and let us know which brew is your favorite :)
