Cold Brew Tea

During my time at university when I was working at my part time job with a tea and coffee retailer, I was introduced to cold brew tea. At that point it was a fairly new concept that was becoming popular. The retailer decided to product launch the cold brew tea by introducing a cold brew tea bottle and matching it with their consistent tea blends. This meant I was lucky enough to try a lot of different cold brew teas and was able to pick out my favourites. A key sale point was to set the scene of having a picnic on a hot summer day with a refreshing cold brew tea or drinking it at a BBQ with friends and family. 

I feel this drink is amazing on a hot sunny day when you want something refreshing yet flavoursome. Though this has now become a staple drink in my everyday life so I tend to drink it all year, which helps in the winter if I am coming down with an illness. I will admit with some people like my boyfriend, it might take a while to find the right blend which you enjoy to drink, however if you already like flavoured teas this won't be a problem. You can use normal tea blends like an english breakfast, however I prefer to have a tea with a flavour as the cold brew process really bring out the different notes. Not only is it delicious it has many health benefits compared to the traditional hot brew.

My cold brew bottle

So what is cold brew tea?

As the name suggests it is tea that is brewed in cold water. Though unlike the traditional method this tea has to steep for 8 to 12 hours for black or oolong tea and 6-8 hours for green or white tea. You can't cold brew herbal or fruit infusion tea as they haven't been treated and can make you very ill.  When the product launch with work we were warned of a reported case of someone in Germany that cold brewed a herbal tea and they ended up in hospital.

Health Benefits?

Nowadays with people becoming more health conscious it was quite easy to sell this process and tea due to the many health benefits. 

When you cold brew tea less tannin is released that helps make the tea less acidic and bitter in taste. Tannin is known to cause headaches and interfere with starch digestion. 

Cold brewing tea release less caffeine which means as it contains less stimulant you can have this anytime of day or night.

It is high in antioxidants which can help fight cancer, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. In some cases it is also said to help aid weight loss. 

Not only is the tea amazing it helps you look amazing too.

How to cold brew?

To cold brew tea you will need a bottle or pitcher that you can filter and some loose tea as this creates a cleaner yet more flavoursome taste.

Chilli Mango through the cold brew process

1. Scoop two heaped teaspoons of tea leaves into the bottle/ pitcher

2. Fill the bottle/ pitcher with cold water

3. Cover the bottle/ pitcher and place in the refrigerator

4. Let it brew for 8 to 12 hours for black or oolong tea and 6-8 hours for green or white tea

5. Pour the fresh cool tea into your favourite glass and enjoy

After you have finished the tea you can repeat the process with the tea leaves already in the bottle/pitcher for another cold brew. You will get a lighter brew but still delicious. 

My favourite blends

Piccadilly

This is a blended black tea with hibiscus and cornflower petals. I would describe the taste as sweet and delicate yet with notes of floral and fruity. 

Chilli Mango

This too is a blended black tea with cactus blossoms, mango pieces, pomegranate blossom and chilli flavouring. Don't be fooled into its compost like appearance. The taste is surprising sweet and floral with an after kick hotness from the chilli. 

 Mango and Bergamot

This a blended green tea with mango flavouring, cornflower petals, red rose petals, sunflower petals and bergamot flavouring. This has incredible taste that is clean, light and sweet.

Top 5 Reasons to Cold Brew

1. Healthy

2. Anyone can do it

3. Conversation starter

4. Tastes incredible

5. It's cheap