“My” Cold Brew Method

Recently, I was asked about my cold brewing technique by Andrea, a wonderful tea friend of mine. So at her request, I decided to share my process. Keep in mind there was a lot of trial and error and this method I have fine tuned works perfect for me but may not work for you. However, I am certain with some tweaking you can achieve success that is sure to appeal to your palette perfectly. Here goes…

My
Supplies:
1. 14oz Quilted Ball Canning Jar
2. Ice Mountain Spring Water (Room Temperature or Cold)
3. Loose Tea

Possible Substitute
Supplies:
1. I am confident any 14oz container that can be sealed will do. I have only been making small batches and soon will be working on perfecting larger batches. As of now, it has been my personal experience that perfecting larger quantities is a bit more challenging. Until I can manage a consistent level of success I will only be focusing on 14oz quantities.
2. Purified Water should be acceptable.
3. Loose Tea – Your choice. Take a chance, make something you wouldn’t normally try cold and be amazed with your results. I should point out that I have only attempted this loose tea and not bagged.

Let me discuss with you loose leaf tea measurements and steep times I have determined work best for me. I hope they work well for you as well.

Black Tea/Flavored Black Tea – 3 level teaspoons to 14oz spring or purified water.
Steep Time: 18hrs-21hrs.
Notes: Strain and enjoy or save for later. Black tea is a little more forgiving with measurement of loose leaf and steep time but I wouldn’t go to far above or below the measurements provided.

Oolong/Flavored Oolong:
2 teaspoons to 14oz spring or purified water.
Steep Time: 9hrs-12hrs.
Notes: Some oolongs can hold up to another steep. However, times will vary and will be something you will need to experiment with. Try to keep too the parameters provided and adjust accordingly after it has first been prepared and tested using this method.

Green Tea/Flavored Green Tea:
2 to 2 1/2 level teaspoons to 14oz spring or purified water. Steep Time: 6hrs-9hrs.
Notes: Green tea is not as forgiving. Try not to go to far beyond parameters put forth.

White Tea/Flavored White Tea:
2 1/2 to 3 teaspoons based on personal preference.
Steep Time: 6hrs-9hrs with 14oz of purified or spring water.
Notes: I suggest trying this along the way. The flavor does tend to change a great deal between the 6 to 9 hour mark. You may find a time in-between works best for you.

Rooibos/Honeybush/Herbal:
3 teaspoons – Sometimes less can work especially for herbal blends.
Steep Time: 18hrs-21hrs
Notes: I have leaned towards the longer steep time for both Rooibos and Honeybush varieties. However, I lean towards the shorter times for herbals blends. Just try it and decide what works for you.

In the future I will update my finding as I am still working on my technique. However, I feel confident your results will be favorable based on the information I have provided here. I have tested and tried many teas and have received consistent results.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I hope you enjoy this cold brewing journey as much as I have and continue to do so. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Thank you and Enjoy!