Why Cold Brew Tea Is Different

Hot brewing extracts flavour quickly but also draws out tannins and catechins that cause bitterness and astringency. Cold brewing extracts flavour slowly over hours without heat, producing a smoother, naturally sweeter tea with significantly less bitterness. It also retains more antioxidants than hot brewing.

Basic Cold Brew Tea Method

  1. 1

    Add tea to cold or room-temperature water

    Use a glass pitcher, jar or bottle. Add 2–3 teaspoons of loose leaf tea (or 2 tea bags) per 500ml of cold filtered water. The ratio can be adjusted to taste — more tea gives a stronger brew.

  2. 2

    Refrigerate for 6–12 hours

    Cover and place in the fridge. Brew times by tea type: Green tea: 6–8 hours (longer can turn bitter even cold). White tea: 8–12 hours. Black tea: 8–12 hours. Herbal or fruit tisanes: 8–24 hours. Taste test at 6 hours and adjust future brews to your preference.

  3. 3

    Strain and serve

    Remove the tea bags or strain out loose leaf tea. Serve over ice. Keeps in the fridge for 3–5 days. Add honey, lemon, mint or fresh fruit to customise.

Best Teas for Cold Brewing

  • Green tea (Sencha, Gyokuro): Particularly outstanding cold-brewed — smooth, grassy, sweet
  • White tea (Silver Needle, White Peony): Delicate and naturally sweet
  • Fruit and herbal blends: Hibiscus, berry blends, chamomile — vibrant colour, refreshing flavour
  • Black tea: Smooth and rich without astringency. Excellent iced with lemon.
Room temperature cold brewCold brew can also be made at room temperature — reduce the time to 2–4 hours. Room temperature steeping is slightly faster but refrigerator cold brew is more food-safe for longer steeping times and produces the cleanest flavour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, but filtered or bottled water produces noticeably better results. Chlorine and minerals in tap water affect the flavour of delicate teas, particularly green and white tea. If your tap water tastes good to drink, it will make decent cold brew. For the best results, use filtered or spring water — the difference is most noticeable in high-quality teas.
Yes — standard tea bags work for cold brewing. No special “cold brew” tea bags are required. Cold brew-specific bags are just regular tea marketed with instructions — any tea can be cold-brewed. Use slightly more than you would for hot brewing (2 bags per 500ml instead of 1) to compensate for the gentler extraction.