As things heat up in the summer months and we begin craving iced beverages, one of the easiest ways to brew tea and herbs is to cold brew overnight in the fridge.

Recently we tried this method with four offerings from The Tao of Tea — Rose Petal Black, Golden Tips Assam, Pearl(Gunpowder Tea–add Mint), and Jasmine. The results from an overnight steeping in cool water were full flavored, fresh and delicious — truly steeped to perfection. Below is a guide to cold brewing.

STEP 1

All you need is a container for brewing, your desired tea, some water and a strainer. We used a half gallon jug of cool filtered water. We added a 1/2 ounce of tea/herb for our brew (in other words, 1 ounce of tea per gallon). You can play with the ratio, but we’ve found this to be a great starting place.

We chose Rose Petal Black because it is a full-bodied black tea with a strong floral aroma, plus the sweet, cooling flavor is ideal as an iced beverage.

Other Blends you might enjoy are: Black Mango or Ginger Peach.

Similarly, Pearl (Gunpowder Green Tea and Peppermint) has a long tradition of being served iced in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and other countries across the Middle East and beyond.

Jasmine is another Green Tea you might enjoy iced. It is a strong green tea with a sweet floral aroma — surprisingly refreshing on a hot, summer afternoon.

For those looking for a classic black iced tea, Golden Tips Assam is a favorite because of its smooth, sweet flavor.

Other full bodied black teas like Malty Assam  make great iced tea as well.

STEP 2

Leave in the fridge overnight.

STEP 3

Use a strainer to serve your tea. If you are not serving all of it in one day, consider transferring the the iced tea into another container. This way, you will avoid over-brewing.

Over-brewing is less of a concern when steeping tea leaves in cold water, however, because cold water does not extract as many tannins from the tea leaves as hot water does. Therefore the brew will not become bitter or astringent.

Pour your tea over ice, add a garnish like a sprig of mint, lemon or freshly grated ginger. Enjoy!

Some Other Iced Tea Ideas:
Ginger Peach
Black Mango
Malty Assam                                                                                                                                                              Flower Blend (add to Black or Green Tea–Rose Petals, Hibiscus, and Lavender)