THE BENEFITS OF COLD BREW TEA: no sugar, no alcohol, no worries

So often in the shop I’m having conversations about beverages that people don’t want, but can’t seem to live without:

Iced tea is easy to make, and an opportunity to try something new

“I should drink less alcohol”

“I don’t drink enough water”

“I want caffeine on a hot day and ice coffee is expensive and tastes weird”

So often, cold brew iced tea is the answer. Given that “tea” covers such a broad spectrum of flavour, there’s always a blend that does what you need. All you need is 4 to 5 teaspoons of your chosen tea blend in 1 litre of cold water for at least 5 hours (or just overnight). Strain it, add soda water if you want - that’s literally it. Conveniently, each of our test tubes contains 4-5 teaspoons of tea.

That’s 4 to 5 teaspoons of your chosen tea blend in one litre of cold water, leave to infuse overnight, then strain. If you want two litres, that’s 8 to 10 teaspoons of tea. Technically you can do this to any tea, but there are styles that lend themselves to cold brewing: think sweeter, fragrant and floral or citrus blends - French Earl Grey, fruit tisanes like our Foraging For Berries, or anything with notes of lemon like our Coconut Lemon Splice or Organic Blue Water.

BOOZE REPLACEMENT

Let’s start with the big one - drinking less booze. Chances are if you like alcohol, you enjoy a complex flavour profile. Soft drinks often fall short in this area, compensating with a lot of sugar. Apply the above method to our Organic Ginseng Gin. Add tonic water, and you’ve got a satisfying beverage that has balance and complexity. Don’t be afraid to dress it up if you want - adding a touch of sugar syrup, or even just a splash of cordial, can really help highlight and contrast the notes in your cold brew.

With so many options, there's an iced tea option for everyone!

I DON'T DRINK ENOUGH WATER

As I said, any tea can be cold brewed - all you need is to remember to do it, because it DOES take at least 5 hours. If you want an incentive to drink more water, keep in mind cold brewing a herbal tea will infuse flavour whilst avoiding caffeine. Below are some suggestions based on flavour profile:

WITHOUT CAFFEINE

Sweet and fruity: Foraging for Berries

Light citrus: Organic Lemon and Ginger or Organic Blue Water

Spicy: Chai Yoga or Red Wattle

Mint: Organic Rosy Mint or Unwind

WITH CAFFEINE

Savory: Shincha or Roasted Green

Floral: French Earl Grey or White Rose

Smoky: Smoky Black

Citrus: Coconut Lemon Splice

Passion fruit: Green Gum

I WANT CAFFEINE WITHOUT THE HEAT

I’ve personally noticed that while hot brewing brings out bitter notes of the tea leaves, cold brewing brings out sweeter notes. You might find our green teas will have a denser flavour, and that’s because Japanese style greens tend to be cut up quite fine translating into a “thicker” flavour. If you find this is the case with your cold brew, dilute it with more water to suit your taste. Oolong teas have big leaves with complex flavour which also work well for cold brewing. One time I used our Iron Goddess Oolong and added a little lemongrass, and it made for a really delicious blend - at once it was grassy, floral and citrus. A popular iced tea in Taiwan is Iron Goddess Oolong, cold brewed, sweetened with brown sugar syrup - delicious!

Remember - you can cold brew ANY tea. 4 to 5 teaspoons in 1 litre of cold water for at least 5 hours. Add soda water or tonic water, add ice, add a little syrup if you like - don’t be afraid to experiment. Tea is broad and it’s versatile!