How to Cold Brew Tea in 5 Easy Steps

Okay listen and listen good. You don’t have to drink tea hot all the time. In fact, it’s totally unfair to tea, and tea is very offended that you would treat it in one rigid fashion when it has so much to offer.

So…why cold brew? With cold brewing, you’re slowly pulling out the flavors of a tea over time, coaxing out delicate notes and aromas that could otherwise be masked by hot water. The end result can be a silky smooth texture with a bright and clean taste.

The best part? Cold brewing tea is nearly impossible to F up.

Step 1: Grab Your Tools

• A nice loose-leaf or quality tea bags.
• 1L or 2L jug with lid (I use a 2L because, duh, more tea).
• Some kind of tea strainer. The finer the mesh, the better.
• Ambient or cold water (preferably filtered unless your tap is really good, then that’s fine).
• A scale to weigh your tea. No scale? Use a tablespoon. Tea weighs about 5g per tbsp. But this isn’t exact, so def get a scale if you can.

Step 2: Measure out your tea

• Loose-leaf: About 10g per 4 cups or 1 liter of water.
• Tea bags: About 2–3 baggies per 4 cups or 1 liter of water.

I say “about” because it really depends on the type of tea you’re using. Tea is dynamic, so approaching it in one rigid way just won’t work.

Step 3: Combine and Steep. Combine tea and water within your chosen vestibule and let that sh*t steep in your fridge. Steep time depends on the tea and can be anywhere from 2–3 hours to overnight.

Not sure how long it should take? The company where you bought your tea from should have their own recipe.

But if not, this is what I do and it works every time: Try a sip every other hour (or every few hours if you can’t even). This way, you can tell whether you want it stronger or not.

While you’re there, agitate the tea to make sure the leaves are getting evenly steeped.

Step 4: Strain the leaves out. When you’ve decided your tea is done, use a fine mesh strainer to remove the tea, or simply remove the tea bags. Drink within 3–4 days.

Note: if you’re using tea bags with fannings, don’t squeeze them. They can release tannins and impart an unpleasant bitterness to your tea.

Step 5: Optional, but add sugar to taste. I prefer cane or turbinado as they don’t add their own flavors like a darker sugar or honey, would.

Adding a bit of sugar can really enhance the flavor profile. I add a touch to my jasmine green teas but not enough to make it really sweet — just enough to brighten the florals — and it’s a favorite among my strictly-unsweet-tea-family.

Okay, so you got a basic rundown of how to cold brew tea, and you’re good to go. But everything has its nuances. If you enjoy the details that could strengthen your cold brew game, keep reading.

Tea Quality + My Go-To Tea Shops

What you really want to pay attention to is the kind of tea you’re using. Black teas, rich herbal blends, and tea bag versions of aforementioned teas can require less tea or a shorter steep time since they tend to be more concentrated. That’s why taste testing your brew every few hours is so helpful.

I can’t say this enough, but choose a reputable source for your tea. Mass-produced teas are usually grown with pesticides and/or flavored artificially, and this can really affect the quality of your brew.

I recommend these folks (and they are, crazily enough, not sponsored):

Mountain Stream Teas (agro-chemical free tea straight from Taiwan)

Kettl.co (Finely curated teas from Japan)

Rishi Tea (Organic, direct-trade teas and botanicals)

Smithteamaker (Small-batch, artisanal teas)

Arbor Teas (Organic and sustainable teas)

Tea People (Sister company to Boba Guys)

Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms (Based in Japan; carries my fav dark roast hojicha)

I can’t say this enough, but choose a reputable source for your tea.

Tea Tips

Hot vs Cold. Some teas are better enjoyed hot versus cold. It is what it is. And it really depends on your preference, overall. Just keep that tidbit in your pocket.

Color and Flavor. Some teas like white, green, or lightly oxidized oolongs may not give off a lot of color like darker tea would. Don’t be mistaken — more color doesn’t equal more or better flavor. They can still be tasty and have the palest hint of color — or look like water — which can be really confusing.

Over-steeping. You know if you’ve over-steeped the tea (which is really Fk’n hard to do with cold brewing) when you can taste a bitterness or sharpness towards the end of each sip. If this happens, adding more water won’t help. But it could make a great base for a milk tea since milk can help mask any astringency.

Fannings are concentrated. Tea bags are usually made with “fannings”, the leftover remnants from tea leaf production. They can be much stronger and more astringent than loose leaf teas or tea bags with loose-leaf inside.

That’s why they’re not my first choice for cold brewing because a lot of tea bags are made with lower-quality teas, and the end taste can be chalky or sharp.

Here’s what I drink on the daily. You’ll notice I stick to 15g to 20g of tea regardless of what kind it is. So far, that’s what works for me.

White Tip Jasmine Loose-Leaf 15g tea + 2L water (8 cups) + 3–6 hours or overnight

I prefer a shorter steep time but have sometimes forgotten to strain it and left it out overnight. NBD. The result was a little more intense, grabbing the more astringent aspects of the tea, but overall really nice and a perfect base to hold up against milk.

Dark Roast Hojicha Loose-Leaf (recipe from Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms)

10g tea per 1L of water + steep for 2 hours.

I double this recipe and steep it for like, half a day or even overnight. But that’s just my own preference. Like I mentioned before, taste it every other hour to find your preference.

Darjeeling Loose-Leaf

20g loose leaf darjeeling + 2L water (8 cups) + steep overnight.

Any questions? Send me me an email! I’m happy to impart my tea wisdom. You can also find me on Instagram under @Alpaca_Boba.