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Cold Brewing is Energy Efficient!

On a sticky hot day, you may not even want to turn the stove on or get a kettle steaming hot. Here's a great way to make a pitcher of iced tea without involving boiling water - it's the cold brew technique.

The “cold brew” method is so simple and it makes fresh, naturally sweet and amazingly refereshing iced tea. Cold brewing is laid back  - you don’t have to worry about steeping it for too long like you would with hot tea. Tea brewed in this way releases fewer tannins from the leaves making it less astringency which leaves a bitterless taste.  It also keeps the tea transparent and doesn’t fog it up. What more could you ask for?

 

1. Use a Bodum pitcher or our Steeped Tea T-Sacs. The ratio of tea is 1:50, but adjust to taste.

2. Fill the pitcher with cold or iced water and allow to steep. This will take longer than it does for boiling water. Place the pitcher in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) for 4 hours or overnight.

3. When the tea is ready, remove the infuser or T-Sacs and pour tea into glass with ice in it. To sweeten, try stirring in the contents of a Steeped Tea honey stick. Enjoy your refreshing cold tea! 

Store the iced tea in the fridge and it will retain its quality for about a week - although we don't think it will last that long!

 

We've recently read that the cold brewing technique also works for iced coffee. I first read of this technique at Laura's Sweet Spot, and she refers readers to this article in the NY Times for an anecdote on cold brewing coffee. Both articles point outthat hot water brings out the bitterness in the coffee bean and that a more refined iced coffee is derived through the cold brewing technique. Since better coffee drinks start with better coffee, why not start with Steeped Tea's French Vanilla volcanic coffee. The suggested ratio is 1/3 c. ground coffee to 1 1/2 c water (this will be enough for 2 cups of iced coffee). Stir the coffee into the water and then put the container into the refrigerator overnight.

 

All of the online recipes I've seen talk about needing a sieve and coffee filters in order to strain the coffee grounds and silt from the coffee. It seems to me that using a French press, or the Brewt could simplify this step tremendously! To serve, pour into a glass prepared with ice, filling about 1/2 way. Then top with milk. Sweeten with a liquid sweetener - suggestions are simple syrup, coffee syrups, Honey Sticks, agave nectar or even sweetened condensed milk, and hey, if it's not a work day, why not splash some Bailey's in there.

 

Enjoy your cold-brewed iced beverages! Summer is only 1/2 over, so if your favourite teas for icing are getting low, just contact your Steeped Tea consultant to reorder!

Instant Iced Tea

The hot weather has finally caught up to Ontario and iced tea season is here!

What if you are the only iced tea drinker in your household and/or making iced tea a pitcher at a time is impractical for you? Did you realize you could make instant iced tea with our tasty loose leaf tea, and not have to revert to the sugary, chemical-tasting powdered stuff?

It's this easy:

  Into your Brewt, add  1 perfect cup spoon of your desired loose leaf tea. Add sugar if desired. Add boiling water and allow to steep 3 minutes. If you like your iced tea stronger, add more tea rather than steep longer to avoid bitterness. Meanwhile, fill a glass with icecubes. Once the tea has steeped, place the Brewt over your glass of ice cubes. The mechanism in the bottom of the Brewt is triggered and the tea will drop down into the prepared glass. When the glass is full, simply lift the Brewt off. Add more ice cubes if necessary. Enjoy your single serving iced tea and chill out!

What are you favourite Steeped loose leaf teas to ice?

Steeped Iced Tea

Earlier this week, we shared a list of suggested combinations for creating your own flavoured iced teas.

Today we're sharing a list of suggested iced teas that don't require any blending. Just add 2-3 tbsp of any of these teas to your pitcher and add hot water. Steep for the same amount of time as you would a cup of hot tea. Then pour over ice cubes to chill.

• Pomegranate White

• Pai Mu Tan

• Margaret's Hope

• Jasmine Dragon Tears

• Any rooibos but especially: Pina Colada, Cranagranate, Lemon Drop, Orange Burst

• Many of our flavoured black teas: Monk's Blend, Ginger Peach, Bluest Blueberry 

• Herbal Tisanes: Berry Mania, Bella Coola, Roasted Mate, Blue Lagoon, Superior Sunrise Strawberry Orange

• Green Teas: Superior Snow Cap Green, Japanese Sencha, Mango Delight, Genmaicha

• Iron Goddess Oolong (if you have some left!)
  

   Which Steeped Fine Loose Teas have you tried iced? Leave us a comment!

Steeped Iced Tea Flavour Combinations

Here are a few ideas to try as you experiment with blending tea leaves to create new flavours. Remember to steep the tea tea leaves in the hot water for the same time you would do if preparing a cup of hot tea (ie, 5 minutes for black tea, 3 minutes for green, etc.)  but if you are blending tea types, steep according to the leaves chosen (i.e. if you are trying a green and a rooibos together, steep as though steeping for green alone).

Jasmine Oolong - combine a few tbsp Iron Goddess Oolong with a tsp of Jasmine Dragon Pearls

White Blueberry - combine a few tbsp Pai Mu Tan and Bluest Blueberry

Strawberry Vanilla - combine Strawberry Shortcake with Vanilla Dream

Orange Chai - combine Masala Chai and Orange Burst

Berry Mint - combine Berry Mania and Peppy Peppermint

Lemon Ginger - combine Lemon Drop and Spicy Ginger

Chamomile Citrus - combine Egyptian chamomile with Lemon Drop and Orange Burst

Blueberry Lemon - combine Bluest Blueberry with Lemon Drop

Lavender Mint - combine small amounts of French Lavender and Peppy Peppermint with Black tea

Licorice Mint - combine Amsterdam Licorice with small amount of Peppy Peppermint

Cranberry Orange - combine Cranagranate with Orange Burst

Lemon Almond - combine Lemon Drop with Amaretto rooibos (try adding a little sprite or soda to give it some sparkle; add black tea if you like a little more body)

We're sure there's lots more great flavour combinations. Leave us a comment if you've created a great flavoured iced tea - we'd love to hear about it!

Flavoured Ice Tea Tips

These ideas were originally found on an American tea company's blog and we wanted to be sure our Canadian iced tea drinkers knew about them!

Flavoured Iced Tea
Flavoured iced tea can be both plain tea with additions or a flavoured tea as a based mixed with other ingredients to bring out their natural character. Here are some ideas for excellent add-ins:

• Sweeteners: Sugar, honey, agave nectar all make for good sweeteners. If you opt to make a Southern-Style Sweet Tea, add sugar while the tea is steeping. If using honey or agave nectar, it also helps to add them to the hot tea first and then stir until dissolved. If you prefer to add sweetener once the tea has been poured over ice, a quick recipe of Simple Syrup can make it easier- Boil one cup of water with one cup of sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can then add the syrup to the iced tea, or serve it in a squirt bottle so each person can sweeten at their own discretion.
  
  
• Fresh or Frozen Fruit: Fruit can definitely jazz up any iced tea. If using a flavored fruit tea base, try a different kind of fruit to make a blend. Think of other fruits other than the usual lemon garnish. If using frozen fruit, they can also act as cooling agents for your iced tea. Chop up fruit into smaller pieces and add to tea after pouring over ice.
  
  
• Herbs and Spices: Add by the teaspoon various spices to add flavor to your teas while your tea is still hot, so it will incorporate properly. Try steeping star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger along with the tea to get the full flavor affect. Fresh herbs added to the tea once over ice will also help bring a certain complexity to your brew. Clean and trim fresh herbs such as mint, sage, lemongrass, lavender, basil, verbena, and lemon balm and add to your pitcher of iced tea. They'll add flavor and make for a nice garnish.
  
  
• Other Additions: Try sweetening your iced tea with 1/2 Cup of fruit juice or fruit puree. Pomegranate juice adds healthy components (to an already healthy drink!) and it's flavor is not too strong to overpower the tea flavor. Garnishes can also make for a winning iced tea: citrus flowers and herbs like mentioned earlier, but also edible flowers can make a darling decorative touch if you float them on top. Try also freezing juice or tea in ice cube trays and adding to the tea for both flavor, color, and to keep the tea cold. Rim your serving glasses with sugar to add a little flair!

Sweet Tea

Sweet tea is a form of iced tea in which sugar or some other form of sweetener is added to the hot water before brewing, while brewing the tea, or post-brewing, but before the beverage is chilled and served. This especially sweet variation of tea enjoys most of its popularity in the Southern United States, though bottled iced teas labeled "Southern Style" or "Extra-sweet Southern Style" appear in refrigerated cases throughout the country.

I'd have to say that most iced tea served in Canada is made in the sweet tea tradition. I remember as a child taking a family trip to the Finger Lakes area of New York and ordering iced tea. My only previous exposure to iced tea would have been the Nestea powdered stuff, and my first sip shocked me. I tried stirring a packet of sugar into the  bitter drink but to no avail. Those little crystals just whirled around in the icy chill. Fast forward a dozen or so years, and as a server in Toronto, I'd see many American customers absolutely disgusted by the syrup-y concoction our restaurants offer as iced tea. Most of these tourists must not have been from the south!

The oldest known recipe for sweet ice tea was published in 1879 in a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree, who was born in Texas. The recipe called for green tea. In fact, most sweet tea consumed during this period was green tea. However, during World War II, the major sources of green tea were cut off from the United States, leaving them with tea almost exclusively from British-controlled India which produced black tea. Americans came out of the war drinking predominantly black tea.

Most sweet tea recipes are very simple, requiring you to do just as the definition of sweet tea above suggests. Here is one, from Alton Brown of the Food Network, that is just abit different, but sounds yummy. He suggests adding a simple sugar syrup, rather than sugar, and I do that too, in my own iced tea - it adds a certain richness. My syrup is not as sweet as he recommends - for one pitcher of iced tea, I use 1/2 c water and dissolve 1/3 c sugar in it. Experiment and see what you like the best!

 

Sweet Tea

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Prep Time: 10 min

Inactive Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1-ounce loose black tea
• 1 quart hot water
• 1 quart room temperature water

Simple Syrup:

• 5 cups sugar
• 3 cups cold water

Directions

Infuse loose tea into hot water for 4 to 5 minutes. Strain tea into room temperature water. Sweeten with simple syrup if desired.

For simple syrup, in a small non-reactive pot combine 5 cups of sugar and 3 cups of cold water. Slowly bring to a boil and add 6 sliced lemons and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Remove from heat. Allow to cool 10 minutes and strain.

TIP: if you make the simple syrup, keep it in a separate carafe, rather than adding it to the hot tea, and allow your guests to add as much or as little sweetener to their iced tea as they desire!

Leave a comment and share some of your favourite iced tea and sweet tea recipes!