Why and how to cold brew Tea?

We have all heard of cold brew coffee and frankly, most of what we drink is cold so, why not tea? Well, there is no, why not?, because you should be drinking cold brew teas!

We drink iced tea and we are quite happy grabbing a bottle of iced tea from the cooler in the convenience store but none of that is required, given a little investment in time and a little of the explorer gene!

It's not that the current offerings are not flavourful but they are not great, or wholesome or necessarily good for the planet; the bottle alone should be a clue.

The benefits

So let's consider the benefits of at home cold brew vs a take out from the cooler.

Firstly, the amount of tea you need to make cold brew is about twice what you would normally use for a cup made at home so, let's say 3-6grms (dependent on the grade of tea used) then let's consider the amount of tea used in a bottle of RTD, approximately 3 times less than the lower limit. So, that's 30% less polyphenols (considering the same quality of tea used) with a commensurate drop in flavour, mouthfeel and healthful properties.

Now let's consider the industrial process of extraction which, in the best cases, where the bottle declares "Fresh brewed from leaf" or similar, requires a very hot and intense extraction process, delivering loads of colour and body at the expense of the more volatile, flavourful and healthful smaller molecules.

Mmmm, what else? Oh yes, at home preparation does not require a 333cc (or larger) canister (glass/plastic) to deliver it to you, nor does it require the same distribution space or cooler costs, from which you grab and go (Yes you have a fridge at home, admittedly, but it's there anyway!). Oh yes, the "Grab and Go" point is a journey too but now I am splitting hairs.

Let's be honest, the hook is convenience and that's it!

Now, consider a leaf tea dosed at the top of the weight range given above. Say 6grms of leaf tea with a bulk density of 250grm/litre (dry) means the same liquid delivery as the 333cc RTD delivered to you in 7% of the space (24cc) and without refrigeration or the packaging material requirements.

Am I trying to hard here?

OK, let's talk you, refreshment, flavour, health and convenience.

Firstly, if you want bespoke, "For you", beverages then what better than to make your own RTD with the best stuff you can find?

Regarding the cost, consider paying $1.50 for a bottle of RTD and then look at how much you pay for your favourite tea.

By the way, this is if you brew the leaf once but many (Try Darjeelings, Assams, Rwandans, Taiwanese Oolongs) all produce an excellent second brew in much less time than the first, courtesy of the leaves already having been accessed.

Making your own is simply much cheaper and better sensorially and for the soul!!

Your investment

So there is the tea you have to buy, the favourite totally and forever reusable take out receptacle, if you wish to drink anywhere but home, and there is time.

Tea has always been a product that you take time with and this is no different but it is not an age. Most teas, other than heavily oxidized varietals, take no more than 3-4 hour to deliver stunning brews, with a second brew (read on) taking no more than an hour.

You can brew a whole jug overnight and have more tea to wallow in than you could ever need but enough to share and boast about with friends.

Oh and if you say, "Yes but what about flavours?" well I would suggest that the natural smooth extraction delivers enough all natural flavour for you to be going on with but experiment with honey, lemon, ginger, mint, cucumber and others. Personally, I would extract these separately and then add to your drinking receptacle and shake or stir but have fun, experiment!

Giving back

The difference between the two propositions here is the distribution of margin . The more processing, packing and distribution steps the greater the draw from the margin pool, which is rarely if ever fairly distributed back to the grower and producer. At 6grms of tea use per home cold brew, you can afford tea @ $130/Kg (after a 40% retail margin and expenditure in @ home refrigeration) which is damned good stuff. It's up to you how and where you buy your tea but as you sip your own bespoke cold brew, you can feel pretty chill (pun totally intended!) about making a step in the right direction for you and all the good folk that bring us this many faceted elixir.