Cold brew čaj: jde čaj louhovat za studena?

Summer can be a tricky time for a tea lover. Hot tea on hot days is not for everyone, and on the other hand, who wants to wait half a day for the tea to cool down. Fortunately, we have good news for you: you can even have the tea iced straight away! And we don't mean over-sweetened iced tea from a store that only saw tea leaves on the opposite shelf, but a great cold brew tea.

Forget bottled iced teas

The definition of excellent homemade iced tea is not entirely clear. For the most part, it comes down to what you like. But we immediately eliminate bottled iced teas from the store as hopeful candidates for victory. They usually contain about 0.1% tea extract, and even less concentrated juice from the selected fruit. The rest is made up of water, various acids, flavors and sweeteners.

But how about an iced tea that is naturally sweet, has a clean taste and refreshes immediately without waiting for the brew to cool down? We mean preparing your own drink. But who has ever tried to make homemade iced tea, maybe in the end it came out bitter and made his mouth tighten. The bitterness and astringency are caused by the tannins, which make the liquid feel dry in our mouths, leaving us feeling parched rather than refreshed.

In addition to these ailments, its taste can also be a problem, which often falls short of expectations. Iced tea should definitely also have a pleasant aroma and expression. You can also prepare such a drink, and at the same time say goodbye to all those artificial and sweetened substitutes. What you are looking for is cold brew tea.

How to make cold brew tea

Unlike cold brew coffee, you don't need any more basic ingredients than usual to make a good cold brew tea, although the right ratio of leaves and water is of course important. If you use too little, the tea will be tasteless and watery, if you use too much, the tea will be bitter and astringent. This factor is especially important in the case of cold leaching.

Better leave black tea for the winter

Due to its high content of tannins and bitterness, black tea is the least suitable candidate for cold brew tea . Almost all the fruity notes that we like in the hot version are drowned out by the tannins due to the low temperatures, and the tea does not leave a pleasant feeling of refreshment when consumed.

The delicate and aromatic leaves of white tea bring a beautiful aroma and a hint of creaminess to the cold brew. The resulting taste is rather light and extremely refreshing. Good green tea is primarily about fresh, clean taste and aroma. The most suitable green tea for cold brew tea is Japanese sencha. But you can also prepare a very tasty and fresh ice drink from other quality tea leaves, perhaps from the brand Hyson.

RECIPE: strawberry cold brew green tea

5 servings | 10 minutes + cooling

You need:

1 liter of cold water (filtered/baby)
1 tablespoon loose green tea (8-10 g)
20-25 medium sized ripe strawberries
mint or basil
ice

resealable glass or plastic container
tea strainer

Method:

Pour water into a sealable container. Insert the strainer with the prepared amount of tea. Add a handful of mint (or basil) leaves as well. Close the container and infuse for 8-12 hours (perhaps overnight). If you decide to replace loose tea with tea bags or pyramids, let them steep for only 5 hours. About an hour before that. before removing the tea strainer from the infusion, add strawberries (or other fruit to taste).

After steeping, take out the tea strainer that you put in the water. Leave the mint (basil) and strawberries in the container.

Add crushed ice to the glasses and pour over the prepared tea. Garnish with your chosen herb and serve.