ICED TEA VS COLD BREW TEA
We believe that iced tea is always a good idea, whatever the weather. It's refreshing & it serves as a great alternative to those sugar-packed fizzy drinks. What's not to love?
A lot of people believe that iced tea and cold brew tea are the same, they are in fact very different.
We at Cup of Tea believe the ‘proper’ way to make iced tea is the method that infuses the leaves with hot water and extracts the full flavour from the tea to give you the best tasting iced tea possible. Iced tea is very simple and just consists of a tea that is served cooled or iced. It is made by brewing loose leaf tea or tea bags (double strength) with hot water for a specific time depending on variety. Once brewed, the tea leaves are removed from the infusion, that gets chilled and then served over ice. The only thing you need to be conscious of is dilution. Just like brewing hot tea, time and temperature are key to achieving the perfect iced tea.
What you need:
4 heaped teaspoons of loose leaf tea for every 200ml of water (this is roughly double the amount you would use for a traditional cup of hot tea)
Teapot
Large Pitcher
Ice
How to make it:
Heat your water to the desired temperature (boiling for black tea, slightly less for types of green tea)
Place your loose-leaf tea in your strainer/filter bag and place in your teapot
Pour the water over the leaves and brew for the desired time
While the tea is brewing, fill your pitcher to the top with ice
Pour your brewed and strained tea over the ice
You are ready to serve! Enjoy!
Cold Brew tea has a different method. Cold-brewed teas are never heated, unlike iced tea which starts hot and is left to cool. For cold brewing your tea you should start with cold filtered water. Your brew should then be chilled in the fridge, ideally overnight ready to drink the next day! Cold brewing requires patience but is definitely worth the wait!
What you need:
2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea for every 200ml of water
Cold filtered water
Pitcher
How to make it:
Choose your loose-leaf tea, we recommend a fruit or herbal tea.
Add the cold filtered water
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours. Overnight is ideal.
Enjoy the next day!
MAKE THE BEST ICED/COLD BREW TEAS
Summer can be tricky for tea lovers. When it is too hot to boil the kettle and brew some hot tea what is the alternative? The solution, we believe is ice-cold tea! A good iced tea can be just as complex and delicious as hot tea. The process is pretty simple all you need to do is either ice or cold brew your loose leafed tea as previously described. When it comes to traditional iced tea the slightly stronger infusion and the sudden cooling over ice preserve the amazing taste and flavour of the tea.
On the other hand, if you start with cold brewing, the gentle steeping creates a much sweeter and smoother tea. Cold brewed teas pull the fruity, grassy and bright taste notes from the tea offering a delicious palette of flavours.
IS TEA HYDRATING?
Yes! Iced tea and hot tea do hydrate you and help distribute water to the body. There is some confusion over this and it is to do with caffeine. All teas, except herbal or caffeine-free tea contain some form of caffeine. Compared to coffee it is minimal, 30-40mg for tea and 100mg per cup for coffee.
Tea is a low-caffeine drink so the diuretic effect is minimal. On the whole, tea gives your body much more water than it causes your body to lose. So, drinking hot tea or iced tea does help to hydrate you.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ICED TEAS
£4.90 for a 100g bag
Orange meets velvety vanilla to create this delicious infusion.
This Rooibos tea is an herbal infusion and is caffeine free. We think this tea makes a delicious iced tea to enjoy in the summer!
Makes 1 jug/pitcher of Rooibos Cream Orange Iced Tea
Ingredients:
2 slightly heaped teaspoons Rooibos Cream Orange loose leaf tea
2 litres boiling water
Ice
Chopped strawberries
Mint
Recipe:
Boil your kettle (roughly 1.5-2 litres)
Add Rooibos Cream Orange tea to your teapot (double what you would use for hot tea)
Brew for 5-10 minutes (depending on preferred strength)
Add ice, chopped strawberries and mint to your glass
Pour the freshly brewed rooibos tea over the ice
Enjoy!
£4.60 for a 100g bag
Classic black Ceylon tea, full bodied and aromatic.
Makes 1 jug/pitcher of delicious Ceylon Orange Pekoe Iced Tea
Ingredients:
2 slightly heaped teaspoons Ceylon Orange Pekoe loose leaf tea
2 litres boiling water
Ice
200g sugar
Orange slices to serve
Mint
Recipe:
Boil your kettle (roughly 1.5-2 litres)
Add Ceylon Orange Pekoe loose leaf tea to your teapot
Brew for 2 minutes (black and green teas should be brewed for a brief 2 minutes to preserve the flavour and caffeine hit)
Stir the sugar into the tea until dissolved
Add ice, chopped orange and mint to your glass
Pour the freshly brewed tea over the ice
Enjoy!
£5.40 for a 100g bag
Green tea meets mango-citrus flavours.
Makes 1 jug/pitcher of delicious Morning Dew Iced Tea
Ingredients:
2 slightly heaped teaspoons Morning Dew loose leaf tea
2 litres boiling water
Ice
Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries
Honey to sweeten
Recipe:
Boil your kettle (roughly 1.5-2 litres)
Add 4 slightly heaped teaspoons of Morning Dew loose leaf tea to your teapot
Brew for 2 minutes (black and green teas should be brewed for a brief 2 minutes to preserve the flavour and caffeine hit)
Stir the honey into the tea
Add ice and chopped berries to your glass
Pour the freshly brewed tea over the ice
Add mint to garnish if desired
Enjoy!
£4.90 for a 100g bag
Powerful blend of cherries, hibiscus and orange peel.
Makes 1 jug/pitcher of delicious Fiery Cherry Iced Tea
Ingredients:
2 slightly heaped teaspoons of Fiery Cherry loose leaf tea
2 litres boiling water
Ice
200g cherries
3 teaspoons brown sugar
Honey to sweeten
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Chopped oranges to serve
Recipe:
Wash and remove stones and stems from your cherries
Add the sugar to your cherries and mash with a fork
Put the sugared fruit and all its juices into a blender and add 1 cup of water and blend until smooth.
Sieve the cherry syrup and place in the fridge until serving.
Boil your kettle (roughly 1.5-2 litres)
Add 4 slightly heaped teaspoons of Fiery Cherry loose leaf tea to your teapot
Brew for 5-10 minutes (depending on preferred strength)
Stir the honey into the tea
Add ice, the chilled cherry syrup and lemon juice to your glass
Pour the freshly brewed tea over the ice
Add mint to garnish if desired
Enjoy!
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Posted by cup of tea admin
8th June 2018