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The bees are buzzing, the sun is shining, and a warm breeze is blowing – the only thing now missing on a warm summer day is an ice-cold refreshment to cool us down. Cold Brew, the trend from the world of coffee, has now arrived in the world of tea! What Cold Brew is, and why it is becoming more popular, we explain to you here.
What Exactly Is Cold Brew?
Cold Brew is a preparation method that results in a cold beverage. You can infuse both ground coffee and tea with cold water. You let the infusion steep for several hours, ideally overnight in the fridge. Eventually, you need to run it through a filter or strainer, and you get a wonderfully cool refreshment.
Why Cold Brew Is So Popular
Cold Brew originates in Japan. The method is called Mizudashi there (“Mizu,” Japanese for “water” and “Dashi” for “infusion”). What makes it so popular? You don’t need any special accessories for this preparation. You only need a large glass pot, your favorite tea, and cold water. You can easily prepare your Cold Brew coffee or tea in advance. Since we love to share our passion for tea with you, we focus on Cold Brew as a tea trend here.
Hot or Cold, Cold Brew vs. Iced Tea: The Differences
The way you brew your tea leaves significantly affects the taste of your beverage! Would you like your tea refreshingly cold rather than hot? Then you have two methods to choose from: Iced tea and Cold Brew.
Flavor Profiles: Cold Brew Tea vs. Hot Brewed Tea
When you classically brew tea with hot water, the leaves release all individual aromas into the water within a few minutes. Keeping an eye on the clock is worth it, as the tea should not steep for too short or too long, otherwise it does not reach its full potential.
When brewing with cold water, you give the tea leaves more time. Depending on the type of tea, the Cold Brew method takes a steeping time of 3-12 hours! A cold infusion releases fewer bitter substances from the tea leaves than hot water, giving your cup of tea gentle and mild flavors. Moreover, the longer steeping allows other subtler notes to come to the surface, which otherwise remain in the background with hot brewing. Cold brewing, therefore, means giving your tea more time.
Flavor Profiles: Cold Brew or Iced Coffee
For some years, Cold Brew coffee has become a popular drink on many café menus. Both coffee and tea develop other, milder flavors when cold brewed than as a conventional hot infusion. If you want to retain the intensity but still enjoy a cool refreshment, preparing it as iced coffee or iced tea might be for you. In this method, you brew coffee or tea leaves hot, but stronger than usual. Then you cool the brew down by serving it over many ice cubes. Many like to customize their iced coffee with syrup or milk. In our opinion, it’s also worth experimenting with iced tea!
Cold Brew Meets Tea
A milder taste and gentle aromas – does that sound like what you expect from your perfect drink? Look no further! The possibilities of this refreshing treat are nearly endless, and the preparation is easy: The tea leaves are infused with cold instead of hot water. We especially recommend pure teas for this method. Herbal blends should be briefly infused with a little hot water ("hot flash") if you want to prepare them as Cold Brew.
How to Create Your Own Cold Brew Tea
For the Cold Brew method, you don't need anything that you don't already have at home. If you have a pot that fits in the fridge, such as our CYLINDER POT LARGE, nothing can get in the way of your cold brewing. Your favorite teas are ideal partners for you even on hot days while revealing their versatile aromatic facets! We share our favorite tea varieties we recommend trying as a Cold Brew.
Delicious Tea Varieties for Your Cold Brew
- The fresh taste of green tea is ideal for Cold Brew, such as our KUMANO N°313. For jasmine tea fans, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE N°323 is an enchanting floral temptation.
- Black tea brings you surprising malty gentleness in a cold brew. Try our classic MUSE N°504 or GOLDEN EARL N°514 with refreshing citrus notes!
- White tea offers subtler flavor profiles that many appreciate. Our favorites for Cold Brew are PERFECT DAY N°719, WHITE EARL N°107, PU ER BAI YA N°103, and SILVER SINDANO N°106.
- Explore Oolong’s complex notes as Cold Brew. Try FOUR SEASONS OF SPRING N°402 or BEADS OF GRATITUDE N°409.
- Rooibos provides a wonderfully fruity refreshment. Have you already tried our caffeine-free version of Earl Grey RED EARL N°826 ice-cold?
- Fruit tea delights tea fans of all ages with its natural sweetness, aromatic variety, and beautiful colorful cup. A berry delight in summer is BERRY POMP N°819.
- Hibiscus, with its sweet-sour aromas, is also an absolute favorite for refreshing cold brews! Experience the pure blossoms in RED HIBISCUS N°820 or our tea blend TOP OF THE DAY N°814.
- Mint, a very popular classic, is also a delight when cold. We recommend MINT JULEP N°715 and PURE PRANA N°809.
- Chamomile, much like mint, is a favorite among herbal blends. ORANGE KISS N°825 combines it with refreshing notes of orange.
Tips for Preparation
When preparing Cold Brew, we encourage you to experiment to find the perfect ratio! Depending on the tea variety and personal preference, the amount of tea leaves needed can always differ. If you’re unsure, you can at first follow the preparation recommendation on the hot brew package and add about half to a whole teaspoon more.
We recommend the following steeping times for a cold infusion:
- White tea: 6 - 8 hours
- Green tea: 3 - 6 hours
- Oolong tea: 3 - 10 hours
- Black tea: 6 - 8 hours
- Herbal blends (after hot flash): 6 - 12 hours
Common Mistakes in Preparation and How to Avoid Them
You barely can go wrong with this method. However, here are a few tips:
- When serving your Cold Brew with ice cubes, the taste could become too watery. Hence, when preparing iced tea, prepare a stronger brew. To enjoy it ice-cold, you can also leave the ice cubes aside and let your Cold Brew steep in the fridge for a longer time.
- Out of sight, out of mind – a Cold Brew in the fridge can quickly be forgotten. Since it tastes best freshly made, setting a timer as a reminder is recommended.
Get Creative with Cold Brew: Exciting Variations
On hot summer days, you no longer must wait for cooling evening temperatures to enjoy a lovely tea. You can simply prepare your favorite as a Cold Brew. Look forward to discovering new facets of your tea when you let it steep in cold water. And if you're adventurous, we have even better news! The possibilities for customizing your tea refreshments are endless. Whether with syrup, fruits, berries, milk, or honey – there's a lot to experiment with in Cold Brew. Are you already making some space in the fridge?
