Guides

How to Cold Brew Tea

Cold brewing steeps tea in cold or room-temperature water for hours instead of minutes. Cold water extracts aroma and sweetness slowly while pulling far less caffeine and bitterness out of the leaf. The result is smooth, sweet, and nearly impossible to over-steep. All you need is a jar.

The method

Add 5–8 g of leaf per liter of cold water (about a heaped tablespoon per quart). Use more leaf than hot brewing — extraction is slower.
Cover and refrigerate 6–12 hours. Light teas (green, white): 6–8 hours. Oolong and black: 8–12 hours.
Strain out the leaves completely.
Drink within 2–3 days, kept refrigerated.

Scaling down: for a 500 ml bottle use 2.5–4 g. No special equipment — a sieve, French press, or any bottle with a built-in strainer works. Hot-start shortcut: pour a small amount of just-boiled water over the leaf for 30 seconds, then add cold water and refrigerate — this wakes up tightly rolled oolongs without the bitterness of a full hot steep.

What changes vs hot brewing

Less caffeine. Cold water extracts caffeine slowly; expect noticeably less than the hot-brew figure listed on each tea page.
Less bitterness. Catechins and tannins stay mostly in the leaf, so even sensitive green teas taste sweet.
Aroma is quieter. Cold brew trades top aroma for body and sweetness. Jasmine and other scented teas keep their perfume well.