What is Cold Brew or cold-extracted tea?

Cold-brew tea is made without heating. The method differs from traditional iced tea making, where hot tea is cooled using ice cubes. Cold brew production is a rising trend in the world and in Finland. Hot summer days tempt you to cool off and refresh yourself with tea, not to sweat more.

Are you the one who makes an omelette and forgets the morning porridge on the stove? Tea waiting in the cold is a dream solution for everyone who is in a hurry close to everyday life. Cold brew tea is not afraid of waiting. Whereas 10 minutes affects the taste of hot tea, even 10 hours does not worsen cold brewed tea. On the contrary, cold brew tea brewed overnight in the refrigerator only gets its rights in the morning.

Cold extraction

Making drinks by cold extraction is on the surface. However, the method is not exactly a new invention. The method has already been used in the 17th century in Japan and it came there with the Dutch. A few years ago, cold-brew coffees rose to the surface, and now it's tea's turn.

Cold-extracted tea is different from traditional iced tea. Normally, cold tea would be made by boiling in hot water and then cooling. This method can be fast, but it does not produce the best taste. When tea is heated and cooled, its structure undergoes two sudden changes. As a result, the taste of the tea becomes sour or even bitter.

The taste of tea made cold is sweeter and softer. It lacks too much of the tannicity of brewed tea. In addition, cold-extracted tea has less caffeine and still has the same amount of antioxidants as the hot version. Cold brew technology ensures a subtle extraction of the tea.

Preparation

Cold Brew tea is made using cool or room temperature water. The tea is measured in the container, water is added and it is allowed to rest for several hours or even overnight in the refrigerator. The finished tea is filtered and enjoyed, for example, with ice cubes. You can make a larger batch of tea at once, because it can be kept in the fridge for several days!

Green tea, rooibos, herbal tea or oolong, tea bags or loose tea, all teas are suitable for cold extraction. You can also combine different flavors and discover new, wonderful nuances. The tea quality can affect the extraction time. Black tea brews somewhat longer than green tea. As a rule of thumb, cold brew tea steeped overnight is good, the time can vary between 6 and 20 hours. The most important thing is to follow your own taste, and that's why you can go and taste the tea from time to time.

If you are already familiar with cold brew, ice brewing is a step further. The tea is not even extracted in cool water, but directly in ice. The tea is ready as the ice melts at room temperature! In about 30 minutes, you can already have a tasty sip.