How to make a cup of cold brew tea? How to measure the time and the temperature of water?

Since we have mentioned cold brew tea, many people have had a lot of questions, such as how to make a cup of cold brew tea, how to measure the time, and what the ratio of making a cup of cold brew tea is. In fact, there is not a definitive way of making a cup of tea, and little to no experience is required to produce an excellent cup. As long as the taste of the tea is favourable to individual preference, it can be considered a good cup of tea.

Normally, when we make cold brew tea, it takes 4~8 hours to set to perfection. By soaking in the refrigerator, a relatively stable tea fragrance and quality can be achieved through ideal time/temperature balance. If you are soaking at room temperature, the time will be shortened due to the relatively high temperature and so on.

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Furthermore, temperature is an important factor in determining the release rate of tea leaves, as the information above suggests. If you are brewing the tea at room temperature, the release rate of tea leaves will be different compared to if you brew the tea in the refrigerator. This is the same concept as water temperature. Therefore, if you would like to make cold brew tea within a short time frame, you can choose to set it at room temperature or a little higher, which can speed up the release time of the tea leaves.

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Cold brew tea ratio. The key to making cold brew tea.

Indeed, when people are making cold brew tea, the most important section is the water ratio to tea. For instance, if you are cooking half a pot of ingredients, an added tablespoon of salt is perfect. Conversely, if you only add half a tablespoon of salt to the same pot, it will be slightly underseasoned.

Therefore, the best cold brew tea ratio usually recommended by experienced tea lovers is 1: 100, which is 1 gram of tea to 100ml of room temperature water. But if you feel the character of the tea leaves is either too strong or too light, like heavily roasted tea leaves that are inherently heavier and vice versa, you can increase the amount of water. Basically, it can be adjusted in accordance with personnel preference and the tea variant in question.

Should I choose packaged or loose tea leaves for cold brew tea?

At this time, many people have a question: there are many tea bags and loose tea leaves on the market, but when I make cold brewed tea, is it better to use cold brewed tea bags or loose tea leaves? Basically, both options are great. The purpose of cold brew tea bags is only for the convenience of simple operation as there will be no tea residues when drinking.

Additionally, if the loose tea leaves and tea bags are of the same grade and type of tea, the taste will basically be unchanged. There are also a lot of tea lovers who buy their own strainers to pack loose tea to make their own “tea bags”.

The manner of making cold brew tea can actually be really simple.

Normally, the most recommended time for making cold brew tea is before going to bed at night, particularly for those who want to drink a cup of tea every day. Making it before going to bed and drinking it the next morning is a lovely moment. Moreover, sleep time can align with the release time of tea leaves. If you sleep longer, you can awake to a richer flavored tea; on the contrary, if you sleep a little short, your tea will be lighter in flavor.

The steps of making cold brew tea are very simple. Let’s go!

1. Prepare the corresponding grams of tea leaves according to the number of ml of the bottle (tea : water = 1 : 100)
2. Pour the room temperature water.
3. Sit in the refrigerator for 4~8 hours.

What types of tea are recommended for making cold brew tea?

People who have the knowledge of tea should know there are many different types of tea leaves that will vary in appearance, will be divided into strips and even spherically, as well as the degree of roasting is also divided into light and heavy. Each batch of tea will vary with subtle environmental changes, so what kind of tea is recommended for cold brew?

The fact is, as long as you enjoy it, any tea can be cold brewed. Since cold water is unable to highlight the roasting aroma of tea compared with heavier roasting, it is generally recommended to use the original raw tea as a cold brew. On the other hand, for raw teas or teas with lighter fermentation, some can also release elegant floral aromas, which will perform relatively well.

Yet, the taste is very subjective and can be changed by living habits. For instance, people who smoke, or eat spicy or heavy tastes will prefer teas with a strong aroma and strong roasted taste; conversely, people who eat lightly will prefer fresh-flavored teas. Overall, as long as you enjoy it, it is always a good cup of tea.

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What is the difference between cold brewed tea and hot brewed tea?

What is the difference between cold brewed tea and hot brewed tea? Apart from the methods of making tea, what else does it affect? Basically, it has been mentioned that the release of tea leaves will be affected by temperature. The difference between cold brewing and hot brewing will vary with temperature. In terms of taste, cold brewed tea can be described as gentle, delicate, and sweet, while hot brewed tea tends to have a fragrant and unrestrained taste.

The taste of tea can also be explained in accordance to science. Some people may not know that the taste of tea is mainly produced by the influence and combination of three components, namely tea polyphenols, theanine and caffeine, all of which have different tastes. Tea polyphenol is astringent, theanine is sweet, and caffeine is bitter.

The caffeine and tea polyphenols are more easily released in hot water, so the taste of hot tea is stronger and more prone to becoming bitter. Whereas, if you don’t like the bitter taste, you can use the cold brewing method. The release of tea polyphenols and caffeine will be minimal, and the sweetness of theanine will be more present.

Does the link between tea and inability to sleep differ between hot and cold brews? 

In terms of sleeping issues, it is a question that many people who want to drink tea will pay attention to. Whether or not you can sleep is basically up to the individual and their unique sensitivities which can be influenced by many factors. For instance, some people drink 3 cups of coffee in a day, they can still sleep at night until the next morning.

On the contrary, some people only take a sip of tea, they may toss and turn at night and be unable to sleep. These are all differences in everyone’s body conditions along with many other factors, so no one can guarantee a solid sleep after drinking cold brewed tea, however, cold brew does contain less caffeine than hot brew.

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