Cold brew tea sounds way more complicated than it is! If you're wondering what is cold brew tea and why everyone's talking about it, the answer is simple: it's just tea steeped in cold liquid instead of hot, with none of the fuss you might expect.
That's the whole concept. And the results are brilliant & a whole new refreshing way to drink tea.
The Simple Definition
So what is cold brew tea, really? Cold brew tea is loose leaf tea steeped in cold water, or another cold liquid, for several hours, usually in the fridge. No boiling water, no waiting for things to cool down, no risk of burning the leaves or creating bitterness.
Because cold water extracts flavour much more slowly & gently than boiling water, the process takes longer, typically 4–12 hours depending on the tea. But the actual effort involved is about two minutes. Add your tea to a Cold Brew Tea Bottle, add your liquid, put it in the fridge & go do something else! It's ready when you are.
How Is Cold Brew Tea Different From Regular Iced Tea?
This is the question we get asked most when explaining what is cold brew tea, and it's an important distinction.
Regular iced tea is brewed hot first using boiling or near-boiling water & then cooled down or poured over ice. It’s fast to make, bold in flavour & close to what you'd expect from a traditional cup of tea.
Cold brew tea never uses hot water at all. The tea steeps slowly in cold liquid from the very start, which completely changes the flavour profile of the resulting drink.
The difference comes down to how hot and cold water extract different compounds from the tea leaf. Hot water can extract quickly and aggressively drawing out flavour, caffeine, and tannins at speed. Cold water extracts slowly and selectively, drawing out the sweeter, more delicate flavour compounds while leaving behind much of the tannin content that can cause bitterness.
What Does Cold Brew Tea Taste Like?
Cold brew tea tastes smoother, sweeter, & less bitter than the same tea made hot. The sharp, astringent edge that hot tea can have is almost entirely gone. What's left is the natural sweetness of the tea, the more delicate flavours, & a clean, refreshing quality.
Many of our customers tell us they notice flavours in their favourite blends through cold brewing that they'd never picked up when making them hot. Cold water is simply more gentle & that gentleness allows subtler notes to come through clearly.
Cold brew tea is also naturally sugar-free and low in calories, which makes it one of the most refreshing alternatives to sugary cold drinks you can have. See our healthy alternatives to soft drinks guide for more on this.
What Tea Can You Cold Brew?
Almost any loose leaf tea works brilliantly cold brewed - fruit teas, herbal blends, green teas, white teas, oolong, and black teas all produce excellent results. Fruit teas and herbal blends are particularly great & produce some of the most immediately impressive cold brews. Black tea needs a little care so keep it to 2–4 hours maximum to avoid bitterness developing.
Our cold brew tea collection contains blends specifically chosen for how brilliantly they perform cold. For our honest picks and recommendations, see the best teas for cold brewing.
How Do You Make Cold Brew Tea?
Now that you know what is cold brew tea, here's the short version of how to make it: add 5–6 heaped teaspoons of loose leaf tea to your Cold Brew Bottle or a jug, fill with 750ml of cold liquid, seal, and refrigerate for 4–12 hours.
For the full step-by-step guide - including steeping times by tea type, liquid combinations, tips, and our favourite recipes - see our complete guide to making cold brew tea.
Shop our Cold Brew Tea Collection
Want to know which teas work best? See our best teas for cold brewing guide before you start.
