How to make cold brew tea: an easy first pitcher

A small pitcher, step by step

Start with green tea or jasmine green tea labeled for cold brewing. Use the package recipe when it differs from this starting point.

Measure the leaves

5 g of dry tea for a 500 ml batch. A kitchen scale, a clean jar with a lid and a strainer are enough.

Add cold water

Add 500 ml of drinking water that has been boiled and cooled. Leave some space at the top of the jar.

Refrigerate

Cover and put it straight in the fridge. Taste green or jasmine green tea after 3 hours; for light oolong, try 4–6 hours. Follow the package timing if different.

Strain and serve

When you like the taste, strain into a clean glass. Try it before adding ice, which dilutes the tea. Keep the rest covered in the fridge.

Choose a tea by the flavor you enjoy

Try jasmine green tea for flowers, Longjing for a fresh, nutty direction, or light Tieguanyin for orchid-like aromas. Start with a small sample labeled for cold brewing. Jasmine tea usually has a tea-leaf base; it is different from an infusion made only from flowers.

Scale the leaves, not the waiting time

The small-pitcher starting ratio is 1 g of tea per 100 ml of water: 2.5 g for 250 ml, 5 g for 500 ml, or 10 g for 1 litre. Weigh the dry leaves; a teaspoon of rolled pearls and a teaspoon of flat leaves hold different amounts. Keep the same steeping time when changing batch size, unless the package says otherwise.

Want tea now? Brew hot and pour over ice

Iced tea starts with hot water; cold brew starts with cold water. For a quick jasmine-pearl example, use 3 g of leaves with 125 ml of water at 80°C / 176°F for 2 minutes in a heat-safe cup. Strain onto about 125 g of food-safe ice in a heat-safe serving vessel. Stir and taste. This adapts our mug recipe to allow for melting ice; use your tea’s package temperature and time when different.

Too weak, too bitter or cloudy?

Too weak: taste before adding ice, check the leaf weight, and give it more time within the package instructions. Too strong: dilute your glass with cold drinking water; use fewer leaves next time. Bitter or drying: strain earlier next time. Cloudiness alone does not tell you whether tea is safe; discard it if storage was poor rather than judging only by appearance.

Keep it covered and cold

Brew and store in a clean, covered container in a fridge at 4°C / 39°F or below, away from raw food. Make a small batch you can finish the same day. Do not leave cold drinks at room temperature for more than two hours or brew a jar in the sun. Use ordinary herbal and fruit infusions with the boiling-water instructions on their package, then cool them for iced tea.

Tea bags, caffeine and your next batch

Cold-brew tea bags can be convenient: use the number and water amount printed on the pack. A regular bag is not automatically suitable for cold brewing. Tea made from tea leaves still contains caffeine; a cold method does not promise a low-caffeine drink. Record the tea, grams, water and time so you can repeat the cup you like.