Cold Brew Tea at Home: Learn the clod brew tea Benefits

During the hot summer months, drinking hot tea can be quite uncomfortable, but you might not want to resort to sugary carbonated drinks either. Why not try making cold brew tea instead? Cold brew iced tea is a simple and healthy beverage that not only cools you down but also retains the natural flavor and nutrients of the tea leaves. Compared to traditional hot-brewed tea, cold brew iced tea has a milder taste, is less likely to be bitter, and has a lower caffeine content, making it perfect for summer enjoyment. The best part? Cold brew tea is incredibly easy to make and doesn't require complicated brewing methods or special tea setsTable of Contents:

1. Benefits of Drinking Cold Brew Tea
2. Choosing the Right Type of Tea for Cold Brew 
3. Cold Brew Iced Tea Recipe
4. Conclusion

1. Benefits of Drinking Cold Brew Tea
Retains Beneficial Compounds
Tea is rich in over 700 compounds and has high nutritional value. However, many of these nutrients are destroyed when brewed with boiling water. In recent years, tea experts have been exploring ways to preserve both the flavor and the nutritional content of tea leaves. Cold brewing has emerged as a successful method to achieve this balance. Generally, the chemical components in cold brew tea increase as the steeping time extends. The most significant change occurs within the first two hours, but after eight hours, except for caffeine, the levels of most compounds surpass those found in hot-brewed tea.

Suitable for Diabetic Patients
Hot water can destroy the polysaccharides in tea leaves that have blood sugar-lowering effects, while it easily extracts caffeine and theobromine, which don't help with lowering blood sugar. Because cold brewing requires a longer steeping time, the polysaccharides are fully extracted, making cold brew tea a better choice for diabetic patients as a supportive treatment.

Does Not Disrupt Sleep
Caffeine in tea can cause alertness, which is why many people find it difficult to sleep after drinking tea. Cold brewing tea for 4-8 hours allows the beneficial catechins to be effectively released while extracting only about half the caffeine content. This method reduces caffeine release, making it gentler on the stomach and less likely to affect sleep, making it suitable for people with caffeine sensitivity or cold stomachs.
2. Choosing the Right Type of Tea for Cold Brew
As you may know, tea can be categorized into six main types based on its processing method and color: green tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea (also known as blue tea), black tea, and dark tea. Generally, the higher the fermentation level, the longer the extraction time for its essence during cold brewing. Therefore, for cold brew, NPTEA recommends using lightly fermented teas like green tea (Longjing), white tea (White Peony), and some black teas, oolong teas, or herbal teas like jasmine tea. Fully fermented teas, like ripe puerh or most black teas, are better suited for hot brewing.

Common Choices for Cold Brew Tea
For green tea, try West Lake Longjing or Biluochun. For white tea, White Peony and Silver Needle are excellent choices. If you prefer oolong tea, Tie Guan Yin or Dong Ding Oolong are great options. NPTEA highly recommends trying our jasmine tea  or white teas for cold brewing, as its aromatic flavor is truly captivating!

3. Cold Brew Iced Tea Recipe
Step 1: Prepare a container that can be sealed (a simple bottled water container works fine!).
Step 2: Measure around 5 grams of tea leaves (adjust according to personal taste).
Step 3: Rinse the tea leaves briefly with hot water and then place them in the container.
Step 4: Add 500ml of mineral water, filtered water works best!
Step 5: Shake the bottle to ensure the tea leaves are thoroughly soaked.
Step 6: Seal the container and refrigerate it for 5-6 hours. After that, it's ready to enjoy!
(Pro tip: Using tea bags makes this process even easier!)
Conclusion
Making cold brew tea is simple and convenient! Compared to hot-brewed tea, cold brew tea is more suitable for younger people, especially those who want to enjoy tea but are not familiar with complex brewing methods. The method is straightforward—just add tea leaves to room-temperature water and refrigerate. NPTEA has tested some of our store's teas and found them perfect for cold brewing. Feel free to check them out and purchase directly!
By using this complete guide, you can learn how to make iced tea at home with ease, whether it's green tea, jasmine tea, or oolong. Embrace the refreshing taste of cold brew iced tea this summer and enjoy a healthier alternative to sugary drinks.

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SEE MORE ABOUT CHINESE TEAS
If you have questions about selecting tea:
Learn-more-about-chinese-tea
If you have questions about the benefits of tea:
Health-benefits-of-chinese-tea
If you have questions about brewing tea:
How-to-brew-loose-leaf-tea