All types of teas can be cold brewed, but unfermented teas like green tea, yellow tea, and white tea are ideal for cold brewing.
They have a mild flavor that tastes great as iced tea on a hot summer day.
Simply steep green tea leaves in cold filtered water and wait for extraction.
COLD BREW GREEN TEA BENEFITS
Cold brewing is the best preparation for green tea as it maximizes its health benefits and results in less caffeine and bitterness compared to the traditional method of brewing green tea.
- Cold brew green tea is higher in antioxidants and phenolic compounds which makes it a really healthy and refreshing drink on a hot day.
- It has lower caffeine and fewer tannins and is less likely to provoke headaches.
- Cold green tea still contains catechins which are natural immune boosters.
- Cold brewing allows us to keep the small amount of Vitamin C that green tea has. When we add hot water, this vitamin is destroyed.
- Cold brew green tea is smoother, sweeter, and less bitter than hot tea, so you may drink it even without adding sugar.
- The flavors are more balanced and rich because we gave tea time to brew and used cold water. Hot water can damage gentle tea leaves and make them bitter.
- Some experts say cold-brewed green tea may have some anti-aging power and help fight diseases.
- Drinking tea on a hot day helps our body cool down faster.
A curious fact is that according to tea gurus, hot brewing was “historically” for lower quality teas, while cold steeping (brewing) was used for highest quality teas.
How to Make Cold Brew Tea
If you ever want to play a prank on a Canadian take them to a restaurant in the United States and have them order an iced tea. In Canada iced tea is sweet tea. Canadians don’t drink cold tea, we only drink sweet tea except we call it iced tea. Are you still with me?
Now that I am older and not a kid obsessed with sweets, sometimes I like to make iced tea, as in "cold tea" with no sugar added. On hot summer days, it’s actually quite refreshing. It’s a nice alternative to juice, pop, and iced coffee and nicer than just drinking plain water.
Cold brewing green tea is so simple!
For cold brewing you can use regular tea bags or loose leaf tea, both will have a nice flavor.
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Ingredients
- 20 oz of water (Room temperature water or filtered cold water)
- 3 Tea bags
- berries, lemon wedges, or herbs to infuse (optional)
- large jar and cheesecloth or French press
- * Optional: ice cubes
- You can use a pitcher or a special cold brewing bottle for making tea as well.
- If you don’t have a French press or a cheesecloth, a regular fine mesh sieve will work just fine.
Cold Brew Green Tea Ratios
- For leaf teas: 8 to 12 grams of tea (rounded tablespoon) per quart of water. For stronger flavor use 2-3 tablespoons per quart of water (approximately 1 L).
- For Japanese leaf tea: 3 tablespoon of tea leaves per quart of water.
- For tea bags: 1 tea bag per 6 to 8 ounces of water, or around 3 tea bags per quart.
Directions
- Fill your jug or French press up with water. I use 3 green tea bags for cold brew. You can also add lemon wedges, berries, or herbs to infuse the tea.
- Stir it around a little and leave it in the fridge overnight or at least 6-12 hours to steep. By the next day, it’s ready to drink.
- Press down on the French press and serve in glasses with ice. If you are using a mason jar, strain the tea using cheesecloth or remove the tea bags.
- Serve with a slice of lemon and mint or without any additives. Add ice cubes if you like iced tea.
I like less clean up so I used tea bags. The tea lasts for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
That is, if you don’t drink it all up right away!
Brewing your tea cold makes taste less bitter than brewing it with hot water. If you are making a hot cup of tea never use boiling water as it can burn the tea and make it taste very bitter.
However, if you’re a little bit impatient you can let the green tea brew at room temperature. Then it will be ready in about 3-4 hours.
Steeping green tea with boiled water can also speed up the process but the health benefits and flavor will be completely different, so I wouldn’t recommend it!
How long do you steep green tea for cold brew?
Most green teas, including tea bags, need 6 to 12 hours of steeping for cold brewing.
If you’re using Japanese green-leaf teas, they are ready in a record 20 minutes, while matcha needs only a few seconds as it is a powder.
| Green Tea | Steeping Time (Cold Brewing Time) |
| Matcha powder | Instantly |
| Green tea bags | 6-12 hours or overnight |
| Sencha | 15-20 minutes |
| Bancha | 10-15 minutes |
| Genmaicha | 15-20 minutes |
| Hojicha | 20-25 minutes |
| Jasmine green tea | 10-12 hours |
| Gunpowder Chinese green tea | Overnight, 12+ hours |
| Herbal teas | 24 hours |
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Should I leave green tea cold brewing overnight?
While 4-6 hours is enough for green tea to cold brew, if you like stronger flavors you can make tea steep overnight.
If you left the tea steeping overnight and it tastes too strong now, simply add some ice cubes!
Popular Green Tea for Brewing
Each leaf tea has different flavors, levels of bitterness, steeping times, and colors (from dark to light yellow or green).
- Sencha - most common Japanese green tea for cold brewing. Balanced leafy tea taste and distinctive green color. A good choice for beginners in cold tea brewing.
- Sencha mixed with Matcha - rounded, balanced flavor for match lovers. Brewing time 15-20 minutes.
- Bancha is a stronger green tea for those who like deep flavor without sweetness.
- Genmaicha is green tea leaves with roasted brown rice. It has a very light, nutty, sweet, and leafy taste.
- Hojicha is a roasted green tea made of Sencha or Bancha tea leaves. It has a darker color.
- Matcha powder. Matcha is healthy and grassy green tea and in its powder form, it is brewed instantly for our convenience. Cold brew matcha is rich in L-theanine and has a relaxing effect.
- Jasmine green tea is a subtle calming tea with a fragrant aroma.
- Herbal blends are healthy, fragrant, and flavorful and may include some dried flowers and fruit.
- Gunpowder green teas are popular Chinese teas that were heat treated and each lead was rolled. So when we brew them, we need a longer time to let them roll out and give the flavor.
What to Serve with Green Tea
I don't add sugar to cold brewed tea, I love the basic version of it: straight out of the bottle.
If you miss sweetness, I suggest swapping sugar with a simple syrup.
But to enhance flavors and make it interesting you can:
- Serve with fruits available at this season
- Add dried fruits and mint to make tea infusions
- Make a sort of lemonade: add sliced lemons, mint, basil leaves, and cucumbers. A very refreshing drink.
- Mix with another cold-brewed tea, especially with flavored herbal teas. Your own tea mocktails!
- Light desserts, not overpowering the palette, for ex., match-based desserts
- Make green tea soda by simply adding your favorite carbonated water, even flavored, and maybe some sweetener like honey or sugar.
- If you want to pair it with a meal, choose lighter meats like chicken or salads.
Cold Brew Green Tea
Learn how to brew green tea cold for a refreshing summer beverage
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon green tea leaves You can also use 3 tea bags
- ¼ Cup mint
- 1 Cup ice
Instructions
-
Add tea bags or loose tea to your jar or French press.
-
Add lemon wedges or other garnishes such as herbs or berries to infuse.
-
Place lid on French press or cheese cloth on jar and place in fridge.
-
Let steep overnight or a minimum of 6-10 hours.
-
Strain and serve in glasses over ice.
Recipe Notes
Try different types of tea or even mix varieties and steep with fruits to create your own unique drink.
FAQ
Even though it takes longer to cold brew green tea, it's worth the wait. Tea brewed without any heat tastes different from traditional hot tea – it's sweeter, smoother, and doesn't have any of the bitter notes that you can sometimes taste in a cup of hot tea
Cold green tea is just as nutritious as hot brewed tea. Its antioxidant content depends largely on steeping time and leaf quality.
Both morning and evening are fine to drink green tea. People who have sleep issues should avoid a cup later in the evening, as the caffeine intake may pose problem with their sleep
If the only change you make to your diet adding green tea then likely, no, you won’t lose weight. Replacing sugary soft drinks with green tea with help you reduce calories and make you feel full which may result in fat loss.
Drinking green tea in very high amounts can cause headache, nervousness, sleep problems, vomit, diarrhea, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, and convulsions and can be dangerous and even fatal.
Making cold brew tea may become your new favorite thing, and I don’t blame you! It is a perfect replacement for sugary sodas on a hot summer day.
Great health benefits, no bitter taste, a super simple process, and actually a tasty drink I can take with me in my water bottle on walks, to work, or to make for guests.
Hi I’m Adrienne Carrie Hubbard. I believe a rich life comes not from the things you have, but the things you do; the experiences you create and the people you meet along the way. Thanks for hanging out!