Cold brew tea
Sweet, smooth, low-astringency cup. The cold extraction draws sweetness and amino acids while extracting less tannin/caffeine than hot brewing.
Cold brew tea — extended cold-water steeping of tea leaves over 4–12+ hours — produces a meaningfully different cup than hot brewing because cold water extracts the tea's sweet amino acids and aromatic compounds while extracting less tannin and caffeine. The result is sweet, smooth, low-astringency tea with refreshing character ideal for summer drinking. The Japanese tradition (mizudashi, 水出し — literally "cold-water extraction") has been part of Japanese tea culture for centuries; modern global cold brew tea is an adaptation of the same principles applied broadly to green, white, oolong, and even black teas.
The technique is trivially simple: tea leaves in a glass pitcher or bottle, cold water added, refrigerated 4-12 hours (overnight works well), then strained and consumed. Most teas can be re-steeped at hot temperature after a cold brew if desired, since cold extraction is incomplete. Japanese-style mizudashi sencha is the canonical application — Shizuoka or Kagoshima sencha produces brilliant green cold-brewed cups dramatically different from hot-brewed counterparts. Premium gyokuro cold-brewed in a small portion of water produces concentrated sweet umami unlike anything in hot brewing. Lighter Taiwanese oolongs (Alishan, Shanlinxi Qing Xin) also cold-brew exceptionally well. The lower caffeine content makes cold brew particularly appealing for afternoon and evening drinking.
Brewing parameters
| Water temperature | 4–18°C (refrigerator cold to room temperature) |
| Leaf-to-water ratio | 1:30 to 1:60 |
| Brew time | 4–12+ hours; overnight is convenient |
| Infusion count | Single extended cold extraction |
Equipment
- Glass pitcher or bottle (1L+)
- Strainer or filter
- Refrigerator (for cold cold-brew; room temp also works)
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using boiling water briefly then cooling (this is iced tea, not cold brew; different extraction)
- Cold-brewing for too long without straining (becomes bitter and over-tannic even at cold temp)
- Using low-quality tea (cold extraction is unforgiving; the slow infusion reveals every defect)
- Discarding the leaves after cold brew (most can be re-steeped hot for a different but rewarding second cup)
Cup outcome
Sweet, smooth, low-astringency cup. The cold extraction draws sweetness and amino acids while extracting less tannin/caffeine than hot brewing.