The key to cold brewing is the slow extraction of flavors, over an extended period of time in the refrigerator. This gentle steeping process results in a smoother brew with more flavor dimension, fewer tannins, and less caffeine than a traditional hot brew. For information on how and why cold brewing works, check out our Cold Brew Blog. Cold Brew Instructions 1.        Add the tea leaves & water to a jar or brewing pitcher that can be covered. We like to use Mason jars! 2.      Put it into the refrigerator. We suggest letting the tea cold steep in the refrigerator according to the table below. Feel free to experiment with these times to find your perfect cup of iced tea! 3.      Strain tea mixture through a cullender or strainer into another jar or pitcher. 4.      Once prepared, cold brewed tea will keep for approximately 1 week in the refrigerator. TEA TYPE Amount of tea per 6 – 8 oz of water ** COLD BREW INFUSION TIME (in refrigerator) WHITE (Pure & Blended) 1 – 2 Tablespoons 6 – 8 hours GREEN  (Pure & Blended) 2 teaspoons 4 - 6 hours YELLOW* Not recommended for cold brewing OOLONG (Pure & Blended) 1.5 – 2 teaspoons 8 – 12 hours BLACK (Pure & Blended) 2 teaspoons 8 - 12 hours DARK* Not recommended for cold brewing ROOIBOS (Pure & Blended) 1.5 - 2 teaspoons 8 – 12 hours HERBAL/TISANE 1 – 2 Tablespoons 8 – 24 hours ** For best results, use the suggested tea/water ratio for hot brewing recommended on the teas packaging. * Yellow and Dark teas are not recommended for Cold Brewing. These teas undergo a fermentation step in their processing. When brewing with hot water and residual microorganisms are killed. Cold Brew Tips For cold brewing we recommend using the suggested tea leaf/water ratio for whatever tea being prepared. If you like a stronger Iced Tea you can increase the amount of dry tea leaves or steep longer. If steeping true teas longer, take care not to overstep, as this could draw more tannins and make the tea bitter. Taste your tea throughout the brewing process. This will help you determine your preferred steep time duration. We love to do our cold brew steeping overnight. This may not work for you however if preparing a tea needing a shorter steep time. Just as in hot brewing, some tea leaves can be cold brewed for multiple infusions. Not all teas are well suited for cold brewing.

TEA TYPE INFUSION TIME * WATER TEMPERATURE * Amount of tea per 8 oz of water * GREEN 2 - 3 minutes 160 – 170 F Stop heating once a light or moderate pillar of steam materializes and bubbles have yet to occur. 2 – 3 g, approx. 2 teaspoons WHITE & YELLOW 2 - 3 minutes 170 - 180 F Stop heating once a steady or heavy pillar of steam materializes and tiny bubbles start to form. 2 – 3 g, approx. 1 - 2 Tablespoons OOLONG 3 – 5 minutes 180 – 200 F Stop heating when “fish eyes” or m any bubbles appear and seem to dance, some tiny bubbles will begin to rise to the surface of the water. 2 – 3 g, approx. 1.5 – 2 teaspoons BLACK 3 – 5 minutes 190 - 200 F Stop heating when “string of pearls” or strands of bubbles extending  from top to bottom appear, or when tiny bubbles appear to loop near the perimeter of the kettle.   2 – 3 g, approx. 2 teaspoons DARK 2 – 10 minutes 200 – 212 F Stop heating when “turbulent waters” appear, or when the water comes to a rolling boil. 5 g, approx. 2 teaspoons ROOIBOS & HONEYBUSH 5 – 10 minutes 200 – 212 F Bring to boil and use. 2 – 3 g, approx. 1.5 - 2 teaspoons HERBALs  & TISANE 4 – 6 minutes 200 – 212 F Bring to boil and use. 2 – 3 g, approx. 1 – 2 Tablespoons These steeping recommendations are for western style brewing in a teapot or infuser mug. *For best results refer to the package brewing recommendations for each tea Downloadable version available HERE .

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is about preparing loose leaf tea. I break down the 3 key steps in How to brew the perfect cup of tea  - portioning, water, and steep time. It seems that the step people struggle the most with is portioning. This makes sense when you consider that many people are introduced to tea through tea bags, and only later discover and start brewing loose leaf tea. For the most part, the tea industry is in agreement that the ideal ratio for western style tea brewing is 3 grams of loose leaf tea per every 8 ounces of water. This means that knowing the size of the vessel you are brewing in is paramount to getting the water to tea leaf ratio correct. Unless the capacity is clearly printed on the vessel itself it may be necessary to do a little measurement test. Fill your brewing vessel with water and transfer to a larger glass measuring cup. This will give you an idea of how many 8oz servings you are brewing and how many servings of tea leaves you will need. Easy peasy! As for the tea..... Different types of tea have different densities, making it impossible to standardize tea leaf measurements across different types of tea or even among different leaf styles of the same tea type. Three grams of tea can be anywhere from 1 teaspoon - 2 tablespoons depending upon the type of tea and style of leaf. So, short of weighing your tea leaves each time you'd like to make a cup, how do you know how much tea to use? First and foremost, there should be accurate measurements on your package of tea. Unless it is noted to uses a "heaping teaspoon" it should be assumed that the measurement should be a level teaspoon. A "heaping" or "rounded" teaspoon refers to a teaspoon that is not level but is filled above the rim to create a dome or "rounded" top. This is equivalent to approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons and sometimes easier than trying to measure out 1 and a half teaspoons. At S•TEA•P we are as accurate as possible with our suggested measurements. While still allowing for adjustment to personal taste. I'll leave you with a few other tips that may help you in learning to measure and visualize 3 grams. Smaller leaves will be more dense (i.e. heavier). Examples include CTC   and Rooibos. Larger leaves will be less dense (i.e. lighter). Examples include chamomile and some white teas such as Michigan Moonlight . Tea blends with flavoring and inclusions (i.e. lavender, hibiscus, etc.) tend to be heavier than pure leaf teas. Rolled or balled teas will be denser than non-rolled teas like those with wiry or twisted leaves. A way to achieve consistency in measurements is to use the same measuring device each time you make tea. The more tea you make, the better you will become at "eye balling" a serving of tea. Remember, 3 grams/8oz. isn't a hard and fast rule. It's a starting place. Tea should always be prepared to suit one's personal tastes.