Saturday, June 7, 2008

Iced Green Tea (no hot water, or ice, needed)


This is the easiest way to enjoy iced green tea. No need to heat up water (thus conserving energy), and no need for ice to cool it down. Just pure, unadulterated, cold green tea.

Ingredients:
3 green tea bags
1.5 litres water, room temperature

1. Put water in a pitcher. Choose a pitcher with a good cover, lest your tea will be infused with the smells of today's leftovers.

2. Swish tea bags in the water for around 15 seconds until the tea leaves are completely soaked and the tea bags sink.

3. Put pitcher in the ref and leave it for a few hours, allowing the tea to steep slowly while chilling the water. The longer you allow the tea to steep the better it will taste (I left mine overnight).

The green tea is ready to drink as soon as it chills down. You may wish to add honey or lemon according to your taste, but I prefer the taste of unadulterated green tea. You may also add ice to the already cold green tea, but this will dilute its flavour.

I was quite sceptical about the results when I stumbled upon this method of steeping tea, thinking it can't match green tea brewed with hot water. I thought it will either be too light (due to low temperature) or too bitter (due to protracted steeping time). I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it the next day-- it tasted just like green tea perfectly brewed in hot water, but cold. Much better (and healthier) than the sugary bottled iced green/white teas we get in the supermarkets.

2 comments:

Ryan Blanchard said...

Interesting method. do you mind if I post in on my website?

http://www.green-tea-health-benefits-exposed.com

xsaltire said...

No problem. Go right ahead.

Btw, the green tea I used was a blend of sencha and matcha.