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June is National Iced Tea Month with one particular day, June 10, being National Iced Tea Day. Talk about perfect timing because we are about to enter a long and hot summer. The last thing you want to do is handle boiling hot water and either wait for it to cool or risk watering down your iced tea, potentially decreasing the flavor. What if I told you there’s a way to brew iced tea without having to handle hot water? Enter cold brewing. You may have heard of cold brew coffee recently but did you know you can cold brew tea, too?

Cold brewing tea is so easy nearly everyone can make it. Here is what you will need:

1 pitcher
3-5 teabags depending on your taste
Fresh filtered or bottled water

You can use any tea you like whether it is black, green, or even herbal. Fill the pitcher with the filtered water and drop in the teabags. Leave in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours or overnight. Sweeten to taste and enjoy!

This method is similar to making sun tea but instead of leaving it in the sun, you simply brew it in the enclosed, chilled space of your refrigerator. However, there is a risk of bacteria that could build up, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If you must make sun tea, it would be best to boil the water before making it, use a container that has been cleaned in warm soapy water, and only brew for about 3-4 hours.

Happy Iced Tea Month!

-CD