We recommend taking your favorite blend, doubling the amount of loose leaf tea to water ratio that you would normally use for hot tea.
Example: for 8oz of water, use 3 teaspoons of tea instead of 1.5. Steep the tea like you normally would and then drain the hot tea in a cup filled with ice. We recommend doubling the amount of tea used when brewing, because as hot tea is poured over the ice, the ice will melt and dilute your tea. Adding double the amount of loose leaf tea to water ratio will ensure you get the full flavors of your favorite blend. Increasing the steeping time for an iced tea will also help bring out those flavors. The strongest cups of iced tea will have a higher ratio of tea to water.
We offer two ways to prepare iced tea:
I. If you’re making iced tea, our rule of thumb is “double the dosage”, so use a Tablespoon of tea for every 8 oz of hot water. Brew it up hot in 175°F water, steep for 1 -3 minutes and then pour it over ice. We recommend doubling the dosage so that the flavor you love is just as strong when you pour it over ice.
II. For cold brew, we also recommend at least a Tablespoon of tea for every 8 oz of cold water. To cold brew, add your tea to your cold water container (our favorite for cold brewing is our Flash Chiller) and let it steep in the fridge for at least 2 hrs. You can steep it overnight if you’d like to have a cup of cold brew waiting for you in the morning too.
The difference is Cold Brew Tea is brewed in cold water without adding ice. Cold Brew Tea is brewed with the same amount of water to loose leaf tea ratio as hot tea because adding ice won't dilute the flavor of the tea. Cold Brew tea is also known for having a smoother taste and tends to be less bitter than iced tea.
However, Iced Tea refers to when you brew up loose leaf tea in hot water, and then pour your hot tea over ice once it's done steeping. Iced Tea is brewed with double the amount of loose leaf tea to water because when you pour the hot, brewed tea over ice, the ice will dilute the tea to the correct strength.