Sun iced tea?

[TheFied]

I have never made sun iced tea or tea for that matter. My family used to do it all the time....

I have a gallon container with a spout that I normally use to make sangria. I was thinking of making some sun tea, putting it on my deck in the morning, we get plenty of morning sun.

What I'm wondering is can I use regular Lipton Iced Tea Brew? I bought a 24 pack and it says 8 cups of boiling water for 2 tea bags. So I were to fill it up 3/4 of the way and use 3 tea bags and put it outside, is that it? Seems like it but the only thing is it isn't exactly going to be boiling. Does that just mean leave it out there longer? Or do I need to buy something else? If what I have is fine, how long?

Thanks!

 

[C-Man]

My mom used to make sun tea all the time but I wasn't a tea drinker back then. Now, I just drink the regular brewed **** at restaurants and such. What's the difference b/w sun tea and tea brewed in a machine?

 

[uisge beatha]

Sounds like you've got it down. I use the standard Liptons but use 4 standard sized bags for 3/4 a gallon but I like my tea stronger than most. You probably want to leave it in the sun for at least 4 hours but if you leave it longer it won't hurt anything. I usually set it out sometime in the morning and bring it in sometime in the afternoon/evening. Also, I've forgotten about it a few times and left it out over night and it was ok. Of course, during the summer, it doesn't need as long as it does during the winter.

 

[TheFied]

So 4 hours in direct sun light in the winter is fine? Less than that during the summer?

 

[jt09]

Why put it in the sun anyway? I never figured that one out.

I was on a huge iced tea kick a couple of years ago and I just put 6 bags in my container in the fridge overnight. Great tea.

 

[Sooner-Tuf]

It is not the Sun per say you need but the warmth it provides. Sun Tea is not better than Tea made with water you have warmed. It is handy way to get that big container out of the kitchen and not add any heat to already hot house in the summer.

 

[Mack Tripper]

I was just thinking about how no one does sun tea anymore and that it was an 80s phenomenon.

 

[jt09]

But again, why do you need heat?

Heat and agitation are 2 of the ways to increase the speed of a reaction, which is all this is. If time is not an issue, why not just let time take care of it?

 

[Sooner-Tuf]

I'm no expert on this subject. Heat does cause the tea leaves to release different flavors than cold brewing. Some teas are better brewed cold but most are not. The common ones in the states are thought to be better brewed with hot water than with cold by most people.

 

[mrteabiscuit]

Don't leave your sun tea out too long or it can get contaminated with bacteria. Whenever I make ice tea, I just microwave water in one of those pyrex measuring cups and steep my tea (loose leaf, of course) for around 5 minutes. Good quality tea can stand up to multiple steepings, and before you know it you've got a big ole jug of delicious and nutritious tea ready to be poured over ice or tossed in the fridge. Mmm... caffeine!