Tea Leaves

Friday, July 12, 2024

I am eschewing my typical morning coffees and instead sipping ice-cold sun tea. Several days ago, I was in a supermarket and reaching for a bottle of brewed tea when I stopped short and thought instead of sun tea. Making sun tea means placing tea bags (typically black tea) in a large glass jar filled with water and setting it outside in direct sunlight for several hours. The heat from the sun slowly brews the tea. It’s inexpensive and delicious, hot or cold.

Sun tea is a very natural and simple process. I’ve assumed it’s been popular throughout human development, but my research says that’s wrong. More correctly, Sun Tea probably originated in the Southern United States during the 1960s and 1970s and became popular for making iced tea without first boiling water.

Eventually, concerns about the safety of sun tea rose, involving the risk of bacterial contamination. Temperatures achieved by sun-brewing aren’t often high enough to kill potential bacteria. The solution would be cold brew tea, similar in concept to sun tea. Cold brew tea involves steeping tea bags in cold water in the refrigerator over a longer period (usually 6-12 hours). That method eliminates the risk of bacterial contamination.

Now I am aware that my long-time method of brewing sun tea has been wrong. Understanding there’s a better way, I will today start a new sun tea batch; one that evolves in the fridge by brewing without interruption until tomorrow.

Dear Friends: A nostalgic and charming way of making iced tea. Diana