So in doing bottled tea i guess theres 2 ways:

1. Cold brewing: put leaves & water in bottle, put it in the fridge,
wait hours/days for infusion.
2. Hot brew and cool down: prepare tea separately, pour it in the
bottle, store in fridge.
3. Sun brew: havent tried this.

so while #1 takes longer to brew, #2 takes a while to cool

any info on storage problems- how long can we store our diy bottled
tea for?
i suppose it depends on temperature of the fridge and any inadvertent
bacterial contamination.

i notice rtd bottled teas most have ascorbic acid (vit c), thats to
preserve taste? even tho it has a taste of its own.
does anyone know what other chemicals they put in the rtd teas to
preserve it longer, any effect they might have on taste?

I make my own brewed tea all the time - a little concentrated if I
need an extra boost of energy (but it also means adding more sugar, to
pare down the bitterness).

I would never use cold brewing or sun brewing. Hot brew and cool down
is the way to go. Why? Because you can better control the steeping
time, and thus the flavor of the tea. You just get a better flavor of
tea with that method.

By the way, for this type of brewing, I would only use teas that I
wouldn't otherwise be drinking - ie. not very good teas that don't
taste very good as hot brewed tea; or old teas, etc.

Since I don't have a refrigerator (sounds kind of strange - but I
really don't). I just let the teas cool to room temperature, or drink
it slightly warmer. It can sit in the pitcher for about 6-8 hours.
After 24 hours at room temp, the bacteria starts to make the tea
bubble up, so it's non-drinkable by then. But usually, I drink it
within 4-6 hours max anyway.

Of course, ideally, it's best to store it in the fridge and have cold
tea. Pouring it into a tall glass, and adding a few ice cubes would be
good too. But that's a luxury where I am.

If you stored bottled tea in the fridge, I would drink it within 2
days. You could always make more anyway. Back when I had a fridge, I
used to make 4 pitchers of tea. Some I would pour into 1-liter, or
even smaller size clean water bottles and put in the freezer. Then,
when I went on a trip, or had to do some yard work or something, it
could sit out in the sun and let it defrost a little. And I drank it
as it melted. That way, it was icy and refreshing.

any info on storage problems- how long can we store our diy bottled
tea for?

SN/Warern

Nice post.

Warren, you got a great blog there.

SN, if you don't mind me asking, do you have a name?

It is slightly uncomforting reading all those great reviews of yours
and doesn't actually know who is writing it.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com

SN wrote:

i notice rtd bottled teas most have ascorbic acid (vit c), thats to
preserve taste? even tho it has a taste of its own.

It preserves taste and also color.

does anyone know what other chemicals they put in the rtd teas to
preserve it longer, any effect they might have on taste?

Sodium benzoate is a popular one.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

juliantai wrote:
SN/Warern

Nice post.

Warren, you got a great blog there.
Thanks, now if I could only expand and do a tea one as well, but I don't
want to bump heads with 100% tea



SN, if you don't mind me asking, do you have a name?

It is slightly uncomforting reading all those great reviews of yours
and doesn't actually know who is writing it.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com



--
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/ The Sushi FAQ
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/ The Sushi Otaku Blog
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/ Sushi-Ya-Pedia Restaurant Finder
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/ The Tea FAQ
HTTP://www.jerkyfaq.com/ The Jerky FAQ

I agree that "hot brew cool down" is the way to go. If you're in a
hurry, use less water and pour the infusion over ice (or add cold
water). Tea made in this manner can be stored for a week in the
refrigerator. See http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/ju...sk_salmonella/

If you make sun tea, drink it that day. Sun tea is brewed in the
optimum temperature range for bacteria growth. See
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp

Alan


On Jul 27, 11:07 pm, niisonge wrote:
I make my own brewed tea all the time - a little concentrated if I
need an extra boost of energy (but it also means adding more sugar, to
pare down the bitterness).

I would never use cold brewing or sun brewing. Hot brew and cool down
is the way to go. Why? Because you can better control the steeping
time, and thus the flavor of the tea. You just get a better flavor of
tea with that method.

By the way, for this type of brewing, I would only use teas that I
wouldn't otherwise be drinking - ie. not very good teas that don't
taste very good as hot brewed tea; or old teas, etc.

Since I don't have a refrigerator (sounds kind of strange - but I
really don't). I just let the teas cool to room temperature, or drink
it slightly warmer. It can sit in the pitcher for about 6-8 hours.
After 24 hours at room temp, the bacteria starts to make the tea
bubble up, so it's non-drinkable by then. But usually, I drink it
within 4-6 hours max anyway.

Of course, ideally, it's best to store it in the fridge and have cold
tea. Pouring it into a tall glass, and adding a few ice cubes would be
good too. But that's a luxury where I am.

If you stored bottled tea in the fridge, I would drink it within 2
days. You could always make more anyway. Back when I had a fridge, I
used to make 4 pitchers of tea. Some I would pour into 1-liter, or
even smaller size clean water bottles and put in the freezer. Then,
when I went on a trip, or had to do some yard work or something, it
could sit out in the sun and let it defrost a little. And I drank it
as it melted. That way, it was icy and refreshing.



any info on storage problems- how long can we store our diy bottled
tea for?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Alan wrote:
I agree that "hot brew cool down" is the way to go. If you're in a
hurry, use less water and pour the infusion over ice (or add cold
water). Tea made in this manner can be stored for a week in the
refrigerator. See http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/ju...sk_salmonella/

If you make sun tea, drink it that day. Sun tea is brewed in the
optimum temperature range for bacteria growth. See
http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp

Alan

I respectfully disagree. I have always had amazing results with a cold
brewed iced tea:
http://www.theteafaq.com/tea/recipes...-iced-tea.html

My tea always tastes great, it doesn't get cloudy when chilled (even
when adding simple syrup or agave nectar) and while I've heard some
people harp on 'optimal temperature,' I have not noticed any significant
differences in my iced teas (perhaps because i save the high quality
leaves for my hot tea and use a basic English Breakfast or oolong for my
iced tea). Just my $0.02....

--
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HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/ The Sushi Otaku Blog
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/ Sushi-Ya-Pedia Restaurant Finder
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/ The Tea FAQ
HTTP://www.jerkyfaq.com/ The Jerky FAQ

Warren,

Thanks for the info. You're right. Hot and cold brewing both produce
good iced tea. Hot brewing is my personal preference because I'm not
disciplined enough to wait for cold brewing. The main point of my post
is that sun tea is a petri dish and hot (or cold) brewing produces a
tea that can be kept for a reasonable amount of time.

I made some iced tea from Den's Tea's cherry sencha. It was too fruity
for my taste as a hot tea, but is very light and refreshing as an iced
tea. And I need that here in the desert (Tucson, AZ).

Alan

On Aug 1, 8:12 am, Warren Ransom
wrote:

I respectfully disagree. I have always had amazing results with a cold
brewed iced tea:http://www.theteafaq.com/tea/recipes...-iced-tea.html

My tea always tastes great, it doesn't get cloudy when chilled (even
when adding simple syrup or agave nectar) and while I've heard some
people harp on 'optimal temperature,' I have not noticed any significant
differences in my iced teas (perhaps because i save the high quality
leaves for my hot tea and use a basic English Breakfast or oolong for my
iced tea). Just my $0.02....

--
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/The Sushi FAQ
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/The Sushi Otaku Blog
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/Sushi-Ya-Pedia Restaurant Finder
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/The Tea FAQ
HTTP://www.jerkyfaq.com/The Jerky FAQ

On Aug 3, 3:53 am, Alan wrote:
Warren,

Thanks for the info. You're right. Hot and cold brewing both produce
good iced tea. Hot brewing is my personal preference because I'm not
disciplined enough to wait for cold brewing. The main point of my post
is that sun tea is a petri dish and hot (or cold) brewing produces a
tea that can be kept for a reasonable amount of time.

I made some iced tea from Den's Tea's cherry sencha. It was too fruity
for my taste as a hot tea, but is very light and refreshing as an iced
tea. And I need that here in the desert (Tucson, AZ).

Alan

On Aug 1, 8:12 am, Warren Ransom
wrote:





I respectfully disagree. I have always had amazing results with a cold
brewed iced tea:http://www.theteafaq.com/tea/recipes...-iced-tea.html

My tea always tastes great, it doesn't get cloudy when chilled (even
when adding simple syrup or agave nectar) and while I've heard some
people harp on 'optimal temperature,' I have not noticed any significant
differences in my iced teas (perhaps because i save the high quality
leaves for my hot tea and use a basic English Breakfast or oolong for my
iced tea). Just my $0.02....

--
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/TheSushi FAQ
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/TheSushi Otaku Blog
HTTP://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia...ediaRestaurant Finder
HTTP://www.theteafaq.com/TheTea FAQ
HTTP://www.jerkyfaq.com/TheJerky FAQ- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

i have tried #1 and #2 method, i doubt i would try the #3 method! I
don't know...i just dislike the idea of letting the tea go under the
sun..