I'm looking for some information on how to bottle my own iced tea.
Specifically sweet tea. Yeah, it takes like 5 minutes to make, but I'd
like something portable and quick. Maybe more, just something to try.

Made a test batch up today. I brewed my tea as normal.
Used beer bottles with regular caps and capper.
Cleaned out the bottles with a brush with bleach water.
Let the bottles soak + caps + funnel in the bleach water for 10
minutes. Rinsed well with fresh water
Boiled 12 qts of water, and put bottles in the water with funnel.
Brought the tea to a medium simmer in a second pan
Transfer tea to bottles, then cap.

The tea had extra lemon in it in hopes of a natural buffer against any
contamination that might have got in.

My plan is let the bottles sit a week or so and see what happens. If
there was contamination, I suspect it'd show in a couple days. If not,
I'd expect to keep for a while.

Any idea how long this should keep, provided no contamination?
Are there any stabilizers or buffers I could use to help preserve the
tea?
Any other suggestions?

If any natural yeast survives the bottling process it will ferment
inside the bottles, with the sugar, producing carbon dioxide. The tea
will become "carbonated" and may have a very different flavor than expected.

Mike Flaminio wrote:
I'm looking for some information on how to bottle my own iced tea.
Specifically sweet tea. Yeah, it takes like 5 minutes to make, but I'd
like something portable and quick. Maybe more, just something to try.

Made a test batch up today. I brewed my tea as normal.
Used beer bottles with regular caps and capper.
Cleaned out the bottles with a brush with bleach water.
Let the bottles soak + caps + funnel in the bleach water for 10
minutes. Rinsed well with fresh water
Boiled 12 qts of water, and put bottles in the water with funnel.
Brought the tea to a medium simmer in a second pan
Transfer tea to bottles, then cap.

The tea had extra lemon in it in hopes of a natural buffer against any
contamination that might have got in.

My plan is let the bottles sit a week or so and see what happens. If
there was contamination, I suspect it'd show in a couple days. If not,
I'd expect to keep for a while.

Any idea how long this should keep, provided no contamination?
Are there any stabilizers or buffers I could use to help preserve the
tea?
Any other suggestions?

If any natural yeast survives the bottling process it will ferment
inside the bottles, with the sugar, producing carbon dioxide. The tea
will become "carbonated" and may have a very different flavor than expected.

Mike Flaminio wrote:
I'm looking for some information on how to bottle my own iced tea.
Specifically sweet tea. Yeah, it takes like 5 minutes to make, but I'd
like something portable and quick. Maybe more, just something to try.

Made a test batch up today. I brewed my tea as normal.
Used beer bottles with regular caps and capper.
Cleaned out the bottles with a brush with bleach water.
Let the bottles soak + caps + funnel in the bleach water for 10
minutes. Rinsed well with fresh water
Boiled 12 qts of water, and put bottles in the water with funnel.
Brought the tea to a medium simmer in a second pan
Transfer tea to bottles, then cap.

The tea had extra lemon in it in hopes of a natural buffer against any
contamination that might have got in.

My plan is let the bottles sit a week or so and see what happens. If
there was contamination, I suspect it'd show in a couple days. If not,
I'd expect to keep for a while.

Any idea how long this should keep, provided no contamination?
Are there any stabilizers or buffers I could use to help preserve the
tea?
Any other suggestions?

I'd say you have a fair chance of it succeeding. You might consider boiling
the bottle caps next time so you don't contaminate them by rinsing.
As for the rest of your questions, well I just ain't got an answer for ya.

-Brett


(Mike Flaminio) drunkenly bellowed in
m:

I'm looking for some information on how to bottle my own iced tea.
Specifically sweet tea. Yeah, it takes like 5 minutes to make, but I'd
like something portable and quick. Maybe more, just something to try.

Made a test batch up today. I brewed my tea as normal.
Used beer bottles with regular caps and capper.
Cleaned out the bottles with a brush with bleach water.
Let the bottles soak + caps + funnel in the bleach water for 10
minutes. Rinsed well with fresh water
Boiled 12 qts of water, and put bottles in the water with funnel.
Brought the tea to a medium simmer in a second pan
Transfer tea to bottles, then cap.

The tea had extra lemon in it in hopes of a natural buffer against any
contamination that might have got in.

My plan is let the bottles sit a week or so and see what happens. If
there was contamination, I suspect it'd show in a couple days. If not,
I'd expect to keep for a while.

Any idea how long this should keep, provided no contamination?
Are there any stabilizers or buffers I could use to help preserve the
tea?
Any other suggestions?




--
"They who drink beer will think beer."
-Washington Irving

I'd say you have a fair chance of it succeeding. You might consider boiling
the bottle caps next time so you don't contaminate them by rinsing.
As for the rest of your questions, well I just ain't got an answer for ya.

-Brett


(Mike Flaminio) drunkenly bellowed in
m:

I'm looking for some information on how to bottle my own iced tea.
Specifically sweet tea. Yeah, it takes like 5 minutes to make, but I'd
like something portable and quick. Maybe more, just something to try.

Made a test batch up today. I brewed my tea as normal.
Used beer bottles with regular caps and capper.
Cleaned out the bottles with a brush with bleach water.
Let the bottles soak + caps + funnel in the bleach water for 10
minutes. Rinsed well with fresh water
Boiled 12 qts of water, and put bottles in the water with funnel.
Brought the tea to a medium simmer in a second pan
Transfer tea to bottles, then cap.

The tea had extra lemon in it in hopes of a natural buffer against any
contamination that might have got in.

My plan is let the bottles sit a week or so and see what happens. If
there was contamination, I suspect it'd show in a couple days. If not,
I'd expect to keep for a while.

Any idea how long this should keep, provided no contamination?
Are there any stabilizers or buffers I could use to help preserve the
tea?
Any other suggestions?




--
"They who drink beer will think beer."
-Washington Irving

Mike

My instinct as a professional microbiologist says proceed with extreme
caution if at all.

Everything I have read about tea packaging has told me that it is a hot pack
process anat it is usually pasteurized or loaded with preservatives (Sodium
Benzoate). The big unknown is what is the pH of brewed tea. What makes
beer so safe is that after fermentation the pH of beer is typically between
4.4 and 4.7, this combined with the alcohol and hop acids inhibits the
growth of pathogenic microorganism, particularly C. botulinum the organism
that produces the botulism toxin.

I have no knowledge or experience of the safety or efficacy of what I am
proposing below but if I were to bottle tea this is how I would proceed.
Brew the tea, sweeten and add lemon to taste, bottle and cap the bottles.
Then using a canning pressure cooker process the bottles as you would for
any low acid canned food.

If I wanted an "instant", ready to serve tea that I could make up rapidly
this is what I would do. Make up a very strong brew of tea, add sugar and
lemon and store in the fridge, this should last about a week. This can then
be diluted to drinking strength pretty quickly. A larger quantity of the
"concentrate" could be stored frozen for a greater period of time.

Be Safe - Cwrw-42.

Mike

My instinct as a professional microbiologist says proceed with extreme
caution if at all.

Everything I have read about tea packaging has told me that it is a hot pack
process anat it is usually pasteurized or loaded with preservatives (Sodium
Benzoate). The big unknown is what is the pH of brewed tea. What makes
beer so safe is that after fermentation the pH of beer is typically between
4.4 and 4.7, this combined with the alcohol and hop acids inhibits the
growth of pathogenic microorganism, particularly C. botulinum the organism
that produces the botulism toxin.

I have no knowledge or experience of the safety or efficacy of what I am
proposing below but if I were to bottle tea this is how I would proceed.
Brew the tea, sweeten and add lemon to taste, bottle and cap the bottles.
Then using a canning pressure cooker process the bottles as you would for
any low acid canned food.

If I wanted an "instant", ready to serve tea that I could make up rapidly
this is what I would do. Make up a very strong brew of tea, add sugar and
lemon and store in the fridge, this should last about a week. This can then
be diluted to drinking strength pretty quickly. A larger quantity of the
"concentrate" could be stored frozen for a greater period of time.

Be Safe - Cwrw-42.

link.net10/18/04


If any natural yeast survives the bottling process it will ferment
inside the bottles, with the sugar, producing carbon dioxide. The tea
will become "carbonated" and may have a very different flavor than expected.


Wouldn't that imply a need for further licensing? You might not care for the
taste, but you might very much enjoy drinking it.

Michael

link.net10/18/04


If any natural yeast survives the bottling process it will ferment
inside the bottles, with the sugar, producing carbon dioxide. The tea
will become "carbonated" and may have a very different flavor than expected.


Wouldn't that imply a need for further licensing? You might not care for the
taste, but you might very much enjoy drinking it.

Michael

Mike,

I believe that the biggest bottler of teas in Japan is Ito En, which has a
store in New York City where they feature loose teas, not the bottled thing.
Their bottled (plasticked?) tea is available around the city. I'm told that
in Japan it's a vending machine thing to a large extent. Why not contact
them and ask them? Who knows, they might give you lots of good information
about production. You never know until you ask.

Michael

Mike,

I believe that the biggest bottler of teas in Japan is Ito En, which has a
store in New York City where they feature loose teas, not the bottled thing.
Their bottled (plasticked?) tea is available around the city. I'm told that
in Japan it's a vending machine thing to a large extent. Why not contact
them and ask them? Who knows, they might give you lots of good information
about production. You never know until you ask.

Michael

Thank you for your insight. While I didn't state it, botulism is my
main concern. I didn't test the pH, although that was one intent of
the lemon. I've got a quality pH test kit (designed for water
treatment) for my aquarium. I could easily add lemon to reach the
desired pH. Provided I maintain a good pH and pressure cook, would
that be sufficient?

I'm not a canner, so I'm learning on this front too. What would be the
best procedure for this? I thought when you canned jars, air was
pushed out. What would happen if I pressure cooked capped bottles?


"Cwrw42" wrote in message nk.net...
Mike

My instinct as a professional microbiologist says proceed with extreme
caution if at all.

Everything I have read about tea packaging has told me that it is a hot pack
process anat it is usually pasteurized or loaded with preservatives (Sodium
Benzoate). The big unknown is what is the pH of brewed tea. What makes
beer so safe is that after fermentation the pH of beer is typically between
4.4 and 4.7, this combined with the alcohol and hop acids inhibits the
growth of pathogenic microorganism, particularly C. botulinum the organism
that produces the botulism toxin.

I have no knowledge or experience of the safety or efficacy of what I am
proposing below but if I were to bottle tea this is how I would proceed.
Brew the tea, sweeten and add lemon to taste, bottle and cap the bottles.
Then using a canning pressure cooker process the bottles as you would for
any low acid canned food.

If I wanted an "instant", ready to serve tea that I could make up rapidly
this is what I would do. Make up a very strong brew of tea, add sugar and
lemon and store in the fridge, this should last about a week. This can then
be diluted to drinking strength pretty quickly. A larger quantity of the
"concentrate" could be stored frozen for a greater period of time.

Be Safe - Cwrw-42.

Thank you for your insight. While I didn't state it, botulism is my
main concern. I didn't test the pH, although that was one intent of
the lemon. I've got a quality pH test kit (designed for water
treatment) for my aquarium. I could easily add lemon to reach the
desired pH. Provided I maintain a good pH and pressure cook, would
that be sufficient?

I'm not a canner, so I'm learning on this front too. What would be the
best procedure for this? I thought when you canned jars, air was
pushed out. What would happen if I pressure cooked capped bottles?


"Cwrw42" wrote in message nk.net...
Mike

My instinct as a professional microbiologist says proceed with extreme
caution if at all.

Everything I have read about tea packaging has told me that it is a hot pack
process anat it is usually pasteurized or loaded with preservatives (Sodium
Benzoate). The big unknown is what is the pH of brewed tea. What makes
beer so safe is that after fermentation the pH of beer is typically between
4.4 and 4.7, this combined with the alcohol and hop acids inhibits the
growth of pathogenic microorganism, particularly C. botulinum the organism
that produces the botulism toxin.

I have no knowledge or experience of the safety or efficacy of what I am
proposing below but if I were to bottle tea this is how I would proceed.
Brew the tea, sweeten and add lemon to taste, bottle and cap the bottles.
Then using a canning pressure cooker process the bottles as you would for
any low acid canned food.

If I wanted an "instant", ready to serve tea that I could make up rapidly
this is what I would do. Make up a very strong brew of tea, add sugar and
lemon and store in the fridge, this should last about a week. This can then
be diluted to drinking strength pretty quickly. A larger quantity of the
"concentrate" could be stored frozen for a greater period of time.

Be Safe - Cwrw-42.

Mike Flaminio wrote:
Thank you for your insight. While I didn't state it, botulism is my
main concern. I didn't test the pH, although that was one intent of
the lemon. I've got a quality pH test kit (designed for water
treatment) for my aquarium. I could easily add lemon to reach the
desired pH. Provided I maintain a good pH and pressure cook, would
that be sufficient?

I'm not a canner, so I'm learning on this front too. What would be the
best procedure for this? I thought when you canned jars, air was
pushed out. What would happen if I pressure cooked capped bottles?

They may explode, or even more likely blow the caps off. Are you a beer
brewer by any chance?

What I would do, is sanitize the bottles and caps using a high-strength
brewer's method, probably using iodophor. This stuff needs to be rinsed
like crazy so I would probably boil the bottles and caps. I would also
boil the tea to make sure that it wasn't contaminated.

Then, I would proceed to fill and cap while hot to minimize
contamination risk.

I guess you could do this canning-style by heating the filled bottles in
a water bath then capping with (sanitized) caps.

I brew mead and soda using similar methods. I don't know how a
yeast-innoculated fluid relates to a non-living tea though.

IMHO, this is a lot of work and I'd probably just make a big batch of
concentrate and freeze it :-)

-ben

Mike Flaminio wrote:
Thank you for your insight. While I didn't state it, botulism is my
main concern. I didn't test the pH, although that was one intent of
the lemon. I've got a quality pH test kit (designed for water
treatment) for my aquarium. I could easily add lemon to reach the
desired pH. Provided I maintain a good pH and pressure cook, would
that be sufficient?

I'm not a canner, so I'm learning on this front too. What would be the
best procedure for this? I thought when you canned jars, air was
pushed out. What would happen if I pressure cooked capped bottles?

They may explode, or even more likely blow the caps off. Are you a beer
brewer by any chance?

What I would do, is sanitize the bottles and caps using a high-strength
brewer's method, probably using iodophor. This stuff needs to be rinsed
like crazy so I would probably boil the bottles and caps. I would also
boil the tea to make sure that it wasn't contaminated.

Then, I would proceed to fill and cap while hot to minimize
contamination risk.

I guess you could do this canning-style by heating the filled bottles in
a water bath then capping with (sanitized) caps.

I brew mead and soda using similar methods. I don't know how a
yeast-innoculated fluid relates to a non-living tea though.

IMHO, this is a lot of work and I'd probably just make a big batch of
concentrate and freeze it :-)

-ben