How do you cold brew tea?
Quick answer
Combine about 1.5 g of tea per 100 ml of cold water, cover it, and leave it in the fridge for 6–12 hours. Strain and drink. That's the whole method — cold water extracts slowly and gently, so it pulls out sweetness and almost none of the bitterness or astringency you get from hot, rushed brewing.
Step by step
- Add leaf to cold water in a jar or bottle — roughly 1.5 g per 100 ml (about 1 tablespoon per litre).
- Refrigerate 6–12 hours. Greens and whites are ready sooner; blacks and oolongs like the longer end.
- Strain out the leaves so it doesn't get too strong.
- Keep and drink within two days; store cold.
Why cold brew is so forgiving
Heat speeds up extraction and pulls out tannins and caffeine quickly; cold water does the opposite. That means it's almost impossible to make cold brew bitter, and the cup tends to be lower in caffeine and naturally sweeter — no timer, no thermometer, no scorching.
Common questions
Can you over-steep cold brew? Barely. Past about 12 hours it slowly gets stronger rather than bitter; if it's too strong, just dilute with water or ice.
Is cold brew lower in caffeine? Generally yes, because cold water extracts caffeine more slowly — though leaf amount and time still matter. See caffeine in tea.
Scale a big batch with the grams calculator or check the general tea-to-water ratios.