Of all the varieties of tea brewed from the camellia sinensis plant green tea is perhaps the one with the most storied reputation.
Cold brew green tea benefits.
However it takes much longer to fully extract polyphenols when cold brewing tea 8 12 hours than it does when hot brewing tea.
Basically you combine loose leaf tea with cold water in a pitcher or tea pot and let it infuse for 6 to 12 hours.
According to one study the nutrition of tea if brewed using hot water will be more easily absorbed by the body.
Despite its bitter taste people buy and drink it in droves in no small part to the numerous health benefits associated with this form of tea.
Just like how people have revered cold brew coffee for the milder cup of joe people are doing the same for cold brew green tea.
This is because green tea polyphenols degrade rapidly when heated resulting in them having less antioxidant power.
Making cold brew green tea is incredibly simple but it does take a much longer time than hot tea.
Should you drink green tea hot or cold.
Current evidence suggests that cold brewed green tea is higher in antioxidants and hence more beneficial than hot tea.
How to cold brew.
Green tea has always been on everyone s honor roll of tea types for its health benefits but the cold brew process seems to elevate the beverage to a whole new level.
Cold brewing is easy to do and it produces tea with a mellower taste and clearer appearance compared to hot brewed tea.
If you consume cold brew tea with the addition of sugar in large quantities this can lead to diabetes.
And if you are concerned about caffeine intake brewing with cold water releases less caffeine than brewing with hot water.
Prevention hypothesized that the cold brewed version was agitated before it was left to brew overnight and since agitation can release more antioxidants that led to the surprising lab results.
Prevention used salada green tea in their tests.
A tradeoff seems to exist because fewer antioxidants specifically tannins in cold brewed tea give it a milder flavor but may also result in decreased health benefits associated with antioxidants.
Image via front porch reviews.
While we have been familiar with cold brew coffee for quite some time tea leaves infused in cold.
You can use any tea you want to make cold brew tea from white or green tea to herbals and black tea.
Some people prefer not to use black tea simply because it has more tannins in it than other tea which can make your tongue feel dry but you can still use it for cold brew tea.
So before you put your cold brewed tea to rest maybe you should give the container a good shake or three.
Try green tea white tea or oolong for a few options.
Cold brewed green tea is one of life s delightfully simple pleasures.
Just look at that webmd article.