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Have you ever heard of sun tea? Sun tea is a delicious iced tea brewed not with boiling water but naturally, with the heat of the sun, explains the Taste of Home blog. All you need to do is add tea bags to cold or room temperature water and place it somewhere warm like a spot on your counter that gets sunlight and summer sun heat. According to some, this is the best tasting tea and it tastes much better than cold brewed tea.
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Enjoying steeped sun tea safely
Some families enjoy drinking and steeping sun tea on a regular basis. According to the Wholefully blog, tea steeped by sitting in the sun is typical in the American Midwest. This type of tea can be made from classic black tea and also from herbal, peppermint or green tea.
Because sun tea isn’t boiled, there are some concerns about its safety, since bacteria can potentially grow during the process as you have no say in the temperature of the sun. If you are concerned, Wholefully recommends that you boil the tea after steeping. This way you enjoy the benefits and taste of sun tea without the risk of bacteria.
According to Better Homes and Gardens, the best thing to do is to let the tea steep for a maximum of four hours if you plan on consuming it immediately. When making it to drink later, they recommend steeping for three hours and then refrigerating. The deep and unique taste of tea made in the sun will still be there, with way less risk of bacteria when made with this method.
How to make sun tea
So how do you make this stove-free, naturally DIYed tea? All you need is a clear jar, like a mason jar, some bags of tea of your liking, sugar and water. Wholefully’s recipe is super simple and easy to make. Add seven cups of water to the jar. Then, put in six tea bags and close the lid, making sure the lid holds the tea bags in place. You then place the tea in a sunny spot in your home and three to four hours later, you are done.
You can sweeten the tea with sugar, simple syrup or other sweeteners like stevia. Just don’t forget to add lots of ice to your glass before pouring the ready tea in. Maybe even add some mint or other herbs if you want to get more fancy. Remember to use safe methods when making it, and enjoy this delicious, cold treat this summer!
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