Does anyone know if there is actually any chemical difference when you
use heat to make iced tea, as opposed to cold water?

I usually just put 4 quart tea bags in a gallon pitcher, fill it with
cold water, add a few sprigs of fresh mint, and stick it in the fridge
(or even the freezer for one hour) and in an hour or so it is ready to
drink and tastes fine to me. I leave the tea bags in. I don't put in
sugar, but I know a lot of people do.

If there is no difference, it would seem to be a waste of time heating
the tea, or putting it in the sun. But maybe there is a difference. I
just don't know.

On Mon 20 Oct 2008 08:05:43p, jmm1951 told us...

> Does anyone know if there is actually any chemical difference when you
> use heat to make iced tea, as opposed to cold water?
>
> I usually just put 4 quart tea bags in a gallon pitcher, fill it with
> cold water, add a few sprigs of fresh mint, and stick it in the fridge
> (or even the freezer for one hour) and in an hour or so it is ready to
> drink and tastes fine to me. I leave the tea bags in. I don't put in
> sugar, but I know a lot of people do.
>
> If there is no difference, it would seem to be a waste of time heating
> the tea, or putting it in the sun. But maybe there is a difference. I
> just don't know.

Being an almost exclusive iced tea drinker, I have to say *yes* there is a
decided difference between hot brewed and cold brewed tea. Freshly boiled
hot water poured over loose tea or teabags causes the tea to release the
volatile oils in the leaves that add greatly to the flavor.

My own preference is for strong tea because even when cold, I like to
compensate for the melting ice in the glass.

I use 3 quart-sized Luzianne teabags in a 2 quart pitcher. I pour 1 quart
of boiling water over the teabags, agitate slightly, and allow to steep for
5-7 minutes. At the end I remove the teabags and add cold water to fill up
the 2-quart pitcher.

IMHO, "sun tea" also doesn't create a fully developed tea flavor either.
The color may look good, but the flavor is still insipid.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

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Date: Monday, 10(X)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
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Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>
> Being an almost exclusive iced tea drinker, I have to say *yes* there is a
> decided difference between hot brewed and cold brewed tea. Freshly boiled
> hot water poured over loose tea or teabags causes the tea to release the
> volatile oils in the leaves that add greatly to the flavor.
>

Interesting. We often used to host a Swedish business associate who
drank only tea. He would complain that tea was never at its best here
(suburban Denver) because at out altitude, ~5800 feet at our house,
water boils at a lower(cooler) temperature (~200 deg F.) than he was
used to at sea level and the water never gets hot enough to extract
proper flavor. I always thought he was trying to find fault just to be
difficult.

gloria p

On Mon 20 Oct 2008 08:52:55p, Gloria P told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>>
>> Being an almost exclusive iced tea drinker, I have to say *yes* there
>> is a decided difference between hot brewed and cold brewed tea.
>> Freshly boiled hot water poured over loose tea or teabags causes the
>> tea to release the volatile oils in the leaves that add greatly to the
>> flavor.
>>
>
> Interesting. We often used to host a Swedish business associate who
> drank only tea. He would complain that tea was never at its best here
> (suburban Denver) because at out altitude, ~5800 feet at our house,
> water boils at a lower(cooler) temperature (~200 deg F.) than he was
> used to at sea level and the water never gets hot enough to extract
> proper flavor. I always thought he was trying to find fault just to be
> difficult.
>
> gloria p
>

It's really true, Gloria. I come from a long line of iced tea drinkers and
they all brewed it with freshly boiling water.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

*******************************************
Date: Monday, 10(X)/20(XX)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what
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In article >,
Gloria P > wrote:

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> >
> > Being an almost exclusive iced tea drinker, I have to say *yes* there is a
> > decided difference between hot brewed and cold brewed tea. Freshly boiled
> > hot water poured over loose tea or teabags causes the tea to release the
> > volatile oils in the leaves that add greatly to the flavor.
> >
>
> Interesting. We often used to host a Swedish business associate who
> drank only tea. He would complain that tea was never at its best here
> (suburban Denver) because at out altitude, ~5800 feet at our house,
> water boils at a lower(cooler) temperature (~200 deg F.) than he was
> used to at sea level and the water never gets hot enough to extract
> proper flavor. I always thought he was trying to find fault just to be
> difficult.

Well, that's not hard to fix. Take a tip from Om and make it in the
pressure cooker. Not that Om has ever mentioned making tea in a
pressure cooker, but it sounds like she cooks everything else in there,
why not tea?


:-)

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Oct 20, 8:22*pm, Wayne Boatwright >
wrote:

> Being an almost exclusive iced tea drinker, I have to say *yes* there is a
> decided difference between hot brewed and cold brewed tea. *Freshly boiled
> hot water poured over loose tea or teabags causes the tea to release the
> volatile oils in the leaves that add greatly to the flavor.
>
> My own preference is for strong tea because even when cold, I like to
> compensate for the melting ice in the glass.
>
> I use 3 quart-sized Luzianne teabags in a 2 quart pitcher. *I pour 1 quart
> of boiling water over the teabags, agitate slightly, and allow to steep for
> 5-7 minutes. *At the end I remove the teabags and add cold water to fill up
> the 2-quart pitcher.
>
> IMHO, "sun tea" also doesn't create a fully developed tea flavor either. *
> The color may look good, but the flavor is still insipid.
>
> --
> * * * * * * *Wayne Boatwright *

* * * * *
We go through vats of iced tea year around - plain over ice. Cheap,
easy, and not full of empty calories.

Am 100% with Wayne on this one, but I generally use Red Rose Teabags.
When I'm feeling like something exotic, there's a tea dealer in Eugene
who sells a loose leaf orange pekoe/hibiscus blend that makes an iced
tea to die for...

Nancy T

On Oct 20, 10:05*pm, jmm1951 > wrote:
> Does anyone know if there is actually any chemical difference when you
> use heat to make iced tea, as opposed to cold water?
>
> I usually just put 4 quart tea bags in a gallon pitcher, fill it with
> cold water, add a few sprigs of fresh mint, and stick it in the fridge
> (or even the freezer for one hour) and in an hour or so it is ready to
> drink and tastes fine to me. I leave the tea bags in. I don't put in
> sugar, but I know a lot of people do.
>
> If there is no difference, it would seem to be a waste of time heating
> the tea, or putting it in the sun. But maybe there is a difference. I
> just don't know.

For what it's worth, I listened to a tea guru on The Splendid Table
one recent Sunday morning who said that boiling water over tea leaves,
bagged or loose, does produce a stronger beverage, than the slower
soak with cold water. But the guru preferred the milder brew. "De
gustibus . . . ." He also said the process in making sun tea is an
invitation to cooties.

On Mon 20 Oct 2008 10:20:03p, ntantiques told us...

> We go through vats of iced tea year around - plain over ice. Cheap,
> easy, and not full of empty calories.

That's how I drink it, too, Nancy. Sometimes with a wedge of lemon.

> Am 100% with Wayne on this one, but I generally use Red Rose Teabags.
> When I'm feeling like something exotic, there's a tea dealer in Eugene
> who sells a loose leaf orange pekoe/hibiscus blend that makes an iced
> tea to die for...
>
> Nancy T

When we lived in Ohio and I made frequent trips to NYC, I would always buy
loose leaf Earl Grey at McNulty's. I need to order some. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)

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