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Beginning of summer, grasshoppers sing, earthworms come out, and melons grow.
A cup of floral cold brew tea can
calm us in this early summer humid weather.
The nutrients of tea can moisturise and
rejuvenate our heated up body.
The tail of summer doesn’t mean getting any cooler. Even a few minutes walk on the street make us sweat a lot. Cold brew tea is the perfect thirst quencher to combat the hotness as well as cooling down your mind with zero calories! But why cold brew tea? How does it differ from hot brewed tea with ice? What types of tea are better to make cold brew?
Cold brew tea means steeping the tea leaves with room temperature or cold water. After the tea leaves absorb enough water, the tea essence slowly diffuses. Such a gentle process with lower temperate takes at least several hours (we recommend six hours or above). Compared with hot brew tea, cold brew tea is less astringent and sweeter, which is milder for more sensitive people.
So can we use any kind of tea to make cold brew? General speaking, you can make cold brew out of all the teas in your cupboard. However some types of tea just give more special and extraordinary tastes when cold brewed:
Early Summer Barista's Pick:
【Premium Alishan Oolong Floating Boat】
This Premium Alishan Oolong is cultivated between 1,500 to 1,600 meters in Camphor Tree Lake in Alishan, Chiayi County of Taiwan. The cool climate in high mountains and the shorter sun exposure reduces the bitterness of the tea and enrich the sweetness of the amino acids. It gives a mellow and sweet flavor, strong throat taste, and can give multiple tea infusions.
Awarded the renowned Super Taste Award, this Oolong is made of top-quality tea leaves with light roasting and fermentation, which accentuate the floral notes. The golden amber color resembles the soft and gentle sunlight of the Alishan mountains. As soft and gentle as a floating boat on a crystal clear lake, let this Oolong bring your soul to wonder about the breezy high mountains.
Origin: Camphor Tree Lake, Alishan, Taiwan
Altitude: 1500 - 1600 metres
Notes: Orchid, Apricot, and Plum
Phoenix Oolong: our signature bestseller cold brew tea. Just a sip of this legendary Oolong can scent your whole palate. The most interesting fragrance is its natural peach flavour which is purely natural due to the oolong fermentation! This tea is smooth like silk, and has lingering peach, apricot and honey notes.
Earl Grey: Our Divine Earl Grey is mellow with hints of cinnamon, mint, and caramel. Infused with a subtle bergamot flavour, it is the perfect companion for your afternoon tea time. Cold Brew Earl Grey can bring outs its citrus bergamot flavour even more and mint aftertaste which is the perfect thirst quencher!
Houjicha Amber: Cold Brew Houjicha can soothe its roasted ”hotness”, make it more approachable and sweeter. This low caffeine cold brew is perfect for a low appetite summer afternoon!
Gyokuro: It has a more subtle and “Shy” character than its hot brewed sister. It is more refreshing and light as cloud. You can even put gyokuro tea leaves on ice chips and let the melting ice to “brew” the gyokuro, making even sweeter and more fragrant Ice Drip Gyokuro!
Sencha: Crispy and refreshing like mountain breeze. Excellent for cooling and anti-inflammatory in summer. Cold brew sencha has more layers and aftertaste, and can awaken your senses!
How to Make Cold Brew Then?
For homemade cold brew, you can use 1:100 ratio of tea:water. Say five grams of tea leaves in a 500ml water bottle and put it in the fridge for several hours. For ball-shaped tea leaves such as Iron Buddha Oolong, the steeping time can be extended.
Try making some cold brew tea with our artisanal tea leaves this summer! Shop Now!