How to Make Cold Brew Tea (Smooth, Never Bitter Iced Tea)

When I was a kid, we used to make sun tea in the summer. We’d fill a big pitcher with water, toss in some tea bags, and let it sit outside while the sun slowly did its thing.

Cold brew tea feels like the fridge version of that—same idea, just more reliable.

You add tea to a jar, pour in cold water, and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

No boiling, no timers, no fuss.

The flavor comes out smooth and balanced, without the bitterness you sometimes get from hot brewed iced tea. It’s one of those small changes that makes a noticeable difference.

I also love that I can make a few different flavors at once. I’ll usually have an herbal, a black tea, and a green tea going so there’s always something ready in the fridge.

Why You’ll Love This Cold Brew Iced Tea

All it takes is tea, water, and time. Here’s why I keep coming back to this method:

• No boiling water needed – just add tea and cold water
• Smooth, less bitter flavor compared to hot brewed iced tea
• Lower caffeine in many cases
• Perfect for make-ahead drinks like iced tea or tea lemonade
• Easy to customize with any tea you like

Why Cold Brew Tea Tastes Better

If you’ve only ever made iced tea the traditional way with hot water like my gallon iced tea recipe, this method might surprise you a little.

Cold brewing is one of the easiest ways to make tea, but it also gives you a noticeably different result.

It’s simple
No kettle, no temperature guessing, no timers. You just combine tea and cold water and let it sit.

The flavor is smoother
Hot water pulls out more tannins, which can make tea taste bitter or a little harsh. Cold water extracts the flavor more slowly, which gives you a smoother, slightly sweeter taste.

You may not need as much sugar
Since the tea isn’t as bitter, a lot of people find they don’t need to sweeten it as much.

Lower caffeine (in many cases)
Cold brewing typically extracts less caffeine than hot brewing, which can be a nice bonus if you’re trying to cut back a bit.

Cold Brew Tea: Ready-to-Drink vs Concentrate

One of the best things about cold brew tea is how flexible it is.

You can either make ready-to-drink iced tea or a strong concentrate to mix later. I switch between both depending on what I have planned.

Ready-to-Drink Cold Brew Tea
This is your classic iced tea. Once it’s done steeping, it’s ready to pour over ice and enjoy.

For this version, I use about 1½ teaspoons of loose tea per cup of water. It gives you a smooth, balanced flavor that doesn’t need much adjusting.

Cold Brew Tea Concentrate
This is a stronger version of the same idea. It’s meant to be mixed with something else before drinking.

For concentrate, I use about 1 tablespoon of loose tea per cup of water.

This is what I make most often because it’s so flexible. I almost always have a jar in the fridge.

Once it’s strained, I can mix it different ways depending on what I’m in the mood for:

• Half tea + half lemonade
• Half tea + half seltzer for something fizzy
• Tea + milk for an iced tea latte
• Or just dilute it with cold water for regular iced tea

It’s one of those things that’s hard to mess up. You can always adjust it after the fact, which makes it really forgiving.

If you love refreshing drinks like this, you might also like my strawberry iced tea, peach iced tea or homemade lemonade for mixing with tea concentrate.

Ingredients Needed

Tea (loose leaf, sachets, or tea bags)
Loose leaf tea is my go-to since the larger leaves open up and give you the best flavor. Tea sachets are a nice middle option, and tea bags work just fine too—just slightly less complex.

Cold water
Use filtered water if you can. Since tea is mostly water, it really affects the final taste. If your tap water has a strong flavor, filtered or bottled water will give you a cleaner result.

Tea is mostly water, so it really affects the final taste. If your tap water has a strong flavor, filtered or bottled water makes a noticeable difference. A Brita filter water pitcher works great.

How to Make Cold Brew Tea

Cold brewing takes the pressure off—no worrying about oversteeping or bitterness like with hot tea. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Add tea to a jar

Add your tea to a clean glass jar or pitcher.

Loose leaf tea is my go-to here since the larger leaves open up and give you the best flavor. That said, tea sachets and tea bags both work just fine.

You can use any type of tea—black, green, white, herbal, oolong. There’s really no wrong choice.

Tea Amount Quick Guide

• Ready-to-drink tea: about 1½ teaspoons loose tea or 1 tea bag per cup of water
• Concentrate: about 1 tablespoon loose tea or 2 tea bags per cup of water

(You can adjust slightly based on taste.)

Step 2: Pour in cold water

Fill the jar with cold or room temperature water and give it a quick stir so everything is moistened.

Water quality matters more than you’d think here. If you can, use filtered water for the cleanest flavor.

Step 3: Refrigerate and steep

Cover the jar and place it in the refrigerator for 8–12 hours.

I usually let mine steep overnight. I’ve definitely forgotten it until late morning before, and it still turned out great.

Shortcut (If You’re Short on Time)
You can “wake up” the tea by adding a small splash of hot water first, then topping with cold water. This cuts the steep time down to about 4–6 hours.

Step 4: Strain and serve

Strain out the tea leaves or remove the tea bags.

If you used loose tea, just pour it through a tea strainer into another jar or pitcher.

For quantities up to 64 ounces, you can also make cold brew in a cold brew pitcher with stainless filter, and just lift out the filter strainer when it’s done brewing.

Drink Ideas Using Cold Brew Tea

Once it’s done, you’ve got smooth cold brew iced tea ready to go. Here’s are a few ways to serve it:

• Classic iced tea over ice
• Tea + lemonade for Arnold Palmer-style drinks
• Tea + peach juice for a fruity twist
• Sparkling tea with seltzer
• Iced tea lattes with milk or cream

You can also try my iced green tea lemonade for a fun Starbucks-style drink.

Simple Syrups for Sweetening Cold Brew Tea

If you like your iced tea a little sweet, simple syrup is the easiest way to do it.

Since it’s already dissolved, it mixes right into cold brew tea without any graininess. I almost always keep at least one syrup in the fridge during the summer.

Here are a few fruity favorites:

• Strawberry Simple Syrup
• Raspberry Simple Syrup
• Peach Simple Syrup
• Blueberry Simple Syrup