How long's it take to brew sun tea?

[Oeditpus Rex]

I just put a thing of it out on the porch, but I've never brewed it myself before. :shrug:

[Pierre.Suave]

1. no idea

:popcorn:

[skygazer]

2. A "thing"

That's the technical term, right? :rofl:

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. It is to me

:P

[Connonym]

3. Until it's as dark as you like

It varies depending on the container and the amt of sun but generally speaking I've found a couple hours in bright sun to be adequate. If you like your tea stronger you'd want to brew it longer.

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. kthanks

What happened to your avvie? :shrug:

[Connonym]

10. dunno

:shrug:

[KitchenWitch]

16. She lost her star.

x(

[IndianaJones]

4. 2-4 hrs. nt.

[Hobarticus]

5. Depends...

Anywhere from two to four hours. Not like you can "overcook" it. The big thing is, how many teabags did you put in?

It's trial-and-error, depending on your tastes.

[Oeditpus Rex]

9. Teabags...?

[Hobarticus]

22. I don't get it...

What's wrong with teabags?

[Kali]

8. My normal procedure in summer 4500 ft elevation, SE Arizona

3 family size bags in a gallon jar - 3 or 4 hours but fine to leave all day, in winter or cloudy days I use 4 bags - Never leave it out overnight, especially if you like it with sugar cause something about night outside makes it turn nasty.

I drink it instead of water. I keep a glass in the freezer with about an inch of tea in the bottom to make "tea ice"

You can use 9 to 12 regular bags, or ~1/2 cup of loose tea as well it all works and good tea makes better sun tea just like it makes better hot tea.

I have two dedicated plastic pitchers, one gets between 1/2 and 3/4 cup of sugar and the other stays plain. We go through at least 2 gallons a day in summer. Just finished another jar of pickles and one of the dang kids crammed it in the dishwasher and cracked it already!:mad: oh when using pickle jars - put a small sandwich bag or something under the lid for a few weeks until you are sure all the pickle smell is gone.

[azmouse]

11. I've heard that 'sun tea' isn't safe to drink.

Something about the water being at a temp to breed germs with the tea bag in there.

Buy Lipton's Cold Brew tea bags and make the tea in the frig in about 10 min.
And it tastes good too!

[Connonym]

12. I've heard that too

botulism or something? I still do sun tea. Livin' on the edge baybee!

[azmouse]

13. Not sure what the bad guys in there are supposed to be....

But woohoo! Brave girl for drinking it! :hi: :beer:

[Kali]

14. I'm sure if you have a compromised immune system or something like that NOTHING is safe

but sunlight through glass can actually sterilize water (although I don't think it penetrates very far - an inch or two) but come on! Don't drag the tea bags though the dirty kitchen sink, and you should be fine. Tea will get nasty tasting long before it gets toxic.

Honestly you can make cold tea with regular tea bags, you don't have to use those ones processed for cold brewing. They do taste alright (I bought some by accident once) much better than instant, but they bug me - I mean what did they do to them?

[azmouse]

15. Here is a brief article on sun tea.

Is Sun Tea Safe?

Using the natural rays of the sun to make tea is fun and popular in the summer. However, using such a method to make tea is highly discouraged. Sun tea is the perfect medium for bacteria to grow. If the sun tea has a thick or syrupy appearance, it may be due to the presence of a ropy bacteria called Alcaligenes viscolactis. Ropy bacteria are commonly found in soil and water.

Several years ago in Ohio and Washington, several people became ill after drinking tainted ice tea. In Washington it was determined that the tea had been made with tap water only heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and left to sit at room temperature for more than 24 hours. As a result, the Centers for Disease Control and the National Tea Association recommend the following when making tea.


Brew tea bags at 195 degrees F for three to five minutes.

Brew only enough tea that can be consumed within a few hours.

Never maintain brewed tea for more than eight hours at room temperature. Discard any unused tea after eight hours.

Wash, rinse, and sanitize tea-making equipment regularly.

Instead of making "sun tea," brew tea overnight in the refrigerator as you would in the sun.

Store tea bags in a dark, cool, and dry place away from strong odors and moisture. Do not store in the refrigerator.

Adapted from "Bacteria-filled iced tea can cause illness," Fort Collins Coloradoan, June 12, 1996

[Kali]

18. this got me off on a search and I found that and a snopes

article: http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp

Note the folks became sick (not dead or anything) after they left it out for 24 hours and with as much sun tea brewed and very little reported illness, I doubt this is any kind of real concern. I would dispute that it is "the perfect medium" for growth - there are very few nutrients to support bacteria in tea, at least until you add some sugar. The Snopes article mentioned a CDC warning but no link and they have the SUCKIEST search function, I haven't found anything yet.

Caffeinated black tea for a few hours sounds pretty dang safe, and one COULD use bottled or filtered water as well.

If it is slimy, um maybe throw it out and wash the dang jar?

[azmouse]

19. I just think since there are more efficient and safer ways

of brewing the tea, why take the chance?
Sun tea is just a gimmick started years ago to sell large jars and tea bags.

[Kali]

20. eh I use recycled pickle jars and the large bags are actually less packaging

but I have used loose tea as well. In the summer I try to avoid heating ANYTHING and boiling water to then chill it seems sort of counterproductive. (although around here the sun gets those jars pretty dang hot!)

Now if you want to talk gimmick, aren't there electric ice tea brewers now? Ronco?

[mainegreen]

23. Pickle Jars!

We use those for sun tea. Only problem is the first batch or two no matter how much you wash the jar have a certain *special* flavor!

:rofl:

[ironflange]

17. Leave it as long as you like

It takes some experimentation, both time-wise and tea-wise. I like it to sit good and long, sometimes I've forgotten about it till the next day, it's just as good.

[conscious evolution]

21. It takes mine all night.

[Orsino]

24. Depends on the mass, age and distance to your star.

And on the permeability of your tea leaves. On my planet, two hours seems to do it.