I love sweetened black tea, but would like to start drinking green tea. Can I use green tea for sun tea? How do I do it?
I've never tried making sun tea with green tea, but I've tried several instant iced tea made with green tea and they were good. Go for it!
Reader Question: I have a question about Green Tea that I can't find the answer to. I can't be the only one who is wondering about this, because Green Tea has become more popular in the US. I want to know if one can receive the benefits of drinking green tea by brewing it with the "Sun Tea" method, or if it must be brewed with hot water. I drink it daily, but usually make it by putting several bags into a bottle of water, along with a few herbal tea bags for flavor, and leave it out in the sun for a couple of hours. Am I missing out on the benefits?
Answer: Sun tea (also called sun dried or sun brewed tea) is another alternative to brewing tea that has been gaining popularity in recent years. As the name implies, a pitcher of tea is set outside to warm in the sun. Unfortunately, the research that has been done indicates that sun dried tea does not give you the same benefits as brewing tea at high temperatures. Without getting overly scientific, boiling the water affects its acidity, which is important in the release of polyphenols. An added concern is the risk of bacteria developing because the water hasn't been boiled.
References :
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa051602a.htm
I've never tried making sun tea with green tea, but I've tried several instant iced tea made with green tea and they were good. Go for it!
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Just use a noraml tea pot and put the green tea into the pot. Pour hot water and let sit for 5 minutes. Tastes great
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I'm not sure if you can use green tea for sun tea I never tried… I would guess it would work though
and I drink mine weak with a little honey or sugar (depends what I have) and I never put milk in it like I do with regular breakfast (english style) tea, that makes it taste weird
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Use it like regular tea, you know…hot water, something to hold tea leaves in….loose bulk tea is the best, like from at a "natural store" (i prefer "gunpowder".) Just drop the tea leaves in hot water and pour through a strainer after steeping… don't steep for more than three minutes…or you'll release too much tannic acid…sun tea should work and the low heat should prevent too much tannic from being released….
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sun tea will be tea, green tea and you will probably get the caffeine, but probably not the poly-phenols…