To make a freshly brewed cup of tea, one must steep tea leaves in hot, warm or cold water. But what does “steeping tea” actually mean?
Steeping tea refers to placing tea leaves in water and allowing the water to extract flavor from the tea leaves. You can steep tea using hot or cold water. Any temperature will work to produce their own unique flavor profile of teas.
In this article you'll find:
How Does Steeping Tea Work?
Steeping dry tea leaves in water (or sometimes milk) allows for the flavor and other compounds (like caffeine) to be extracted from the dry tea leaves and infused into whatever liquid they are soaking in.
Depending on the type of tea you are brewing – black, green, oolong, herbal, etc. the following will differ:
- the amount of dry tea leaves you should add for a standard cup of tea
- the amount of time you allow the dry tea leaves to sit in the liquid
Hot-Brewed vs. Cold-Brewed Tea
A couple of the key differences between hot-brewed and cold-brewed tea:
| Hot-Brewed Tea | Cold-Brewed Tea | |
| Time required | Faster – can take anywhere from 2-20 minutes depending on the type of tea you are brewing | Slower – typically takes at least 12-14 hours in the refrigerator |
| Caffeine Strength (if you’re brewing a tea with caffeine) | Stronger – hot water is more efficient at pulling substances, like caffeine, from the tea leaves | Weaker – cold water is not as efficient |
Let Me Just Let That Steep a Bit
Looking for a new way to ask people to give you some extra time before you make a decision? A friend of mine asks for time to let her thoughts steep! Being a tea-lover, I’m a huge fan of the phrase of course! But by the definition, it really does make sense – she’s letting the ideas develop until she’s happy. I bet she has a cup of tea too!
