Help with cold brew

I personally will cold brew just about any type of tea. However, I find that the ones that I like best tend to be fruity green teas. But I have had success with fruity black teas as well. What was your tea to water ratio for your cold brew?

If you want to try again with the mango black tea, I’d try to either reduce the amount of leaf or the amount of time . . . or both?

As you discovered, long cold brews can make tea bitter. It’s not just black tea, but any tea can oversteep if cold brewed too long. I’ve seen brewing instructions that call for 12 hours which, unless you’re using a minuscule amount of leaf, is way too long IMO for most teas.

Here’s what I’ve found works best for the vast majority of green, black, and oolong teas. Skip the fridge and ambient brew 2g of tea (usually 1 teaspoon or less) in 8oz of room temperature water for 2 hours. Give the tea leaves a stir towards the last 5 minutes. Strain and pour over ice (not too much) and dilute to strength if necessary. This will produce a flavorful cold brew with minimal tannins and bitterness.

Good luck and let us know what method gives you success.

When I cold brew I usually do 5oz of tea in a 17oz water bottle and let it brew in the fridge for 4-5 hours. That usually works well. I do that with black teas. If you’re doing greens or whites, I’d cut the brewing time in half.