After cold brew coffee, now we have cold brew tea?
Why not? And sometimes you just don’t want a cup of hot tea in this weather. For the purist, cold brew tea (tea leaves steeped in cold water; no milk, no fruit, no sugar) is the next best thing.
There’s teh o’ ais for that, right?
Not with your oolongs. Merely adding ice to hot tea makes it taste like stale tea, but steeping good quality loose leaf tea in cold water overnight is another cup of tea altogether.
How does it work?
It all boils down to temperature. Cold water doesn’t steep out tannins as much as hot water; so cold brew tea is actually smoother, less caffeinated and naturally sweet.
Okay. Where can I get it?
Hit up tea joint Chocha Foodstore in Petaling Street for their soothing jugs of oolong, sencha or gold rush (a scented black tea blend) cold brews from RM16. At Someplace Beautiful in Sentul, milk tea is made by steeping whole tea leaves in cold milk overnight; as a result, you get a cold and creamy milk tea that’s richer and more refined in taste.