How can I prevent my Ice Tea from clouding up?!
Thanks,
Cassie
Answers: When I first brew 2 quarts of Ice Tea-I boil two quarts of water, dump it over about 8 Lipton tea bags, let it steep for about ten minutes, then pour a glass over ice. At that moment it looks like what Ice tea is supposed to look like. Clear...clean etc. OK, next day, I pour myself another glass and the tea has become cloudy and almost organic looking (if thats the right term?) It tastes slightly different but it is OK. Is there a way to prevent that from happening? I know it's normal, for I sometimes see that in restaruants.
Thanks,
Cassie
Iced tea goes cloudy when you you shock the hot freshly brewed concetrate cold. Pour the hot concetrate in the pitcher and add sugar. Then add lukewarm water from the tap, leave out of fridge until cooled. You will never have cloudy tea.
First, iced tea turns cloudy when you use a tea, or tea blend, that's made for brewing hot tea, not iced tea. Buy teabags specially made for iced tea.
Second, even tea specifically blended for iced tea can turn a little cloudy when you use hard water for brewing. It's all the "hard water minerals" suspended in the iced tea that gives it that slightly cloudy look. However, the taste of the iced tea is rarely affected. You can help restore the clarity of iced tea by adding a small amount of boiling water.
Third, a stronger brewed tea (if that's your taste preference) tends to cloud more readily than does a weaker one.
Don't put it into the refrigerator while it's still hot. Allowing the tea to first cool down to room temperature can help keep it clear.
I boil about 5 teabags in a teapot on the stove, after it boils about 5-8 minutes I turn it off and let it sit with the tea bags still in.
Then when the teapot is completely cool, I pour it into a pitcher add my sweet-n-low and refrigerate.
I have never had a problem with cloudy tea.