Do you get the same benefits from iced tea as hot tea?!
Do you get the same benefits from iced tea as hot tea?
I want to make my own tea. Rather than boiling water, i want to throw a couple of tea bags into a pitcher with cold water and let it sit overnight [no boiling at all]. Will I still get the same benefits from green tea bags if i do it that way, as opposed to boiling water?
Answers:
interesting question....I believe that the temperature of the water is very important. Boiling water is required for all black tea and tea blends. I believe this is to extract all of the nutrients and flavors from the tea leaves.
The method to make iced tea (from Celestial seasonings) is to make hot tea, then add ice and/or chill. Therefore, I think you don't get the same benefits from using cold water to steep the tea.
No, u won't get the same benifits of tea if u make it as u've told above.
its all tea
One question by an ice tea drinker (we were very interested in finding out) was: Is there are any difference in health benefits between hot and cold tea?
Well, as far as we could find out, there is NO difference in nutritional benefits between hot vs. cold tea... but we'd love to be proven wrong. In fact , there seems to be more health discrepancies in how hot tea is prepared, For example, the polyphenols released in the tea can be negatively influenced by oxygen content so in other words, never microwave your tea (there are a million other reasons not to do this).
Three things we have heard on the subject which may be negligible begins with (1) hot tea supposedly has the increased likelihood of killing off any bacteria that could multiply, and (2) hot tea (yes hot) is more effective in cooling one down in hot conditions and finally, this is a strange one, but (3) according to an NPR report on a rare Chinese study, mass consumption of hot beverages (over 10 a day) may increase the likelihood of esophageal cancer (we aren't really buying this one).
The "other" difference": Flavor
The only real difference lies in subjective taste. In the South, "tea" means sweetened with sugar, served over ice, while a Midwesterners "tea" means unsweetened, served over ice...
And then, many people swear by plain, unsweetened, hot tea, claiming it has more flavor. One possible reason for this may be due to the nose's sensory receptors role in processing higher resolution flavors (while the tongue is responsible for the basic groups: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). Another reason may be it is simply subconscious conditioning, or how we associate our fond memories with our tea life.
Frankly I think if you left them in there overnight it would get really bitter.
I'd say, if your overly worried about it just make it hot. Let it sit out and cool. Put it in a pitcher and throw it in the fridge until it gets to the desired temperature.
Either that or make up some tea ice cubes if you want it right away.
Better boil the water first and then put the tea in the refrigerator.