What makes tea get thick (coagulate)?!
What makes tea get thick (coagulate)?
I make fresh tea every other day at my resturant( in the 3 gal bunn dispensers. One sweet with sugar and the other unsweeten. I put them in the chill box at the end of the day. By the end of the second day the tea has started to thicken or coagulate. Why is this? I have a smokehouse (smoking meats). Sometime the building gets very smokey. Does this have anything to do with it?
Answers:
the cloudy tea (smokey)
GH chemists, Lipton Tea Co and the NY City-based Tea Association of the USA say that when tea steeps, tannins - the natural compounds that color tea leaves - are released into the boiling water. The heat helps dissolve them, and the brew is clear enough to see through. But refrigeration causes tannins to separate out again, turning the tea murky. Generally, higher-quality tea contains more tannins (because it is richer in solids) and is more likely to become cloudy. Hard water is another culprit behind hazy tea.
You can fix it....
Here's How:
Make up your iced tea, with whatever recipe you want. Do not put it straight into the refrigerator after it's made. Let it cool at room temperature first. THEN put it in the fridge. Cooling too fast makes the tannin settle out, causing cloudy tea.
Tips:
Hard water can also make your iced tea cloudy. If your tea is already cloudy, add some hot water to it.
Here is what I found about the 'coagulation' of your tea....most teas have an additive 'gluten' and in its commercial use it is the starch that is its 'best' use and quality....so when introduced to certain tempuratures of water it releases and disolves the starch and causes the coagulation of your tea....now it doesn't happen everytime (I had it happen just last week) it is harmless but does not look good, the same with your cloudy tea......just pour it out and make new (not the cloudy, it can be fixed)