Simple Sustainable Sovereign

Contents

1. Introduction
2. What makes Sun Tea so delicious?
3. Things to Know
   1. Containers for Brewing
   2. Herbal versus Regular Sun Tea
   3. Concerns about Bacteria
4. Recipe
5. Subscribe for Weekly Updates
6. Recipe Card

Tea Brewed by the Sun

When I was a little girl, I spent a few summers at my grandma’s house. She lived in a place that was typically above 100 degrees in the summer months, so those summers were hot. As a result we spent a lot of time running through the sprinklers, going to the community pool, and standing under the mister that she had on her porch. However, one of my favorite things my grandma did to help quell the summer heat was to brew up a big batch of sun tea.

She had a giant orange plastic drink dispenser (from Big Lots) that she would throw a bunch of Lipton tea bags in and leave out all day in the direct sun. Then, after it cooled down a bit (or while it was still hot if we were impatient) we would pour it over lots of ice. I think my favorite part was adding the sugar to my tea, which there was no limit on, cause this was grandma’s house; I used at least three spoonful’s per glass.

Now that I have more awareness, I cringe a little thinking about how I drank tons of tea that sat in a hot plastic container for hours, likely steeping in bpas and pfas, and with far more sugar than necessary. However, I still have a very nostalgic feeling toward sun tea, which has been especially present in the current warm summer, so I wanted to create a recipe that was adapted to the lifestyle I orient toward today.

I swapped the orange plastic jug for a glass mason jar, and the Lipton bags for my favorite loose leaf or herbal tea, the result of which is delicious and more health conscious sun tea. I also share an alternative method of brewing without sun so that you can enjoy this smooth, tasty tea year round.

What makes Sun Tea so delicious?

Many people say that sun tea is smoother and tastier than the typical iced tea. The generally accepted reasoning for this is that by brewing the tea in the sun it is slowly heated over time. This means that the flavor constituents of the tea are extracted gently, preventing the quick degradation that can occur when brewing tea with boiling water, which creates a bitter, sharp taste if slightly over-steeped.

Leaving water in sunlight has also been shown to purify it, as the sun’s heat and UV rays can kill bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Most of us are likely using purified water to brew tea anyway, but I believe that the power of the sun and its purifying ability makes sun tea even tastier and more satisfying than your average glass of iced tea.

Sun tea is like taking the essence of summer and concentrating it into a beverage. There’s certainly evidence based reasons as to why it is so delicious, but I think the best way to verify this information is to give it a try yourself!

Things to Know

Containers for Brewing

There are many options for containers in which you can brew your sun tea. You could use a basic glass jar in a gallon or half gallon size, or you could use a beverage dispenser with a spigot, which is extra convenient, as you can brew it and serve it in the same container. I usually use a jar, adding my tea leaves or herbs loose in there, then strain the finished product into a pitcher. If using a beverage dispenser, you will need to put the loose leaf tea into a tea infuser, preferably one that is large enough to allow a higher volume of tea to move around freely so that the tea can fully infuse, such as this one. You can really use whatever container is available and convenient in your kitchen, so long as it can be sealed off to keep out bugs. I would also highly recommend avoiding plastic as this tea is heated in the container, and heating things in plastic allows for unwanted chemicals to seep in.

Herbal versus Regular Sun Tea

You can brew any variety of tea as sun tea, so long as the amount of plant matter being used is proportional to the amount of water as appropriate for each type of brew. For example, for every 8 oz of water, you generally want to use 1 Tbsp. of herbs, such as mint, hibiscus, or rooibos; but with the same amount of water you would use only 1 tsp. of tea leaves, like black or green. For more on the nitty gritty of herbal infusions vs tea and proportions of each, I highly recommend you take a look at my previous post, A Beginner’s Guide to Loose Leaf Tea.

Black tea is the most common choice for sun tea, but green is a nice way to mix things up.
You can make sun tea with any herb that you enjoy drinking as an infusion, or a combination of several. One herbal blend that I’ve been enjoying lately is mint, hibiscus, chamomile, nettle, and red raspberry leaf, which are all very nutritive.

Sourcing Loose Leaf Tea for Sun Tea

As with all things, the quality of tea used will have an impact on the resulting beverage. I highly recommend sourcing organic loose leaf tea if possible. This can be found online or at places like your local health food or bulk store. Check out all of my recommendations on sourcing loose leaf tea here.

Concerns about Bacteria

When doing a bit of preliminary research for this post, I was surprised to discover some conversation around sun tea as a risky thing to consume because it may sit in the “temperature danger zone” for an extended period of time. This could potentially allow for the growth of harmful bacteria. This risk is heightened if you allow your tea to brew longer than 4 hours or if you brew your sun tea with sugar already added, which I don’t recommend. I have never heard of anyone actually becoming ill from consuming sun tea, and I feel unconcerned by this possibility, especially after learning of the purifying power of the sun that is drenched upon brewing sun tea. However, if this is a concern for you, I do offer an alternative brewing method in my recipe below that eliminates this possibility entirely by steeping the tea cold in your refrigerator. This would technically not be sun tea, but it does result in a similarly smooth and robust brew.

As a side note, I fully believe that the attitude with which you consume something will impact the way in which your body receives that consumption, so if I felt that sun tea may cause me harm I would avoid it. Instead, I choose to drink it with an attitude of gratefulness and expectation for all the ways that it will invigorate my physical being through the memories and potency that it holds, which makes it go down all the better, in my opinion.

How to Make Sun Tea with Loose Leaf Tea

Ingredients & Tools:

• 16 tsps. Tea Leaves or 16 Tbsps. Herbs of Choice – Scale up or down with the proportion of 1 tsp. tea to 8 oz. of water or 1 Tbsp. herbs to 8 oz water.
• 1 gallon Water – Cold or room temperature. More or less if needed according to the size of your container.

• 1 gallon Glass Jar or Beverage Dispenser with Lid – You can use a larger container if so desired.
• Strainer or Tea Infuser- I prefer to allow the tea to steep totally loose in the water and then strain it into another container before drinking, but if you are using a beverage dispenser you will need to use a tea infuser to keep the leaves separate.

Directions

1. Begin by adding your tea leaves or herbs to your glass jar or tea infuser.¹
2. Fill your jar or beverage dispenser with one gallon of cold or room temperature water. Cover with a lid.
3. Place your brewing vessel outside in a location that will get several hours of sun. Allow to sit and steep for approximately 4 hours.²
4. Bring the tea in out of the sun and remove the tea steeper, or pour the tea through a strainer to remove the leaves. Allow tea to cool to room temperature or serve immediately over lots of ice.
5. Enjoy! Sun tea is delicious on its own or with the sweetener of your choice.

Notes

1. If using a tea infuser, ensure that the lid is on tight so that no leaves end up in your beverage dispenser. ↩︎
2. Alternatively, you can place your sun tea in the refrigerator and allow it to do a cold steep for 24 hours. ↩︎

Do you have any memories of drinking sun tea growing up? Have you ever tried making it with loose leaf tea? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments below!

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Recipe Card