Jul. 09, 2025

Cold Brewed Red Oolong Tea

During summer, I enjoy cold brewing tea. It's refreshing, smooth, and simple to make.

Cold brewing is also a great way to explore tea in a new light. Brewing at a lower temperature extracts lower levels of tannins and caffeine, while still releasing desirable flavor compounds. This leads to a smoother, less astringent, yet still flavorful, brew, compared to its hot counterpart.

You can cold brew any tea, but I personally enjoy sweet and fruity notes amplified by a lower temperature brew. That's why I've selected this Thai Red Oolong. It's the perfect choice for a hot summer day when I'm craving something sweet and juicy.

Tasting Notes

A sweet, honeyed brew that brings to mind ripe fruits in a summer garden.

Red Oolong brews a honey golden liquor, with a juicy nectarine aroma, and long lasting sweetness felt on the tongue. Silky smooth with a bright, refreshing feel. It drinks like a dessert wine (think Ice wine or Tokaji).

The Tea: Red Oolong

Red Oolong is a highly oxidized oolong tea from Taiwan (or Thailand in this case) that I adore. When brewed hot, it releases an aroma of honey, fruit jams, baked pastries and toasted nuts. Something interesting happens when you brew it cold though.

The nutty side of the tea and its warm pastry character become hardly noticeable, while the sweet, fruity, honey notes really shine. We are left with a refreshing and fruity cold brew - the honey aroma really penetrates the palate, with almost no astringency, and a crisp, clean finish.

How To Cold Brew

When it comes to cold brewing, you don't need much equipment. Just use a glass pitcher or mason jar and a strainer.

Add tea leaves to room temperature water. I like to use a ratio of 1.5g to 100ml. Then refrigerate for around 8 hours. Once it's ready, strain and serve. You can then re-brew another 2 or 3 times to get the most out of your leaves.

Note: There are two methods to enjoy cold tea: Hot brewed tea concentrate poured over ice, or tea cold brewed overnight (no ice). While the hot brew method is faster to produce, I prefer the cold brew for its smoother profile, which is what's used in this recipe.

Also I recommend using a soft water (low PPM) that is neutral in taste, to allow the tea to shine best.

Cold Brew Recipe