How To Make Sun Tea – A Refreshing Summer Drink Recipe

Want to learn how to make a classic homemade summertime drink, sun tea? It’s a fun, simple, and delicious drink to make this summer season that only requires two ingredients and the sun!

There’s nothing like sitting on a front porch or back deck and sipping a refreshing glass of sun tea. This nostalgic beverage sounds like it came right from the set of a movie, but you can actually make it right in your own backyard.

Whether you prefer your tea as is, slightly sweetened with a bit of sugar, or so sweet that your teeth will be dancing for joy, sun tea is the way to go! Using the power of the sun’s rays, you can brew your own pitcher to enjoy however you feel like it.

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

About Tea

Before we get into exactly how to make sun tea, let’s learn a little bit about tea in general and how it is made.

There are five main types of “true” tea leaves available: black tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, green tea, and white tea. Then there are also herbal teas that are made using the stems, leaves, roots, and flowers of all sorts of different plants.

All types of teas release their flavoring into both hot or cold water as soon as they get wet – or anything in between for that matter. As long as the leaves get saturated, the flavor gets released.

When you are working with cold water, it’s usually called an infusion. It tends to take longer to get the desired flavor and strength. With hot water, it’s called steeping and typically results in a strong flavor in a shorter period of time.

Regular tea is most often made using hot or boiling water. Since it is brewed quickly, it results in a stronger, full-bodied flavor that sometimes becomes bitter if it is oversteeped.

In contrast, sun tea uses cold water and the heat of the sun to slowly brew. This results in a milder, less bitter flavor that is more delicate.

How To Make Sun Tea

Ingredients

• Water – Use cold water to make sun tea. The amount you use will depend on the size of the container you are brewing in.
• Tea – I used family-sized tea bags but you can use regular-sized as well. The type of tea you use doesn’t matter either. Mix it up by combining different varieties to find a flavor that you and your family enjoy. I used basic black tea for this recipe.

• Sunlight – I’m not sure this is technically an ingredient in most cases, but I am going to consider it one for this recipe! You obviously don’t want to make sun tea on a cloudy or rainy day.
• Sweetener – This is optional and something you can add at the very end. Some prefer to use real sugar while others like to use honey or artificial sweeteners. You can also add fruit like lemon or raspberries and even a few sprigs of mint to change the flavor of the tea as well.

Steps To Make Sun Tea

This is a recipe that definitely isn’t difficult to follow. It’s also hard to mess up this recipe as well because you can alter it to your preferences just by adding more time or more tea bags.

First, fill your clear container with cold water. Add the desired amount of tea bags to the container. Add a lid so bugs and other debris won’t make their way inside while brewing.

Set the container in a location that receives full sunlight. If needed, move the jar throughout the brewing time.

Once the tea has reached the desired color and flavor, remove the tea bags and squeeze out any additional liquid. Discard the bags or add them to your compost pile.

Then add any desired sweeteners (optional) and enjoy! Keep any remaining sun tea in your refrigerator and consume it within a day.

Brewing Sun Tea Safely

There are some concerns about bacteria growth and using cold water to brew tea. According to the CDC, it is better to use boiling water or to make refrigerator tea instead. However, sun tea has been made for generations without issues so you do you!

To help brew sun tea safely, consider following these few tips:

• Use a clean container that has been disinfected either in your dishwasher or by dipping into a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach and a gallon of water. Be sure to also disinfect the spigot as well if your container has one.
• Don’t make more tea than you will enjoy that same day.
• Don’t leave the tea brewing for more than 2 to 3 hours.
• Don’t consume sun tea that has been sitting at room temperature for more than 8 hours.
• Place the tea in the refrigerator as soon as it is done brewing to help prevent the growth of bacteria.
• If the tea starts to get thick or stringy, discard it immediately.

To make refrigerator tea instead of sun tea, fill a container with cold water and the appropriate number of tea bags. Allow the tea to steep overnight or for at least 6 hours. When removing the tea bags from the container, squeeze out the excess liquid. Keep the refrigerator tea in the fridge.

Looking for other great summer recipes, check out my Summertime Fruit Salad or my Tomato, Cucumber, And Onion Salad Recipe.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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