Our choices of tea changes according to the changing of seasons and we, tea lovers are lucky to be able to buy tea online with different flavors. However, people tend to exchange their hot cup of tea with iced tea as the weather warms up. To cool off, the choices of beverages are the very first alterations which are made during the summer. Sales of iced tea, sodas, and juices increase as people reduces the intake of hot drinks.
Moreover, many prefer to make their own iced tea at home. So, they follow the process of brewing tea in the sun. The sun brewed tea is quite popular because it is easy to prepare and is less expensive than the usual juices and sodas. The question is, is it beneficial for health?
The sun tea is made by placing a few loose or bagged tea bags in a jar of water and allow it to sit under sunlight for several hours. According to many scientific studies, this method is not safe at all as it can harbor dangerous bacteria. The water in the jar gives birth to a bacteria known as Alcaligenes Viscolactis and the jar won’t get heated more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the bacteria. The sun brewed tea also lacks antioxidants as the jar gets exposed to open air for long hours.
So, if anyone still wants to have sun brewed tea, then it’s better to take some precautions as follows
- Use a clean jar or container.
- Check your water sources and if possible use boiling water.
- Do not leave the jar outside for more than four hours.
- Get rid of the tea if it appears too thick.
- Put the drink in the fridge as soon as possible.
- Do not use herbal tea leaves.
There is also a safer alternative for the iced tea lovers. Instead of having sun tea, one can use the method of refrigerator tea. Add some tea leaves or tea bags in cold water and refrigerate it overnight as it will yield excellent iced tea. However, it is way safer to buy tea online and have it by brewing it in the old fashioned way in boiling water. Even the doctors recommend hot tea as it properly extracts the nutrients and flavor into the water and it also provides antioxidants which reduce the chances of several diseases.