How to bottle tea? (9 easy steps)
In this brief guide, we will answer the question “How to bottle tea?”, discuss how to make brewed tea last longer, and how tea affects your health.
How to bottle tea?
To bottle your tea, follow these simple steps:
- First of all, prepare the tea in a normal manner. However, it is not recommended to put in any additives (such as sugar and lemon) at this stage, unless you brew them in your tea.
- Once the tea is prepared, remove all the tea bags or any other solid ingredient.
- Now heat the bottles in the oven at 350 Fahrenheit.
- Put caps in 180 Fahrenheit water to sterilize them and bring them up to the temperature with the bottles.
- Bring the brewed tea to 180 Fahrenheit, if hotter, it will become bitter and evaporate the flavors.
- Take the brewed tea off heat, and add other ingredients. (if required)
- Funnel the brewed tea into hot bottles.
- Cap the bottles immediately.
- Let the tea cool slowly.
How long does brewed tea last at room temperature?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), brewed tea is only good for 8 hours at room temperature. After this duration, the number of airborne bacteria in tea is increased to a maximum, making tea unsafe to be consumed. Also, the flavor and nutrients of tea go off due to evaporation by this time.
How to make brewed tea last longer?
To make brewed tea last longer, you have to cover it properly. Because keeping the tea uncovered is not a wise idea.
First of all, try to keep the brewed tea in an airtight jar so that the airborne bacteria and other microorganisms don’t get a chance of getting into the tea.
Secondly, do not add sugar to the tea until you plan to drink it. Adding sugar to the tea will encourage the growth of bacteria in the tea and therefore, the shelf life of tea will be shortened.
Thirdly, do not scrimp on the quality of your tea leaves. Good quality tea leaves produce good tea that stays fresh for a longer period.
How to know if your tea has gone bad?
Few telltale signs help you to determine if the tea has gone bad or is it still okay to be enjoyed. These signs are:
- Ropy strands in your tea
- The sour taste of the tea
These signs are the indication of bacterial growth in the tea. So you should not consume such a tea rather discard it as soon as possible.
Other FAQs about Tea which you may be interested in.
How tea affects your health?
Tea affects your health in several ways. It can be beneficial to you in some ways but harmful in another way. So try to take a moderate number of teacups, as you know excess of everything is bad.
Advantages of tea
- Both caffeinated and herbal teas are a rich source of minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and copper.
- Natural substances, called polyphenols, are found in both caffeinated and herbal teas. These compounds are antioxidants and help reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases.
- The caffeine and catechins, a type of polyphenol, in tea may help with weight loss.
- Tea is also known to lower the cholesterol and blood pressure of the consumer. So it also helps in improving heart health.
- The catechins in tea help to regulate the blood sugar level. So tea also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Disadvantages of tea
- Large amounts of caffeine may lead to nervousness, restlessness, and may disturb your sleep.
- Some people may also face gastrointestinal issues and loose stools.
- Nausea, abdominal pain, heartburn, dizziness, and muscle pain are also possible side effects from consuming too much caffeine.
- The tea may also interact with certain medications and increase the effect of caffeine in the body.
- Caffeine is a habit-forming stimulant and regular intake of caffeine from tea can lead to caffeine dependence.
- The tennis present in tea can bind to the iron from your food, thereby reducing the iron absorption from your digestive tract.
How to store brewed tea?
If you want to store bottle tea, make sure that its cap is sealed well. Place the bottle in a refrigerator and you can keep it there for 3-5 days.
You can also store the tea in a mason jar with an airtight cap. Place the jar in the refrigerator to keep the tea drinkable for 3-5 days.
Make sure that the cap is well sealed so that it will help your tea from getting the odor or aroma of anything else that is placed in the refrigerator. Also, the low temperature of the refrigerator prevents certain bacteria to grow, thereby reducing the chance of bacterial contamination in the tea.
Conclusion:
In this brief guide, we answered the question “How to bottle tea?”, discussed how to make brewed tea last longer, and how tea affects your health.
