What is a cloudy tea and how to avoid it?

If you have tried to do one of our summer iced tea recipes, cloudy tea might have happened to you. But what is cloudy tea, how does it happen and how can you prevent it?

When you brew your tea, you expect to have a perfectly clear and bright color. But sometimes you might find it a little bit hazy or cloudy.Though it may not be very attractive, it’s still fine to drink.

What causes iced tea to be cloudy and how to prevent it?

1. Cleanliness: a dirty equipment can affect drastically the appearance and the taste of the tea. To avoid cloudiness, it is very important to always use perfectly clean tools.
2. Temperature shock: pouring directly the hot brewed tea over ice will create a chemical reaction making the tea cloudy. Caffeine and tannins are bonding with each other, creating this hazy aspect. To avoid such reaction, it is important to let the tea cool down at room temperature before serving over ice.
3. Water quality: tea is made of 99% water (without the ice), so a bad water quality can affect the opacity. Some of you might use lower water quality for boiling. If the water has an opaque aspect, it will create cloudy tea. To avoid that, always make sure the water you are using for your tea is perfectly clear.
4. Refrigeration: you might want to prepare your iced tea in advance and refrigerate it overnight. This will not only affect the taste of the tea by absorbing the fridge’s odors, but also create a chemical change. The calcium and/or magnesium react with the the polyphenols and create cloudiness. Polyphenols are what give tea its health properties. The more premium is the tea, the higher is the risk to have a cloudy tea. To avoid it, you should keep your iced tea at room temperature before serving over ice and you should drink it within 6 to 8 hours of brewing.

You know now all the secrets to avoid cloudiness and serve the best iced tea for this summer.