Safe Sun Tea

Many of my friends tell me that summer signals a time for Sun Tea. Putting tea bags into a large jar of water and letting the sun do the work. But according to the Center for Disease Control and the Colorado State University Extension, brewing via the power of the sun can actually cause bacteria to grow in your tea and there are reported cases of illness arising because of Sun Tea brewing.

Still want a big jar of iced tea without heating up a ton of water? You can choose to make a concentrated tea and then add ice water to it, or you can follow these simple steps.

1. Fill your own tea bags or use store bought bags (I used one large bag and filled it with Teavana's Rooibos Tropica Tea). I prefer to use primarily red teas or herbal teas for my Safe Sun Tea because they don't get bitter if let in the jar too long. The Rooibos Tropica tea is a blend of green and red that has a fruity floral finish and is perfect for a hot summer day.

2. Place bag in large glass jar and screw on lid.


3. Store in refrigerator for 24 hours. Then remove tea bag(s).

Do not leave your tea sitting out at room temperature for more than a few hours and make sure that you clean all tea brewing and storing equipment between uses. It may be calorie free, but tea can still allow for bacteria growth. Let's have a safe summer!