Here are some recipes for cold-brew coffee and tea for people who are missing cafes during the coronavirus lockdown. If anyone has other recipes for coffee and tea, post them below.
How to make cold-brew iced tea
Take 4 heaping tsp of tea (black, oolong, or green) and put it in a quart jar. Fill the jar with water. The ratio is about 1 heaping tsp of tea per 8oz of water, so you can adjust the recipe to any size container. For less caffeine, you can halve the amount of tea.
That Rishi Wuyi Oolong tea on the right was my favorite, but I don’t know where to find it any more. I’m using a tieguanyin oolong, which you can get at Peet’s (Ti Kuan Yin) or Berkeley Bowl in their bulk section (or order online during the lockdown). Gunpowder green tea also works well.
Put the jar in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.
Strain out the tea leaves and serve.
How to make cold-brew iced coffee
I’ve used 4 parts water to 1 part coarsely ground coffee. (For example, if you want to make 2 cups of coffee, use 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of ground coffee beans.) That might be more than is needed, so you can adjust the proportions to your personal tastes. Another recipe I’ve seen uses an 8:1 ratio.
Caution: cold brew coffee probably has more caffeine than regular coffee.
Put the water and ground coffee in a jar for about 12 hours. Then strain it with a metal strainer. If you want to remove the finest grounds, you can strain it through a few layers of cheesecloth, or just let them sink to the bottom.