Sun Tea, No Sun Required

Kenji over at Serious Eats is always surprising us with new tips and cooking methods in his series The Food Lab, but this time around might be the most surprising yet. For this installment, he took on a perennial summer favorite: sun tea. You might not think there are many variables to test with sun tea. You just put water and tea bags in the sun, right? 

Not so quick. Kenji tested a number of variables to find how to make the perfect sun tea, which, unlike traditional tea, is brewed without using high heat and served iced. After testing tea type, container type, water-tea ratio, and vicinity to sun (he made it in the sun, in the shade, and in the fridge) he found that the best sun tea uses... no sun at all! The best tasting tea, according to his testing methods, is made by brewing tea in the fridge for about 5 hours. No sun requried. 

Which made us think: Does sun tea brewed in the fridge even count as sun tea? We're not sure on that one, but we can't wait to try Kenji's new brewing method for a resfreshing summer glass of tea! 

The Food Lab: For The Best Sun Tea, Forget The Sun from Serious Eats