Cold brewing methodology research for Japanese greens

[exquisite]

I know there is a very similar topic around about cold brewing, but after carefully reading it I decided to start this new one as related only to japanese green teas :

My goal is to produce 48 oz (1300 ml, that is for 2 persons) cold brewed sencha on a daily basis.
Have to have it ready to go in the morning, just to put it in the bottles and get on the road.
I even "accidentally" picked up the recipients today in a sports shop, some nalgene bottles, seemed pretty fit for what I had in mind:
http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/de ... px?ID=1224


So here is what I wanna try:

A - Boil the water. (I always boil the water, even though I use only bottled soft water, I have this obsession that water for tea has to be boiled). Let the water cool down to room temp. I use a heatproof glass kettle to boil it stovetop, so the water will remain in it.
B - Add the tealeaves (I would start to use 25% of the leaf /water ratio used if brewing normally (for he same water amount) with hot water, (though I never brewed such a crazy amount of hot tea) and then work it up to the right amount). I use only high grade senchas.
C- Stir and let sit. Then wait (overnight, I usually sleep) . Steeping time would be around 7 hours .Than strain directly into the bottles and go to work.



My questions (hope to benefit of any of your experiences):
1. Should I let it brew at room temp or in the fridge? (I prefer room temp, which is around 22C/72F, but can also try putting it in the fridge) Which and why should be better?
2.Adding a little honey at the beginning , together with the tea leaves, or at the end, after straining? (I would add it at the beginning only if brewing in the fridge, as honey has very high fermenting potential. I guess colder temps limit that tendency. I use only organic, non-pasteurized raw honey.)
3.Is 7 hours an exaggerate brewing time? Should i start with 2,3 hours and see what happens first?

Any suggestions /advices appreciated, especially if based on personal experiences.

Thanks!

[Chip]

Good luck with your TeaExperiments!

I have found there are more ways than one to skin a cat when it comes to cold brewing Japanese greens! Try to have fun with it and learn as you go.

Regarding the use of honey, is this to act as a preservative or to actually sweeten/flavor the tea ... just curious. I use it as a natural preservative. When I do, I mix it first in just a little warm water, dissolves much better!

I have cold brewed already for less than an hour with good results, and for many hours with good results, again have fun experimenting.

[exquisite]

Good luck with your TeaExperiments!

I have found there are more ways than one to skin a cat when it comes to cold brewing Japanese greens! Try to have fun with it and learn as you go.

Regarding the use of honey, is this to act as a preservative or to actually sweeten/flavor the tea ... just curious. I use it as a natural preservative. When I do, I mix it first in just a little warm water, dissolves much better!

I have cold brewed already for less than an hour with good results, and for many hours with good results, again have fun experimenting.

Thanks, Chip,
I guess dangers are obviously fewer than conventional hot brewing, so it should normally get me to different various results, not necessarily ruined sessions /material.
I also use honey only as a preservative, and very rarely as a sweetener, when preparing lemonade for example, not teas. Please beware that honey is very sensitive to temps higher that 40C, even puts out some nasty /toxic components at more than 60C. I am an old honey lover and studied very carefully these aspects, both theoretically and experimentally.

Cheers!

[Chip]

Interesting about honey and hotter temps. I had not heard this. Fortunately I just use mildly warm water to dissolve the honey better. But I wonder about those who put honey in their hot tea to sweeten it???

I had stumbled upon the preservative qualities of honey in cold brewed (and hot brewed) somewhat accidentally. I think I subconsciously recalled the natural preservative qualities of honey as I was dealing with the conundrum of iced sencha discoloring/oxidizing very quickly. I was amazed how just a touch of honey really remedied the problem.

[exquisite]

OffTopic : Honey was highly priced and used as a preservative many many hundred years ago, even before salt which was scarce (or inexistent) in many parts of the populated area. I guess humans accidentally discovered that it preserves "yummy stuff" like fragile fruits, mushrooms, or even bird eggs. Anyway, as a living substance, it undergoes various processes , fermentation being the most obvious. Fermented honey gives you alcohol, and from there on humans really started using it, too many virtues to be overlooked.

Here´s one interesting article about bees/honey:
Andrew Cough - Beedazzled, Beewildered , Beegotten
http://www.andrewgough.com/bee1_1.html

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