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Sun tea, steeping tea in a jar in sunlight, is a nostalgic summer method with a genuine safety footnote that honest guides should not skip. This sits in the tea making cluster beside cold brew.
What sun tea is
Tea steeped slowly in a covered jar of water left in the sun for a few hours, giving a mellow, mild brew warmer than cold brew but gentler than hot.
The safety caveat
Sun tea sits at lukewarm temperatures that can let bacteria grow, especially over long periods or if the jar is not scrupulously clean. This is a real, commonly under stated point, not scaremongering, and it is not suitable for pregnant women, young children, the elderly or anyone immunocompromised, where the margin is too narrow.
How to do it more safely
Use an immaculately clean jar, fresh cold filtered water, keep it to no more than 3 to 4 hours, refrigerate immediately after, drink the same day, and discard if it looks ropy or smells off.
The safer alternative
Cold brew in the fridge (around 4C) gives a very similar mellow, smooth result without the lukewarm growth risk, and is clearly the better default, see cold brew.
If you make sun tea
Black or robust herbal, plenty of leaf, sealed jar, short sun time, then straight to the fridge and strain. Treat it as same day only, see iced tea.
The flavour
Sun tea fans like its soft, rounded character; well made fridge cold brew is close and safer, see cold brew guide.
In a sentence
Sun tea is pleasant nostalgia with a real lukewarm bacteria caveat; keep it clean, short and same day, or use fridge cold brew for the same result more safely, see cold brew.
What you need to know: sun tea
| Aspect | Note |
|---|---|
| What it is | Tea brewed in glass jar in direct sunlight over hours |
| Origin | US 1970s home-brewing tradition; Americana |
| Method | Glass jar + cold water + 4-5 tea bags + 3-5 hours sun |
| Cup character | Gentle cold-brew with mild aromatic depth |
| Safety caveat | Water temp stays in 20-40C bacterial growth zone; risk |
| Safer alternative | Cold-brew in fridge overnight; 4C inhibits bacteria |
| UK applicability | Limited; UK sun rarely reaches sustained brewing temperature |
| Read | Nostalgic tradition; cold-brew is the safer alternative |
For a cup that suits cold brewing, browse the loose leaf range or the full tea shop.
More tea reading
Continue with cold brew tea, how to make iced tea and how to make tea.
More from the tea wiki
- Green tea
- Black tea
- Oolong tea
- White tea
- Herbal tea
- Caffeine in tea
- How to make tea properly
- Loose leaf vs teabag
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