How long does homemade iced tea last?
I made mine on Friday. My Tazo iced tea is great with splenda.
Should last a long time, no different then if you had a container of juice in the fridge. The only concern I would have would be about fermentation of sugars and bacteria. But if you keep it in the fridge it should keep for a week or two.
I’ve noticed that it really depends on the tea I’ve used, the higher quality teas seem to stay fresh longer. Storing them in a glass pitcher that has a tightly sealed lid greatly increases the life of my iced tea and keeps it from picking up any other flavors from the food in the fridge.
I had a cup of TeaVivre Organic White Peony (Bai MuDan) sit forgotten for nearly two weeks and was still drinkable. My Rishi China Breakfast will stay good for over a week (if it even lasts that long without someone drinking it) however the Lipton bagged tea that my husband prefers only lasts a few days before I think it tastes off.
Some types of plastic tend to impart unwanted flavors although it normally happens more with hot tea rather than cold. There are certain types of plastic that aren’t meant to be heated and boiling water is hot enough to cause a problem sometimes.
Your plastic pitcher should be just fine for making iced tea as long as it seals tightly and isn’t left open. I have a plastic pitcher from from Teavana that I use for cold steeps. I mentioned glass because in our house we’re trying to do away with plastic containers and move more towards glass.
We do cold brew in the fridge and have had it last about a week (before being consumed, not going bad). I found it less flavourful later on but that may have been coincidence.
I find that with some of my teas the flavors tend to change over time, although they are still perfectly drinkable. I’ve noticed it more with flavored teas rather than straight teas.
I like my flavored ice teas best after two or three days of mellowing in the fridge! They have tasted good for over a week, but they don’t usually last more than that. I make a gallon at the time usually if it is a flavor we love. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that Assam blends (which go cloudy most easily) are also the ones that sour the fastest. That may be my imagination, though, influenced by the cloudiness of the tea.
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