How to Make Sun Brewed Tea (And How to Do It Safely)

There is something undeniably appealing about a big glass jar sitting on the porch rail, slowly turning gold in the afternoon sun. Sun brewed tea has been a warm-weather tradition for generations, made with nothing more than water, tea, and patience.

It is also, according to food safety agencies, one of the riskiest ways to make iced tea at home. This guide covers how sun tea is traditionally made, exactly why the warning exists, and how to brew a version that keeps the tradition while cutting the real risk out of it.

What Is Sun Tea?

Sun tea is iced tea made without any heat source at all. Tea bags or loose tea go into a clear glass container filled with cold water, and the jar sits outside in direct sunlight for several hours. The warmth of the sun gradually draws the flavor and color out of the tea leaves, producing a smoother, less bitter brew than tea steeped in boiling water.

The method is old, simple, and completely electricity-free, which is exactly why it became a staple in hot, sunny regions long before refrigeration and iced tea machines were common in every kitchen.

How to Make Traditional Sun Brewed Tea

Fill a clean, clear glass jar or pitcher with cold water, leaving a few inches of headspace
Add tea bags or a tea infuser filled with loose tea, using roughly one bag or one tablespoon of loose tea per two cups of water
Cover the jar loosely or seal it, and set it in direct, strong sunlight
Let it brew for 3 to 5 hours, checking the color periodically until it reaches the strength you like
Remove the tea bags or infuser, then refrigerate immediately

That is the traditional method in full, and it is exactly why it has stuck around for so long. It is also exactly the method food safety researchers have spent the last several decades warning against.

The Food Safety Risk Nobody Warns You About

Tea leaves, whether in bags or loose, are a minimally processed agricultural product, which means they can carry bacteria picked up anywhere along the way from field to package. According to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the CDC has discouraged making sun tea since 2011 because it creates ideal conditions for bacterial growth: the water gets warm enough to brew the tea, but never hot enough to kill any bacteria present in the leaves or the water itself.

This comes down to what food safety agencies call the temperature danger zone. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service explains that bacteria multiply fastest between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and can double in number in as little as 20 minutes. A jar of sun tea brewing for three to five hours in the summer sun typically sits right in the middle of that range the entire time.

Proper hot brewing avoids this problem entirely, since steeping tea in water around 195 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes is hot enough to kill the coliform bacteria most commonly associated with contaminated tea, including strains of E. coli. Sun tea skips that heat step completely, leaving whatever bacteria was already present free to multiply for hours in warm water.

Who Is Most at Risk

Bacterial contamination in sun tea can cause abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Healthy adults may only experience mild symptoms or none at all, but the risk is higher for young children, elderly adults, pregnant women, and anyone who is immunocompromised.

If sun tea has been sitting out for more than a few hours, or if it develops a cloudy, slimy, or off-smelling quality, discard it rather than risk drinking it.

The Safer Way to Make Sun Tea

If the tradition matters to you and you are not willing to give it up entirely, there is a middle-ground method that keeps most of the ritual while cutting the actual risk. Iowa State University Extension recommends starting with a clean, sanitized glass jar, then pouring a small amount of boiling water directly over the tea bags or leaves and letting them steep for 3 to 5 minutes before adding the rest of the cold water. This brief hot water contact is enough to kill most of the bacteria that would otherwise multiply during the hours in the sun.

From there, proceed as usual: fill the jar with cold water, set it in the sun for a few hours to develop color and flavor, then refrigerate right away. You get the same smooth, sun-brewed flavor, with a meaningfully lower risk profile.

An Even Simpler Alternative: Cold Brewing

If you want to skip the food safety debate altogether, cold brewing in the refrigerator produces a very similar smooth, low-bitterness result. Simply combine tea and cold water in a covered pitcher and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. The tea never leaves the safe temperature zone, and the flavor is nearly indistinguishable from a jar that sat on the porch all afternoon.

Best Herbs and Teas for Sun Brewing

One advantage of sun brewing, done safely, is how well it suits herbal blends that can turn bitter or astringent under boiling water.

Black tea: The traditional choice, producing the classic amber color and familiar iced tea flavor
Green tea: Especially prone to bitterness from hot water, so sun brewing or cold brewing tends to bring out a sweeter, more delicate flavor
Hibiscus: Produces a vivid ruby-red color and a tart, cranberry-like flavor that holds up beautifully over a long, gentle steep
Mint: Fresh or dried mint leaves add a cooling, refreshing note, and pair especially well with black or green tea bases
Lemon balm: A gentle, lemony herb that infuses easily without the bitterness hot water can pull from more delicate leaves
Chamomile: Mild and floral, best kept on the shorter end of the steeping time to avoid a hay-like flavor developing

Tips for the Best Flavor and Results

Always use a clear glass container. Glass allows sunlight to penetrate evenly, and it will not leach chemicals into the tea the way some plastics can under prolonged heat exposure
Use filtered water if your tap water has a strong mineral or chlorine taste, since sun brewing has a way of concentrating those flavors
Find a spot in full, direct sun rather than partial shade, since consistent warmth is what drives the flavor extraction
Taste test periodically after the three-hour mark rather than walking away and forgetting about it
Add sweeteners, citrus, or fresh herbs after brewing and straining, not before, so they do not affect the extraction

How Long Should You Sun Brew Tea?

Most batches reach full strength somewhere between 3 and 5 hours in strong, direct sunlight. Overcast days will take longer and may never fully develop the color and flavor of a bright, sunny afternoon. Avoid leaving the jar out longer than necessary just to deepen the color, since extra time in the danger zone only adds risk without meaningfully improving the result.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Leaving the jar out for more hours than needed just because the color looks pale
Using a container that was not properly washed and sanitized beforehand
Letting the finished tea sit out at room temperature after brewing instead of refrigerating right away
Reusing the same batch of tea bags or leaves for a second round of sun brewing
Serving sun tea to young children, elderly relatives, or anyone immunocompromised without using the sterilized method first

Turn Your Kitchen Into a Practical Home Apothecary

Brewing tea from mint, lemon balm, chamomile, hibiscus, and other herbs is a simple reminder that plants have been part of the household toolkit for generations. But making an herbal tea is only the beginning. Knowing which plants to keep on hand, how to prepare them correctly, and how people traditionally used them is where that knowledge becomes truly useful.

That is exactly what The Forgotten Home Apothecary was created to help you explore.

Inside, you’ll discover a practical collection of traditional herbal preparations you can make at home—from teas and infusions to tinctures, salves, poultices, syrups, oils, and other time-tested remedies. Instead of simply collecting herbs without knowing what to do with them, you’ll have a reference you can return to when you want to put your home herbal supplies to practical use.

Whether you’re interested in becoming more self-reliant, expanding your knowledge of medicinal plants, or simply rediscovering the remedies previous generations kept within reach, this is the kind of resource worth having on your shelf.

Don’t stop at brewing herbs for flavor. Learn how to build a useful home apothecary and preserve the traditional herbal knowledge that is so easily forgotten.

👉 Get The Forgotten Home Apothecary and discover how ordinary plants can become part of a well-stocked, practical herbal cabinet!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is sun tea actually dangerous, or is this overblown?

For most healthy adults, an occasional glass of traditional sun tea is unlikely to cause serious harm, but food safety agencies have documented real cases of bacterial illness linked to it, which is why the CDC and USDA recommend against the traditional method.

Can I use a plastic jar instead of glass?

Glass is the better choice. Some plastics can leach compounds when exposed to hours of direct sunlight and warmth, and glass also transmits sunlight more evenly for better flavor extraction.

How long can finished sun tea sit in the refrigerator?

Refrigerated tea is generally fine for up to three days. After that, flavor quality declines and the risk of bacterial growth increases even under refrigeration.

Does sun tea have less caffeine than hot brewed tea?

Sun brewing tends to extract somewhat less caffeine than a full boiling water steep, though the exact difference depends on brewing time, tea type, and how much tea is used.

You may also like: