Clouding

Tea clouding is simply caused by the extracted solids from the brewing process showing up in the tea. This causes the tea to appear murky or muddy looking. While it does no harm, cloudy tea is unattractive to look at and the condition can be easily avoided if you know how.

There are four things that can cause tea to cloud :

1. Water conditions
2. Bacteria
3. Storing tea at too low of a temperature for too long
4. Using an improper blend of tea.

Hard water or water with high mineral content will cause tea to cloud as a result of the minerals in the water mixing with the extracted solids of the tea. This problem is easily resolved by use of a good water filtration system on the tea brewer or water source used to brew the tea. Never use distilled water to brew tea and use caution when using reverse osmosis water to brew tea. Distilled water tends not to extract the solids for tea during the brewing process which will result in a weak brew. Reverse osmosis water will work fine as a rule, but bad batches can occur if there is a high sodium content in the water. Salt is used to back flush the filters and can sometimes increase the level of sodium in water that is unsuitable for tea brewing.

Most common cause and difficult sometimes to treat is bacteria conditions. Bacteria can occur in tea when proper handling and sanitation procedures are not followed. The best way to discover if this is the problem is to remove the faucet from the tea dispenser and inspect the seat cup for a slimy like substance on it. To cure this problem, all tea brewing equipment and dispensers must be properly cleaned and sanitized. If one piece of equipment is missed, a spoon or a picture, etc, the problem can return very quickly. Check out the proper brewing instruction and sanitizing information contained in this site for further information.

Tea that is held too long, we recommend holding tea for no longer than two hours, or is stored in the refrigerator clouding can occur. Holding tea for more than two hours can lead to the previous mentioned problem. Storage of tea in the refrigerator will cause the solids to show up in the tea and tea will pick up the taste of any odor that is in the refrigerator unless it is stored in an air-tight container. If the clouding of tea is a result of coldness from being stored in the refrigerator, then adding a littler boiling water to it will usually shock it and remove the clouding. We never recommend storing tea in the refrigerator. When tea has been brewed for more than two hours, throw it out.

The wrong blend of tea can cause clouding. Iced tea blends are formulated for iced tea and hot tea blends are formulated for hot tea. Using hot tea blends to brew iced tea will cause tea to cloud. Using iced tea blends to brew hot tea won't cloud but the finished product may not be as good as expected. Always start with the proper blend of tea to get the best finished product.

Telephone: 770-981-6774
Fax: 770-981-6697
Email: sales@atlantacoffeeandtea.com