It’s summer and with that hot sun, what could be better than a glass of iced tea?
My family and I are tea lovers and can’t wait for that first hot sunny day of spring, which is when I break out the glass gallon jar of pickles and brew sunshine tea. It’s easy to make and makes a delicious, mild-tasting tea drink, but is it safe?
The safety of drinking sun tea has been debated for several years. According to some reports, sun-brewed tea may harbor nasty bacteria,alcaligenes viscolactis, which can cause everything from a simple stomach ache to diarrhea or flu-like symptoms. Theoretically speaking, this common bacteria is found in water and can thrive in the environment found in sun tea. Experts say that solar-heated water only gets to about 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and that’s not hot enough to kill this bacteria.
So how much risk is there in drinking sun tea? Alcaligenes viscolactis lives in water, it is not magically produced by placing water in the sun. If your tea contains the bacteria, chances are the bacteria was already in your tap water. That means you risk getting sick from any drink you make with water that you haven’t boiled for 3-4 minutes. However, the warm temperature of sun tea would accelerate the proliferation of bacteria if alcaligenes viscolactis were present.
During my research, I found that although the danger may exist, there is no known evidence that any disease has been associated with the consumption of sun tea. In reality, any risk is more likely from poor food handling techniques than from the tea itself.
Here are some common sense tips to keep your sun tea safe to drink:
- Always use a clean gallon size glass container that has been washed in hot soapy water and rinsed thoroughly.
- Black teas, which contain caffeine, are somewhat better at stopping the growth of bacteria.
- Consider avoiding those cute decanters with the built-in spigot. The faucet is almost impossible to clean and is a perfect place for bacteria to hide.
- Use filtered water or purified water that has been processed by steam distillation.
- Never leave brewed sun tea for more than 4 hours.
- Use the tea within 24 hours and discard after 48 hours.
- Keep iced tea refrigerated after brewing.
- Discard any iced tea if it smells sour, becomes thick, or you see slimy string-like particles. This is a sure sign that your tea has been contaminated with bacteria.
- If you have tea that goes bad, be sure to scrub the container or pitcher with hot, soapy water, then soak it in a bleach/water solution, and finally rinse it well with clean water before using it again.
I have brewed sun tea for over 20 years and served it to friends and family, old and young with no ill effects, but i am very picky about cleanliness and proper food handling. I always wash my hands before preparing my Sun Tea, my container is always very clean, I use filtered water and fresh tea that has been properly stored, and I promptly refrigerate the product once prepared.
Now that you know the ins and outs of making Sun Tea, the choice is yours.
