Staying hydrated is essential to a functioning body and mind, but not all of us love the taste of water alone. For a jazzed up glass of H20, without sugar or sweeteners, why not pop a cold infusion tea bag in your water bottle?
Twinings, Lipton and Teapigs all offer great options for home made iced tea, and in this article we've ranked our top 10 favourites on Asda, Tesco and Amazon to infuse water with fresh and fruity flavours. From green tea to strawberry lemonade, read our tips to help you choose tea bags that really make a splash!
Quick List - Top Cold Infusion Teabags
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Want a few tips on shopping for cold brew tea? This section has that very goal in mind. We'll help you think about how to get good value for money, which flavours you can choose from and whether teabag shape really makes a difference. Spoiler: it does!
Once upon a time, tea bags were rectangular and no one asked questions. Now there are a few different options, designed to improve the way the tea leaves infuse the water. Flavour takes a little longer to mix through cold water than boiling water, so keep this in mind while you shop.
When water is added to dried tea leaves, the solids preserved in the drying process begin to dissolve, infusing the water with flavour. In hot water this happens fast, since the water molecules are energised and move quickly.
However, in cold water, molecules move more slowly, so it takes a little longer for the tea leaf solids to break down. This means that, just as with hot tea, the shape of the tea bag has an effect on cold infusion.
The pyramid shaped teabag - sometimes referred to as a tea temple or infuser - allows more space for the tea leaves to move. This transfers flavour more effectively, even in cold water. In fact, pyramid tea bags infuse water almost as effectively as loose-leaf tea. They cost a few more pence on average, but if you can afford it, it's worth it for delicious, sugar free flavoured water!
Classic round and rectangular teabags are flat, rather than fully three-dimensional. This means the leaves inside have a little bit less room for manoeuvre. While in 2014 the UK advertising watchdog officially ruled that flat tea bags don't allow tea to infuse as effectively, they do have some key benefits.
The principal bonus of flat tea bags is that they are usually slightly more affordable than pyramids. Another potential appeal is that they sometimes come individually wrapped. While this isn't the best news for anyone keen to reduce the amount of packaging they rack up, it's super helpful if you want to pop a couple of teabags in your pocket or bag for an emergency cold-brew on the go!
For a really effective infusion, particularly in cold water, we recommend muslin or cornstarch tea bags. The exceptionally fine fabric allows tea leaves to infuse water with an intensity similar to loose-leaf brewing, but with all the convenience of a tea bag.
Cold infusion tea bags made from muslin or cornstarch are much more durable than ones made of filter paper, so you can happily leave them in your bottle through a few re-fills without fear of them breaking and letting bitter tea leaves loose. The potential for multi-use alone, justifies the slightly higher price.
The flavours you choose all depends on how you want to feel. Different blends of fruits and florals will evoke different vibes, and also have varied health benefits. Choose peach or rose lemonade for a classic ice tea, or try watermelon, strawberry, passion fruit or mango to infuse your water bottle with the flavours of summer.
For a sharper flavour to lift spirits and aid concentration, consider adding a cold infusion tea bag flavoured with lemon, lime or mint to your glass of iced water. Cranberry teas are high in anti-oxidants, as is green tea, especially if you opt for Matcha.
To boost your metabolism, consider a tea that blends green tea leaves with hydrating, water-rich fruits like apple and watermelon. Vanilla adds sweetness and blends well with fruit, whereas lychee and mandarin offer complex, delicate flavours. The choice is yours!
It's important to check the number of teabags included in each pack, so you can see what you're getting in return for your cash.
If it's just for you, and you're happy to re-use a teabag throughout the day, between 7 and 12 bags is the perfect amount for a week or two of cold infusion treats. If you have kids who need incentives to drink more water, or you're planning on preparing a jug of iced tea to share, look for multi-packs with 15 or more teabags.
If you are concerned about the planet, paper tea bags are the way to go. They can be chucked onto your compost heap and will break down super easily, adding nutrients back into the soil. Muslin and cornstarch teabags are another story, although some brands will degrade in local authority composting.
Sadly, not only are many of us without access to large-scale composting sites, but the reality is that these materials simply do not degrade quickly enough to be of real benefit to the planet, taking around a decade to decompose. Any gardener with their own compost heap will tell you the same, so if the planet is more important to you than flavour, pick paper teabags.
Even if you've chosen paper teabags, check to see whether they're wrapped in foil. Foil wrapping improves taste by keeping the bags fresh, as tea is surprisingly susceptible to having its flavour tainted if it touches surfaces or is exposed to oxygen for too long. However, if you're worried about excessive packaging, a recyclable cardboard box will keep bags protected and avoids additional waste.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Twinings Cold In'Fuse Selection | ![]() | Multi Pack of Fragrant, Fruit-Flavoured Teas | |
2 | Lipton Cold Brew Individual Real Iced Teabags | ![]() | Add a Caffeine Pick-Me-up to Chilled Water | |
3 | Tetley Cold Infusion Passionfruit & Mango Teabags | ![]() | Fresh Chilled Tea With a Tropical Taste | |
4 | Ahmad Tea Cold Brew Ice Tea | ![]() | Mint and Lemon Tea Leaves for a Refreshing Cold Brew | |
5 | Kineta Cold Brew Matcha Green Tea Infusion Pods | ![]() | Boost Hydration and Support Healthy Weight Loss | |
6 | Twinings Cold Infuse Metabolism | ![]() | Light-Tasting Cold Brew Tea to Boost Metabolism and Zinc Levels | |
7 | Lipton Cold Brew Peach Flavour Teabags | ![]() | Lipton's Classic Peach Ice Tea With None of the Calories | |
8 | Whittard Cranberry and Raspberry Flavour Instant Tea | ![]() | Instant Powder for a Refreshing Jug of Tea | |
9 | Twinings Cold Infusion Clarity Teabags | ![]() | Clarity and Calm With Added Vitamin C | |
10 | teapigs Cold Brew Lychee & Rose Tea | ![]() | Delicately Flavoured Biodegradable Tea Pyramids With Plastic-Free Packaging |
Topping our list is Twinings' multi-packs of cold water infusion pyramids. These teabags infuse effectively and use vibrant flavour combinations to give your water some much needed pizzazz. Each recyclable tub contains 12 bags, making this a sensible choice for larger households or single souls who love variety.
The rose lemonade would work well for a jug of iced tea shared with friends, whereas the blueberry, blackcurrant and apple is fresh, without being too sweet. Not to mention the watermelon, mint and strawberry combo is essentially summer in a gulp. We'll drink to that!
To add a little caffeine boost to your water bottle, try these naturally sugar free, individually wrapped cold infusion tea bags from Liptons. The blend of green tea, mango and vanilla is sweet, bright and mood-boosting. Simply pop one bag into your bottle for 5 minutes to enjoy tasty hydration all day!
These little bags can endure a day of tap-water refills without falling apart, and the filter paper they're made from can be composted with ease. The rectangular shape means they might take a little longer to infuse, but the flavour is second to none.
We particularly like Tetley's mango and passion fruit cold brew teabags as they're sweet, tangy and remain much closer to the actual fruit flavour than a lot of herbal teas seem to manage. The price is brilliant and these bags can also be enjoyed hot if you fancy it.
They work splendidly in a jug with some fresh mint leaves and ice cubes. But, the best bit about these tea bags is that, despite being totally biodegradable, they can survive a day of water bottle refills better than most other filter-paper tea bags. Perhaps it's Tetley's years of experience, or a sprinkle of magic?
We like these tea bags because they infuse cold water with a bright, fresh citrus flavour in five minutes. They contain aromatic Kenyan black tea leaves, along with a powerful kick of lemon and lime. Produced by a family run business, there's a reason this tea has glowing reviews online.
Though it doesn't take long to imbue water with some zesty flavour, this product works even better when tea is left refrigerated overnight. The teabags are packaged in foil for freshness, and are themselves 100% compostable.
These little tea bags boast all the goodness of matcha green tea. Not only is matcha an anti-oxidant, it also helps cleanse the liver and promotes healthy brain function. This pack of 7 may not be ideal for large families, but the sturdy cornstarch bags can be re-used, making a fortnight's worth of flavoured water if you're the only person enjoying them.
Kiss goodbye to lacklustre hydration and boost your mood and energy levels at the same time. You may even want to try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to help enhance the striking matcha taste!
Another on our list with brilliant health benefits is this metabolism boosting tea from Twinings. It harnesses the benefits of watermelon, apple and matcha to speed up healthy digestion and burn calories effectively. Plus, the added zinc is great for protein synthesis and glowing skin.
These bags can be left in your water bottle all day long and won't disintegrate or leak. The pyramid shape allows for thorough infusion, leaving your water richly flavoured with no added nasties. It's just a shame that they won't decompose on a regular compost pile.
When we think cold tea, we think iced tea, and when we think iced tea, Liptons often comes to mind. Now you can enjoy their classic chilled sweetness with zero sugar.
A healthier way to serve up sunshine in a jug, it's boosted with a hint of green tea for a mild caffeine kick to get the day going. The individually foil wrapped pyramids last brilliantly in a water bottle, resulting in a handy and affordable way to enjoy iced tea without the calories. Yay!
OK... we've cheated a little bit here. This isn't a set of cold infusion tea bags, but rather a tin of palette-tickling powdered tea. For a delicious mouthful of summer, stir two heaped tea spoons into a jug of iced water and add some slices of lemon or lime.
The 2 minute brewing time will suit even the most impatient among us. However, sugar is the number one ingredient, so this is a no-go if you've chosen cold infusion tea bags as a way to reduce your intake.
Twinings have really got sophisticated flavour blends down, and this is one of our favourites from their vitamin enriched range. This tea contains 75% of your recommended daily vitamin C allowance, with a complex blend of sweet mandarin and herbal rosemary.
While Twinings' website states that their cornstarch bags can be composted, the reality is that they can't. You'll have to weigh up whether the brilliant flavour achieved using these super-fine pyramid infusers is as important to you as reducing your household waste.
We love Teapigs as they provide lots of intriguing flavours and aim to keep their packaging low. That's why you won't find any foil wrapping when you unpack this box of tasty cold brew tea bags. In particular, their lychee and rose blend is truly unique and tastes just as yummy hot, although it's freshest and sharpest over ice!
While the outer packaging is minimal and suitable for shredding onto a compost heap, the bags themselves will take decades to properly biodegrade. This is the biggest downside as it makes their branding appear more planet friendly than it truly is.
No. 1: Twinings|Cold In'Fuse Selection
No. 2: Lipton|Cold Brew Individual Real Iced Teabags
No. 3: Tetley|Cold Infusion Passionfruit & Mango Teabags
No. 4: Ahmad Tea|Cold Brew Ice Tea
No. 5: Kineta |Cold Brew Matcha Green Tea Infusion Pods
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