When you cold steep, do you first rinse the leaves with hot water? I have heard that helps stop bacteria growth (probably something I'm just paranoid about), and might improve the flavor, I've only tried it with no rinse.
My understanding is you only need to rise in hot (read: boiling) water if the tea has inclusions that are not tea such as fruit or is a fermented tea such as Pu'erh. This is not the case for sun tea which encourages bacteria growth.
When you cold steep, do you first rinse the leaves with hot water? I have heard that helps stop bacteria growth (probably something I'm just paranoid about), and might improve the flavor, I've only tried it with no rinse.
I had never heard of that. I'll have to give it a try the next time I brew a batch.
My understanding is you only need to rise in hot (read: boiling) water if the tea has inclusions that are not tea such as fruit or is a fermented tea such as Pu'erh. This is not the case for sun tea which encourages bacteria growth.