Jug Pitcher
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What causes iced tea to go syrupy?
I make a gallon of iced tea to bring to work with me: brewed tea, lightly sugared. This morning, I poured a glass and it came out syrupy. Didn't taste any different, but the texture was definitely off. I've had this happen in our iced tea pitcher at home. In both cases, the jug and the pitcher have a cap/lid and are refrigerated.
The jug usually lasts all week and into Saturday. Today, syrup.
Anyone have a clue how/why that happens and how it can be prevented?
Lynn: if it was purely a settling issue, I'd expect to find a layer of syrup at the bottom of an otherwise normal container of tea. In this case, it's the entire 1/2 gallon that's gone viscous.
I'd never thought of using a simple syrup before...that's interesting. I'll try that on my next batch.
Jason: It's tea, water, sugar, in a closed container. There's no evaporation.
The syrupy consistency you're referring to are chains of bacteria forming in your tea. They're not harmful in small quantities, so don't worry yourself too much. The problem is in your water. The bacteria Alcaligenes Viscolactis is commonly found in water and needs sustained boiling for 3 to 5 minutes to kill.
Strangely, this bacteria is (i believe) what makes "sun tea" so good. I may be completely off in thinking that this bacteria could be a tasty tea additive, but for some reason sun tea tastes particularly delicious. Anyway, sun teas only ever reach about 130F, which is a perfect breeding ground for the little buggers. Particularly if you add yummy sugar for them to eat.
My advice is to boil your water for at least 3 minutes, then take it off the heat. Brew your tea for 3 to five minutes in a non-metallic container, then take it to work in a non-reactive container and add your sugar there. Sugar is to bacteria like buffalo wings are to me; they love it and expand notably when eating it.