r/tea • u/AD_EI8HT • May 13 '26
Photo Over the years i've seen older Asians at my job drink tea like this so I decided to try it & I have to say I like it... I like it a lot
Doea anyone know the tea in glass jar science?
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u/Lotus2024 May 14 '26
I grew up in very early 1990s China. All the taxi drivers had a mason jar with them. It was full of water and tea leaves. They sipped from it all day (strained the leaves with their teeth) and by the end of the day, it was strong enough to strip paint from a wall. (I know because I was a little kid and a nice taxi driver saw I was curious and poured me a taste into a tea cup once.)
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u/Weary_Swan_8152 May 13 '26
My first year away from home I would put one of these in the pocket of my hoodie when I'd go for walks in the cold to get away from the constant stimulation of living in dorms. I didn't have a teapot, thermos, or even a mug then, and it was a "necessity is the mother of invention" moment. Plus...hand-warmer when it was cold enough for the ground to ice up.
I didn't know that mason jar tea had already been a thing! Thanks for this post.
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u/SabrePossum I am normal and be can trusted to hold your Earl Grey please bro May 13 '26
The shape of drinking vessels does effect taste hence the variation in wine, beer and cocktail glasses
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u/AD_EI8HT May 13 '26
TouchĂŠ
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u/EitherDay7062 May 13 '26
Shape & make. There's tea sommelier online (multiple?) who talk about porcelain vs other ceramics vs metal vs glass, etc etc
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u/Velvet_Re May 14 '26
Even the glaze makes a difference. Tea in a Starbucks ceramic mug tastes different compared to tea in a Le Creuset mug to me (same tea same water).
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u/plotthick May 14 '26
It's worth getting high-fired mugs: the higher the fire, the more the vitrification. The more vitrified, the more set the glaze and the clay body.
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u/schuppaloop May 14 '26
There are plenty of midfire clays and glazes with very low porosity and absorption rates!
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u/edanschwartz May 14 '26
I could be wrong, but I don't think higher temp glazes are necessarily more are less vitrified or porous.
The vitrification will depend more on the chemical makeup of the glaze -- for example, more flux results in a glaze that melts (and therefore vitrifies) at a lower temp (though the ratio to silica and alumina also matter here). A better indicator imo would be the look and feel of the glaze.
The clay itself is a different story. I would expect high temp clay to be less porous than low temp clay. High temp porcelain, for example, can be safely used on it's own, without any glaze
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u/plotthick May 14 '26
Yep. I can't tell them apart on the shelf, can you? Just gimme a good Cone 10 and I'm buying.
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u/schuppaloop May 14 '26
I don't ever recall seeing a mug (or any ceramic piece, for that matter) labeled "cone 10."
I typically fire at cone 6, and the clays I use are fully vitrified, have very low water absorption rates, and are food safe even without applying glaze. The glaze just makes it nice and shiny.
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u/RIMV0315 May 15 '26
I'm looking for a gift for my friend for her birthday and I saw your post. I found a really pretty Le Creuset mug I think she'd really like. Thanks for the inadvertent help!
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u/tenariosm9 May 14 '26
yeah unglazed clay can definitely have a âmuting effectâ vs porcelain. iâd be interested to try a metal brewer, but also doesnât the hot water dissolve some minute portion of the metal?
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u/SabrePossum I am normal and be can trusted to hold your Earl Grey please bro May 13 '26
Do you happen to have a link? I'd be very interested
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u/EitherDay7062 May 13 '26
đ I went looking and found a scam chat bot site. I dont think theres like a thesis sitting anywhere about it, but there might be Its been a topic amongst all tea shop owners Ive visited with around the US and 2 in England.
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u/Riversongbluebox đľ May 13 '26
I make sun tea like this. I don't know why but I swear it does taste better from a glass of mason jar. Just a personal preference at times.
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u/AD_EI8HT May 13 '26
Holding the jar makes me feel so exquisite lol
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u/AdmirableRespect9 May 13 '26
I've been rolling with a 32oz/28oz mason jar with a silicone top and sleeve for so many years. I carry my behemoth in a neoprene growler bag. Not only do I love drinking from glass, I'll slip that monster in the dishwasher and it cleans up better than ceramic and stainless steel and only felt brief regret the three times it broke...2 of those times were my students. I just pick out the silicone and metal and toss the glass in a recycle bin.
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u/aknomnoms May 14 '26
Thatâs the crazy thing for me too: clean glass jars are cheap to buy like for canning, or âfreeâ as part of packaging. One breaks, thereâs still like 40 more left in the âglass jar shelfâ in our garage đ¤Ł
Also, I always make sun tea in a huge 64oz mason jar with wide mouth lid. Personal favorite is mint, especially during the summer. Super refreshing to then pour over ice and drink!
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u/marishnu May 15 '26
Is sun tea when you use room temp water and leave it outside in the sun to steep? Or do you still use hot?
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u/aknomnoms May 15 '26
First one.
I realize some people are afraid of sun tea due to concerns over bacterial growth, and thatâs fine. There are other options (cold brew overnight, chill hot tea) they can use.
I donât have a weakened immune system, use clean jars, use packaged teas (so presumably heat treated to kill bacteria), and only add additional flavorings or sweeteners after itâs done brewing, so Iâm pretty confident that my method is low risk and works well for me.
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u/DengueLy May 16 '26
Where did you get the silicone sleeve? I was using a mason jar with a sock as a cozi till my coworkers started roasting me for it lol. Silicone sleeve woulda been perfect
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u/AdmirableRespect9 May 16 '26
The company I bought from no longer exists on Amazon but I'm sure there's a different one. The company was/is brew armor.
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u/CraftsyHooker May 14 '26
If you want it less bitter, add just a pinch of bicarbonate sodium as it cancels it a bit. Used to make overnight tea for summer like this
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u/billieboop May 14 '26
Careful of that if you have any heart issues or are watching your sodium intake though.
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u/rook119 May 13 '26
There was a sun tea craze in the 80s. Gallon glass jugs were everywhere.
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u/jojocookiedough May 14 '26
Yup, my mom made hers on the back patio. The school office ladies always had their jar out on the blacktop by the flag pole.
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u/gfinz18 May 14 '26
I saw a video of a guy making sun tea come across my page the other day. How does that work though? Doesnât leaving the tea bags in there for so long make it oversteeped and bitter?
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u/jojocookiedough May 14 '26
Not at all. The temperature doesn't get high enough to be bitter.
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u/AdmirableRespect9 May 14 '26
Yeah but you want to sterilize your kit every time bc you are basking in prime fungus temps and don't want to start up a kombucha mother by accident.
I love hibiscus chamomile but black tea with a muddled peach and lemon zest is pretty great in the morning in my hammock chair.
If you need a giant glass jar you can hit up sandwich shops that serve pickles etc. They usually have plastic and glass and if you ask when you order they'll usually empty one or tell you when to come back.
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u/danzor9755 May 14 '26
Itâs still considered âcold brewingâ because you donât boil the water. It never gets to the temperature that releases the tannins, so it slowly steeps all the good stuff. However, despite the nostalgia and magic of tea infused with sun rays, you can get the same results putting it in the fridge, and thereâs less risk of bacteria growth.
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u/Riversongbluebox đľ May 14 '26
For me it doesn't taste bitter at all. I suppose you can just keep an eye on it through the day but I just know when it's right from the color.
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u/After-Fee-2010 May 16 '26
My neighborâs mom would put giant, glass urns of tea out on their deck railing to get sunned. I dislike tea very much and was always sad knowing how much I disliked it while seeing how yummy it looked sitting out in the sun. I wanted to be part of it!
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u/AsherGray May 13 '26
I do this a lot with a water bottle đ I have a green tea that is a beautiful, vibrant green so love having it in a clear bottle.
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u/TygarRawrs May 13 '26
hahhaha tbh reusing the jar is cuz its cheaper than buying a new cup that doesn't even come with a lid. but also this is more eco friendly!
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u/StreetFeetOnTheBeat May 14 '26
I had a math professor who was from China and drank her tea out of a glass jar similar to this during every class. But sheâd probably throw the glass at you if she saw that tea bag. She was a loose tea die hard. đ¤
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u/deep_blue_au May 13 '26
Even better are the ones compatible when mason jar lids. I bought some lids with pour spouts that are made for mason jars and use them constantly
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u/HospitalOld1092 May 15 '26
High volume tea drinking produces this behavior. In many Asian tea cultures this, and other tea habits which are non-Western, are also normalized tea practices, yes. Though this teabag(s)-in-jar style enjoyment of tea is paralleled by many other tea practices, this is not a practice shooting for quality, but for efficiency. You're communicating, "this is my all day beverage!" I think of it like this image: grandpa kept the coffee pot on and drank from it all day.
I once had an accompanist (of Northern European decent and not an older Asian) who would, all day, follow us voice students from studio to studio, to recital practices, choir, toting his gigantic jar of tea-with-bags. He had what he needed with him always, and even napped on piano benches in between rehearsals. Always seemed this precious thing about him; something is beautiful to about our little human routines and getting to witness them. Anyway, enjoy your tea!
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u/zzzzzzzzzzzzvzzzzvzz May 15 '26
You speak so eloquently I initially thought this was ai
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u/HospitalOld1092 May 21 '26
When I know what I want to say, yes đ My therapist told me I speak tangentially, which is a whole polarity to what you just said. Thank you for saying this nice thing - even if it was purely speculative, it made me feel happiness, big thanks for that! When many of my special interests are triggered at once, I'm unstoppable with the fancy talk!
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u/Z_drinks_tea May 13 '26
Not hating but is that a pasta sauce jar?
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u/AD_EI8HT May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
It's an atlas mason jar that I miraculously lost the lid for so I had to use a pasta jar lid
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u/goatesymbiote May 14 '26
i can never fully get the tomato smell out of those no matter how many times i wash
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u/Franklyn_Gage May 13 '26
I would like to try this. Do you just steep it in the jar in hot water and then let it cool?
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u/AD_EI8HT May 13 '26
Tea bag in empty jar > pour hot water > close lid & lightly shake (to not bust the tea bag)
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u/B4umkuch3n May 14 '26
Is it any different then topping my cup with a thin sheet of metal? Because that's what I'm doing my entire life.
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u/Cute_Doughnut_7739 Enthusiast May 14 '26
In Texas it's called sun tea. You do what you did in the picture except you put the bottle/jar in the sun for several hours.
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u/Hot_Truck_9221 May 14 '26
My Asian husband is always trying to throw away my glass jar collection 𼲠I grew up with a southern gma making sun tea and its a core memory. I dont use the amount of sugar she did, but I still love tea in glass jars lol.
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u/eatmeouttobrianeno May 14 '26
Ive been in the jar travel mug my whole life! I work a labor job so I also like to bring a jar of water and a tea bag to make sun tea for later in the day.
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u/inthewoods54 May 14 '26
Are you showing us that the tea is in a glass jar - or are you brewing it with cold water, as in 'sun tea'? I'm just curious if the Asians you work with are storing/transporting it differently or actually brewing it differently.
Incidentally, I'm an herbalist (non-Asian) and have made medicinal teas this way for 30 years, in mason jars. Sometimes boiling water, sometimes cold water, depending on the herb. Nothing beats a good glass jar!
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u/EmotionalSale279 May 14 '26
Not Asian, but this is how my mom and I have always done tea. More so out of convenience and we can put lots of stuff in there to steep.
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u/mrsjetsetfinch May 14 '26
I do the same minus the jar lid :) donât need it as I drink fairly quickly
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u/Plane_Maintenance244 May 14 '26
I do this all the time lol. Pasta jars are so easy to just put in the dishwasher. Glass makes it clear and easy to see volume / sediment vs a lot of travel tumblers of the same size are stainless steel and canât be put in the dishwasher or else the designs will peel or something. Efficient shape (usually not tapered and extra tall), easily seen as disposable, no sentimental value to the vessel if it breaks. Cools easily to drinkable room temperature, easy to pop into the fridge for iced tea / coffee storage and be able to see what is in the vessel due to transparency. I usually use 1L jars or 750ml ones.
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u/PolkaSlush May 15 '26
How does that jar not break? I've broken several glasses and jars before with hot water.
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u/Ucchista May 16 '26
I'm not Asian, but I do this, too. A quart mason jar is easier to drink from and not as difficult to clean as the fancy cups/water bottle lids can be. I just use 1 tea bag to give the water flavor. I drink more water through the day when I do this.
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u/greeneggsandhez May 17 '26
Do you drink it hot or wait for it to cool? Will have to give this a try, it does look better than in a cup haha.
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u/zendo99kitty May 18 '26
Lemon ginger . I hope U had something caffeinated before cause I'd be having withdrawal already
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u/LegalCelebration6141 May 18 '26
So, is this typical hot steeping, or is this âsunâ tea style brewing?
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u/Bucolicwoods May 20 '26
My 70 year old retired American mom (Lithuanian roots) does this. Fills up a mason jar with water and tea bags, sets in the sun for a few hours, and drinks. Not sure what else she adds.
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u/eat_vegetables May 14 '26
I do this with green tea on the regular; but you really should scum scrub it weekly. Iâm lazy and do it every 3-6 months; the encased flavor actually tastes fine. .Â
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u/cuticals May 13 '26
Tea in a jar keeps it hotter than drinking out of a mug! I love my tea piping hot and this will keep it hot for hours
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u/ipini May 14 '26
Wut? No way. Glass cools down as fast or faster than a pottery/china cup/mug.
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u/cuticals May 18 '26
I mean, this is a personal preference. My tea stays hotter when I drink it out of a recycled pasta jar than a mug
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u/ipini May 18 '26
Only possibly the case because of volume. No preference involved. Itâs just physics.
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u/Trick_Ad1543 May 13 '26
as a younger (half) asian, this is hilarious as i do this everyday