Sweet Tea Wine

[Mismost]

This is an interesting wine...we opened a few bottles over the week end. It was fun to watch the expressions on people's faces when they tried that first sip! Most made a funny face...most said it had a very familiar taste, but they couldn't name it. Most really liked it after it about 1/2 a glass and ALL were surprised and then recognized the taste when I told them it was tea wine.

I stopped at a bigger HBS in Austin and picked some flavorings...gonna try adding them and see what happens. I really think this could be a good base wine to add many different flavors too...like coconut, watermelon, or berries. Too good and cheap to not make again!

 

[BernardSmith]

How many grams or ounces of tea do you use to a gallon? I am thinking about 32 grams plus or minus (that is about 1 ample oz or about 16 tablespoons of loose leaf )? I ask because I am thinking of making a mead using lapsang souchong tea with some local wildflower honey to make a sultry, smoky mead

 

[Mismost]

How many grams or ounces of tea do you use to a gallon? I am thinking about 32 grams plus or minus (that is about 1 ample oz or about 16 tablespoons of loose leaf )? I ask because I am thinking of making a mead using lapsang souchong tea with some local wildflower honey to make a sultry, smoky mead

I used 21 FAMILY SIZE tea bags...if normal size bags, I would multiply by 3...and I have no idea how much a tea bag weighs or what in the heck lapsang souchong is either!! The tea flavor is pretty light in my wine.

 

[BernardSmith]

Thanks Mismost. I guess my working assumption is that if the flavor is rich enough for the tea then the flavor is likely rich enough for the wine. That would be around 32 grams for about 16 cups of tea and 16 cups would be 128 fl oz (a US gallon)

Lapsang souchong tea is a black Chinese tea that is smoked. Very unique flavor. Makes a great tea. Hoping that it might make a very interesting mead.

 

[BernardSmith]

Tasted the tea wine last night - it is now at .992 and tastes really very good for a wine that is just less than three weeks old. Looking at some of the earlier and other posts where people talk of boiling the tea for about an hour..In Glasgow, where I was born, that would have been called stewed tea and that would not be a compliment. You want to add boiling water to the tea and perhaps allow the tea to steep for 5 to 10 minutes. More than that and you are drinking tannin, not tea. And for what it's worth you want to use the very best tea you can find - not supermarket tea bags filled with tea dust. My next batch will be an oolong tea...

 

[Mismost]

I find the flavor to be there, but very faint. Folks taste it and say it has a famieral taste....but they can not place it until you say TEA. Then they pick up on it quick.

I did start with boiling water, added my bags of supermarket "tea dust", let it steep over night, and then into the primary....but I was born in Texas and therefore am unencumbered with preconceived notions on the proper way to make tea. But, I do know better than to drink it hot with milk. ;-)

Now, we have been adding those Crystal Lite tubes of drink mixes...Rashberry, Peach, Mango, Lemonaide...one tube to a bottle. I am sure this violates numerous serious wine drinking sensibilities but it is real fine on a 100 degree deck by the pool.

 

[Jose' Miller]

Growing up we always had home grown spearmint tea. My mother still makes it every year. I asked if she could make me some concentrate out of this and she said she could. I am going a little stronger on the tea since #1 it's good, and #2 I'm afraid the taste would be weak if I don't up it? I know 1/8th cup of concentrate is added to 4 cups of water to make the tea. I intend on doubling it.

Do you see any issues with my intentions? Any other suggestions? I don't intend on adding any other flavors, just the spearmint.

 

[BernardSmith]

I tend to be a contrarian and suggest that you taste the must using the same concentration that you prefer when you drink this as tea. If it tastes too thin or weak then add more concentrate. Easier to add flavor than remove it. I would suspect that as a wine this tea should be as strong as when you drink the spearmint without any alcohol.

 

[Jose' Miller]

Thanks for the advice! That does make sense.....can always add flavor. Thank you sir!!

 

[Mismost]

Growing up we always had home grown spearmint tea. My mother still makes it every year. I asked if she could make me some concentrate out of this and she said she could. I am going a little stronger on the tea since #1 it's good, and #2 I'm afraid the taste would be weak if I don't up it? I know 1/8th cup of concentrate is added to 4 cups of water to make the tea. I intend on doubling it.

Do you see any issues with my intentions? Any other suggestions? I don't intend on adding any other flavors, just the spearmint.

I've got six gallons going right now... used 100 of the cheap "tea dust" store bought bags...a dollar a box! It made a pretty strong batch, much darker color.
I have mint growing in the garden... think I'll steep up a strong batch or it and add it to part of this batch.
That's what I like about Tea Wine...it so cheap you can really play around with it. Thinking of adding some apple juice, mango juice, different flavors...bottle and cap in beer bottles for a carbonated "wine cooler".

 

[Jose' Miller]

I've got six gallons going right now... used 100 of the cheap "tea dust" store bought bags...a dollar a box! It made a pretty strong batch, much darker color.
I have mint growing in the garden... think I'll steep up a strong batch or it and add it to part of this batch.
That's what I like about Tea Wine...it so cheap you can really play around with it. Thinking of adding some apple juice, mango juice, different flavors...bottle and cap in beer bottles for a carbonated "wine cooler".

Did you add anything to the must such as tannin, acid blend, etc. I have seen varying opinions on the research I did. Thanks!

 

[Mismost]

Did you add anything to the must such as tannin, acid blend, etc. I have seen varying opinions on the research I did. Thanks!

Nope. Plenty of tannins in my batch... yeast energizer, yeast nutrient added....acid can be adjusted at the end. Did use use two packages of EC1118 that I started and then pitched...it blew through the sugars, very fast ferment.

 

[Jose' Miller]

Thank you!!

 

[wpt-me]

I have just started a raspberry herb tea batch. It's going like gangbusters right now.
we will see how it comes out !!

Bill

 

[Venatorscribe]

Added hibiscus tea to rose petals before primary. Fermented on the petals and leaves. Have only just bottled it and believe that this will be a stunner in six to twelve months.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

I have 10 litres in 5 litre demijoyns added rosella and apple syrup at 1,02 added airlocks. Have the remaining 28l under a lid and airlock now.

 

[Shayne Edwards]

This should be interesting, made some stuff ups but will soldier on to see what happens.

 

[M dubey]

Has anyone made a successful sweet tea wine? Being from the south and from the city that is home to Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka, sweet tea is a big deal. I am interested in trying to make a sweet tea wine. I did try a white zen that was flavored w black tea extract from a winery. It had a very nice flavor but I'm interested in fermenting the tea. Any thoughts?

couple of year back I tried my hand on turkish tea wine and green tea mead flvoured with cardamom, anise and cloves. At that time I have no access to wine yeast and have to depend on baker's yeast matured in fruit juice. Both wines had were fine and green tea mead was much appreciated for its inherent flavor of Himalayan wild honey.

 

[wpt-me]

My raspberry tea wine came out very nice and tasty. Just bottled got 10 .750 liter.

Bill

 

[winemanden]

Nothing wrong with these various wines you make. Shoot me down if you like, but I've always been under the impression that the main ingredient in Tea wine had to be TEA . Everything else is an infusion. Ask for a cuppa Tea in the UK and that's what you get. TEA