Can I mason jar iced tea? OR use a beer bottle method?

Hello, I wanted to sell bottled iced tea at my shop. I am researching right now about bottle, ways I can do it and checking to see how long the iced tea will last before spoiling. Anyways the only idea I can think of so far is using mason jars. I dont know how long they will last but my target is 15-30 days. From my understanding it should last at least a month. I dont know what preservative would work...maybe honey?

You beer guys might have some beer making knowledge that can help my situation. Thanks

Wtf?..............
spaceflip sounds right.

Start here:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11.html

Ignore any reference to fermentation or priming sugar.

I don't know how long iced tea lasts. Perhaps refrigeration is necessary.
The only thing that honey preseves is itself.

I wouldn't use any preservatives. Keep it fresh.

Brewers don't use mason jars. Try a pickling forum.

Maybe add crushed campden (however you spell it..) to the tea like they do with wine? Then bottle, mason jars would work I guess because there isn't any carbonation. Just make sure whatever you bottle in is sanitized.

Still a weird question...

And unless its AWESOME ice tea who wants to buy a mason jar of icetea?

good luck though!

greenhornet said:

who wants to buy a mason jar of icetea?

good luck though!

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Unless the "iced tea" is simply slang for moonshine then a mason jar would be perfect.

Matt Foley said:

Unless the "iced tea" is simply slang for moonshine then a mason jar would be perfect.

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Then is "at my shop" code for "my backwoods huntin' shack"?

beer has hops to act as a bit of a preservative. I have no idea how to keep iced tea stable in a clear jar for 30 days. Honey sure won't do it.

I know my iced tea machine says you should drink the tea in 5 days or less, and its to be kept cold too.

Pasteurization. I can't comment on how long it will last, but 'canning', whether it's with mason jars, bottles, or actual cans, is done very hot. If there aren't any little nasties in there, the product will last longer.

Being from the south mason jars are synonymous with drinking tea. The restaurant Po Folks use to serve drinks in mason jars. Don't know if the still do haven't been to one in years I think is called Folks now .

If proper canning methods were used, no reason why the tea would not last indefinitely at least as far as spoilage, don't know how long it would taste good.

Considering that tea can easily be made with boiling or near boiling water and then transferred, still boiling, to mason jars I suspect abra is right. If you put a sanitary item inside a sanitary container under saintary conditions it should be safe to consume for ages.

Flavor is the only thing that might degrade and even that could be controlled if you keep it out of light as much as possible (say by only having a couple on display and only selling the jars out of a sealed cardboard box)

I use to transfer my warm tea into mason jars after brewing and put it in the fridge. just going from warm to cold created a vacume seal and the tea lasted for months. Instead of the usual week or less.

One word of caution don't transfer hot tea into cold jars.

Tannins in the tea are a preservative too. Honey can extend the life of baked goods but when it is thinned in water, or added to water it ferments. Sealing in a jar would extend the shelf life, honey or not, due to lack of oxygen. The problem with this is low oxygen environments can be a good home for botulism, unless the product is also high acid.This is why some products have added citric acid. I do not think this would taste very good unless you are also making orange flavored iced tea. Storing it under refrigeration should really help, especially if the jar is sealed.
As far as sealing, treat it like making jam. One old method, not recommended any more for jam, is to sterilize the jars as usual then add hot jam and tighten the lid, then let cool while skipping the water bath process. The cooling liquid will contract and the lid will seal. I actually do this most of the time when I make tea/tisanes because I pour the hot tea into a jar to store in the fridge and free up the pot. The lids do seal, of course I open them the next day so I do not know about shelf life, that is what I was trying to research when I found your post :/

These are 2 suppliers I use for containers if you want to find more of a bottle than a mason jar.
http://www.specialtybottle.com/
https://www.sks-bottle.com/

kornkob said:

Considering that tea can easily be made with boiling or near boiling water and then transferred, still boiling, to mason jars I suspect abra is right. If you put a sanitary item inside a sanitary container under saintary conditions it should be safe to consume for ages.

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There is a reason it wouldn't last indefinitely and that is the acid content. Water bath method is sufficient for high acid foods, or for short term storage (not sure on exact times) but one would have to use a pressure cooker for low acid, or you can have botulism. Not all microbes are destroyed by normal cooking temperatures or boiling water. I do not believe black tea qualifies as acidic, it has bitter tannins. It should last long enough for the purposes of being sold in the shop however.

Additionally you really need to consider the fact that selling food products is highly regulated. You need to make these products in a certified kitchen, etc. Definitely look into the food prep laws for your state and locatily.