Y'all, summer is calling — and it sounds a lot like ice clinking in a cold Mason jar of tea.
If you've never made sun tea before, prepare to have your mind blown by how simple it is. We're talking zero cooking, zero fuss, and a pitcher of gorgeous iced tea that basically makes itself while you're out enjoying the sunshine. And if you have made sun tea before? We're about to make it even better — with a few Mason jar upgrades that'll have you wondering how you ever managed without them.
Let's get into it!
What Is Sun Tea, Anyway?
Sun tea is exactly what it sounds like: tea brewed by the power of the sun. Instead of boiling water and steeping your tea bags the traditional way, you let the warmth of sunlight do all the heavy lifting over a few hours. The result is a naturally smooth, mellow, never-bitter tea that's perfect for sipping on the porch, pouring over ice, or sweetening up with a golden drizzle of honey.
It's slow, it's simple, and it is so Southern summer.
What You'll Need
Ingredients:
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1 gallon of cold, fresh water
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Your choice of loose leaf tea (black tea is classic; green, white, or herbal work beautifully too)
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Honey to sweeten, to taste
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Ice for serving
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Optional add-ins: fresh mint, lemon slices, peach, or berries
Your Mason Jar Toolkit:
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MJL Cold Brew Coffee & Tea Maker Filter Kit — for loose leaf sun tea lovers
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Pour & Store Pitcher Lid with Handle — for drip-free pouring and easy fridge storage
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Bamboo Honey Dipper Lid — for sweetening with style
How to Make Sun Tea in a Mason Jar
Step 1: Fill Your Jar
Grab a wide mouth half-gallon (64 oz) or quart (32 oz) Mason jar and fill it with cold, clean water. The wide mouth jars are your best friend here — they fit our Cold Brew Filter Kit and are even easier to clean up afterward.
Step 2: Add Your Tea
Using tea bags? Drop 6–8 tea bags into the water and let the strings hang over the rim. Secure loosely with the jar's metal band or just let them rest — they don't need to be sealed tight for this step.
Using loose leaf tea? This is where our Cold Brew Coffee & Tea Maker Filter Kit shines! Load the stainless steel filter with about 1–2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea per 6–8 oz of water (or 3 TBSP for a quart and 6 TBSP for a half gallon), lower it right into your jar, and seal it up with the included lid. No tea bags to wrangle, no loose leaves floating around, and zero paper waste — just clean, eco-friendly brewing. The heavy-duty Dutch weave stainless steel filter catches everything and cleans up in a snap (dishwasher safe!).
Step 3: Set It in the Sun
Place your jar outside in a sunny spot — a windowsill, porch railing, or picnic table all work great. Let it steep in the sun for 2–4 hours. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor. Keep an eye on the color: a deep amber means you've got yourself a proper batch of tea!
Pro Tip: Sun tea brews best on warm, sunny days when temps are above 75°F. Cloudy days? No worries — just let it steep a little longer, or finish it off on your kitchen counter.
Step 4: Pull the Tea & Store
Once your tea has reached your perfect color and depth of flavor, remove the tea bags or lift out the cold brew filter. If using the filter, just remove it from the jar and compost the leaves — easy as pie.
Now swap on your Pour & Store Pitcher Lid with Handle and pop the jar straight into the fridge to chill. This BPA-free lid with its built-in handle turns your Mason jar into a proper pitcher — and that little flip-top spout means you can pour a glass of tea without ever setting the lid down or dripping everywhere. No more fumbling with a regular lid while you're holding a glass! It fits both regular and wide mouth jars, comes in fun colors like Cherry Red, Leaf Green, and Deep Blue, and is microwave, dishwasher, and freezer safe.
Step 5: Sweeten with Honey
Here's where things get really good. Once your tea is cold and ready to serve, reach for your Bamboo Honey Dipper Lid and give your glass a beautiful golden drizzle.
Our Bamboo Honey Dipper Lid fits right onto a Mason jar full of your favorite honey — store it, serve it, and drizzle it all in one. The built-in dipper design gives you perfect drizzle control with zero mess (no more sticky honey bears with crusty caps!). It's made from naturally antimicrobial bamboo, making it a gorgeous plastic-free choice that looks as good on your table as it works in your kitchen. Available in both regular and wide mouth sizes.
Honey sweetening tip: Add honey to your individual glass rather than the whole pitcher — this lets everyone sweeten to their own taste, and honey dissolves better in room-temp or slightly warm tea than in icy cold.
Step 6: Serve & Enjoy!
Pour your chilled sun tea over a tall glass of ice, add a lemon wedge or fresh mint sprig if you're feeling fancy, and enjoy every sip. Summer perfection, right there.
Sun Tea Flavor Variations to Try
Once you've mastered the classic, have fun mixing things up!
Southern Sweet Tea: Use black tea and sweeten generously with honey while the tea is still slightly warm so it dissolves beautifully.
Mint Green Tea: Use green tea in the filter and add a small handful of fresh mint leaves right to the jar during brewing. Incredibly refreshing.
Peach Herbal Tea: Use peach or hibiscus herbal tea bags and add a few fresh peach slices to the jar. Looks stunning, tastes like summer in a glass.
Chamomile Honey Tea: Brew chamomile (great in the cold brew filter!) and sweeten with a generous drizzle of local wildflower honey from your bamboo dipper. Relaxing, floral, and absolutely lovely.
Pro Tips for the Best Sun Tea
Use cold or room-temperature water to start — never hot. Sun tea is all about gentle, slow brewing.
Go loose leaf for the smoothest cup. Loose leaf tea has bigger, whole leaves that release flavor more gradually and evenly than the finely cut tea in most bags, giving you a cleaner, more complex brew. Our cold brew filter makes loose leaf a total no-brainer.
Don't over-steep. More than 4 hours in the sun can sometimes lead to a slightly cloudy tea — still tasty, just not as pretty. Move it to the fridge once you hit your desired color.
Drink within 2–3 days. Sun tea doesn't have the same shelf life as boiled tea. Store it in the fridge with your Pour & Store lid on and enjoy it fresh!
Make a double batch. One jar for the fridge, one for the sun — you'll always have cold tea ready to go.
Why Mason Jars Are Made for Sun Tea
Let's be honest: there's just something right about sun tea in a Mason jar. The glass is non-reactive, so it won't affect the flavor the way plastic can. You can see exactly what's happening with your tea as it brews. And with the right MJL accessories, your jar goes from brewing vessel to pitcher to serving set without ever needing to transfer to another container. Less dishes, more tea — that's the Mason Jar Lifestyle way!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sun tea safe to drink? Sun tea brewed in clean jars with good-quality water is generally considered safe. To be extra careful, brew in the fridge (cold brew style) rather than outside if you're in a hot, humid climate. The cold brew method actually produces an equally smooth result — just takes a bit longer (6–12 hours) and is what our filter kit was designed for!
Can I use flavored or herbal tea bags? Absolutely! Herbal teas, fruit teas, and flavored black or green teas all work wonderfully. Just keep in mind that delicate teas like white or chamomile may need less time than robust black teas.
What size jar should I use? A half-gallon (64 oz) wide mouth jar is perfect for a family batch. For a single-serve amount, a quart (32 oz) wide mouth jar works great — and our cold brew filter kit comes in both sizes!
Can I add honey directly to the jar? Yes! If you're making a pre-sweetened pitcher of sun tea, drizzle honey in while the tea is still slightly warm (just off the sun, before refrigerating) and give it a good stir or shake with your Pour & Store lid on. The warmth helps it dissolve perfectly.
Where can I find the products used in this post? Right here at Mason Jar Lifestyle! Shop the Cold Brew Filter Kit, Pour & Store Pitcher Lid with Handle, and Bamboo Honey Dipper Lid to get your sun tea setup sorted.
Happy brewing, y'all! Tag us in your sun tea photos — we love seeing your Mason jar setups. Find us on Instagram and TikTok at @MasonJarLifestyle.
