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Can I pressure can freshly brewed, unsweetened tea? #877103

Asked July 13, 2024, 3:17 PM EDT

I've read discourse about safely canning tea, and the consensus seems to be that it cannot be safely canned. However, most of what I'm reading is specifically talking about sweetened tea. The general suggestion is to brew a tea concentrate and keep it the the fridge or freeze it in ice cubes. I'd like to know if it is safe to pressure can freshly brewed black tea, with no additives. The only thing that would be in each jar is freshly brewed black tea (such as Darjeeling or Assam), with no tea bags or loose leaf tea included. I would plan to can it in 1 pint or 1 qt jars at the most, for individual servings. If there isn't a safe way to do this, can I ask if it's simply because it hasn't be tested? Further, if there's a specific scientific difference between canning unaltered black tea and, say, vegetable stock, can someone please explain the difference? Thank you!

Washington County Oregon

Expert Response

Hi Brianne,

Thanks for the question. 
Best practice is that recipes, particularly low acid products (including tea), need to have a validated process for pressure canning to prevent any risk of botulism poisoning. Tea has not been through this validation process. 

Tea and vegetable stock are not similar in solids content; however, it is likely that process required to safely can tea would be less than that required of vegetable stock.

Thanks for using Ask Extension!
Joy
Joy Waite-Cusic Replied July 23, 2024, 12:40 AM EDT

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