bag-in-your-mouth tea

Have read more and more about iced tea lately. Both in the comments here and on other blogs, I've read more and more about ways that people prepare iced tea. One place talked about taking a tea that's already been infused several times, that you then put in cooled water overnight. In the morning you have naturally brewed tea. I thought the hot water was essential, but I'm certainly going to try following the directions to get tea from cool water and almost over-used leaves.

I'm reminded of the way my mother made tea when we were young. It was also cool water, or at least room temperature, and she'd put it and the tea in a large glass jar. After several hours, the sun would've heated the water enough to seep the tea. 'Sun Tea' she called it. Inventive name, eh?

Always thought the sun and its heat were an essential part of the process, but now I'm wondering if you need sunlight or heat in general are even necessary. After I've done multiple infusions of a tea I really like, I'm going to try cold brewing it. Can't wait to tell you the results.

It's so hot today, I've considered simply putting a teabag in my mouth and letting the leafy goodness go straight into my system, but something tells me it'd be of no use whatsoever. My suspicion is that 'Sun Tea', as good as it can be, is far different from 'Bag-in-your-mouth' tea