DSK wrote:

Roger Long wrote:
I just remembered that my sunshine tea paranoia predates Google where
you can get an answer to anything. (I once typed in "What is the
meaning of life?" and got an answer.)


C'mon, don't keep us in suspense.

A search for sunshine tea turns up no hint of a reported problem even
when the words "sick" and "danger" are added in. Given how the world
loves problems, I'm sure someone out there would have heard about it.


Possibly the problem would be with contaminated water where the
microbes would have been killed by boiling the water, which isn't
usually done when you make sunshine tea. I'd think if you could drink
regular water, you could drink any water made into tea. I don't think
the tea leaves would be a source of contamination.

I would think all those filters that people use would have a much
greater chance of contamination as they are damp dark places ideal for
growing stuff.

Microbiology isn't my strong suit, but I think the tannic
acid kills most of the harmful bugs. That's one reason why
people got in the habit of drinking tea all those centuries ago.


Sunshine tea doesn't even have to be in the light. It can be 'brewed'
even in the dark or at night or when it is cold. It IS quicker in the
sunlight. The only problem we have ever had was when Bob
accidentally filled the water tanks in Nassau without checking, and
subsequent tea made from it turned green and tasted terrible. Nassau
water is brought in by tanker from Andros, and it tastes like swimming
pool water and is slightly brackish. Makes terrible coffee too, I'm
told (we don't drink coffee).

That's why he now fills a bottle up with whatever water he is thinking
of putting into the tanks, and lets it sit out to see if anything
settles out, and then makes a bottle of tea with it to test it before
he fills the tanks at any new place.

When I say that I just go ahead and drink water without filtering it,
I think it is only fair to mention that I'm not at all picky about my
water. With Bob being in the Navy and all, we've had water in many
places that I'd regard as less than ideal. In the Pensacola area we
had a well point and the water that came up was so turbid that I
couldn't see my hands in the bottom of the dishpan. Then in
Jeanerette LA, the water tasted faintly oily. Later when we moved to
RI, we had well water with a high iron content which stained all the
wash if you should accidentally use chlorine bleach. We drank the
water at those houses anyway.

grandma Rosalie