So I made a small batch of iced tea in one of those infusers that look like a glass travel mug that almost have like a french press built into it, which pushes all the tea leaves to the bottom, straining them out. It isn't very big, so the next time I made iced tea I used a pitcher and teaballs. Pitchers are hard to drink out of though, so I poured a solid 1/3-1/2 of the whole pitcher into the travel-infuser, but I didn't realize the old tea leaves from last week were still at the bottom. I don't see anything visibly growing on them, but they kind of distinigrate when I shake the bottle. Think its still safe to drink? I know that there are some teas made with fermented leaves, which is pretty much the same thing as what I let happen by accident, right? I'd hate to waste a whole half of this batch of iced tea I made and spent hours cooling down.
I would not chance it - unless you think they dried out really fast ? Wet tea leaves grow mold pretty quickly.
Yeah this. Don't drink mold spores. White wine vinegar in a jug is cheap and will kill any mold spores. Soak your tea balls in that. Tea isn't so expensive its worth you ingesting mold.
White wine vinegar in a jug is cheap and will kill any mold spores
White vinegar will kill mold even better than bleach. Will also take care of bacteria, too.
I love white vinegar. When I sweat a bunch in the summer I pour in a cup with my laundry and it helps kill any bad odors. No need for fancy shit or increasing the amount of detergent. It's a godsend.