4. Brewing iced tea at an appropriate temperature in a thoroughly cleaned urn and limiting the time held at room temperature before serving will minimize the theoretical risk of bacterial contamination. Recommendations for Iced Tea Safety. * Iced tea sould be brewed at 195 F for 3-5 minutes. * Iced tea should be stored for no longer than 8 hours. * The tea brewer, storage dispenser, and faucet should be cleaned daily. The CDC stated that redesigning tea dispensers to be more easily dismantled and cleaned could further reduce the theoretical risk of bacterial contamination of iced tea.