One way of making Ice Tea is by taking a pitcher of water, filling it up and then putting in a number of tea bags and leaving it in the sun for a few hours. The water then gets a very strong taste from the tea, one then adds water and enjoys! Is there any problem to do this on Shabbos?
Answer:
If the water will not be reaching a temperature of over 45 degrees Celsius (it would have to be something like 50 C outdoors for this to happen), this is permitted.
Sources:
It is permitted to cook in the sun on Shabbos, as the Shulchan Aruch (318:5) rules. However, it is forbidden to cook in something heated by the sun, such as sand. If the water were to reach the temperature of yad soledes bo, it follows that the tea leaves are being cooked in water that was heated by the son, and this is not permitted. However, in general the water will not be reaching this temperature, so that there is no concern.
