Iced tea is one of the most refreshing and delicious drinks you can enjoy on a hot summer day. Whether you prefer it sweet or unsweetened, fruity or plain, black or green, there is an iced tea recipe for everyone. In this ultimate guide, we will show you how to make iced tea from scratch, using either tea bags or loose leaf tea, and how to customise it with different flavours, sweeteners, and garnishes. We will also share some tips and tricks to make your iced tea perfect every time. So grab your pitcher, kettle, and ice cubes, and let’s get started!
What is Iced Tea?
Iced tea is simply tea that has been brewed hot and then chilled with ice. It can be made with any type of tea, such as black, green, white, oolong, herbal, or fruit tea. It can also be flavoured with various ingredients, such as lemon, mint, peach, ginger, honey, sugar, or syrups. Iced tea is popular around the world, especially in countries with warm climates, such as the United States, India, Thailand, Turkey, and Argentina. Another way to make a similar sort of cold drink is by cold-brewing. This method takes longer but requires you to brew the tea in cold water rather than hot. Check out our ultimate guide on cold-brewing for more info.
How to Make Iced Tea with Tea Bags
The easiest and most common way to make iced tea is to use tea bags. Tea bags are convenient and widely available, and they come in a variety of flavors and blends. You can use any kind of tea bags you like, but some of the best ones for iced tea are black tea (such as English breakfast or Earl Grey), green tea (such as sencha or jasmine), or herbal tea (such as mint or chamomile).
Here are the basic steps to make iced tea with tea bags:
- Boil some water in a kettle or a pot. You will need about 4 cups (1 liter) of water for a standard pitcher of iced tea.
- Place 4-6 tea bags in a large heatproof pitcher or a glass jar. The exact number of tea bags depends on how strong you would like your drink to be. You can also mix and match different types of tea bags for more variety.
- Pour the boiling water over the tea bags and let them steep for 3-5 minutes. The longer you steep them, the stronger the flavor will be. However, don’t steep them for too long or they will become bitter.
- Remove the tea bags and discard them. You can squeeze them gently to extract more flavour, but don’t squeeze them too hard or they will release tannins that will make your iced drink cloudy and bitter.
- Sweeten your iced tea if desired. You can use sugar, honey, agave nectar, stevia, or any other sweetener of your choice. Add it while the tea is still hot so that it dissolves easily. Start with a small amount and taste as you go until you reach your preferred sweetness level.
- Add some lemon juice if desired. Lemon juice adds a refreshing citrus flavour and also helps prevent the drink from turning brown over time. You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice. Add about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of lemon juice for a standard pitcher.
- Refrigerate your iced tea until it is completely chilled. This may take several hours or overnight. Alternatively, you can speed up the cooling process by adding some ice cubes to your drink right away. However, this will dilute the flavour a bit.
- Serve your iced tea over ice cubes in tall glasses. You can also garnish your tea with some lemon slices, mint leaves, or berries for extra colour and flavour.
How to Make Iced Tea with Loose Leaf Tea
If you want to make iced tea with loose leaf tea instead of tea bags, you will need a few extra tools and steps. Loose leaf tea offers more variety and quality than tea bags, but it also requires more precise measurements and brewing methods.
Here are the basic steps to make iced tea with loose leaf tea:
- Boil some water in a kettle or a pot. You will need about 4 cups (1 liter) of water for a standard pitcher of iced tea.
- Measure out some loose leaf tea using a teaspoon or a scale. The exact amount of loose leaf tea depends on the type of tea and how strong you like your drink. As a general rule, you can use about 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of loose leaf tea per cup (250 ml) of water. You can also adjust the amount according to your personal preference.
- Place the loose leaf tea in a tea infuser, a tea ball, a tea strainer, or a cheesecloth. You can even just place the leaves directly in the the jug and use a sieve to strain them later (See How To Strain Loose Leaf Tea Without a Strainer: 7 Easy Methods for more). These are devices that allow the water to flow through the tea leaves while keeping them contained. You can also use a French press or a teapot with a built-in infuser.
- Pour the boiling water over the loose leaf tea and let it steep for the appropriate time and temperature. The optimal steeping time and temperature vary depending on the type of tea. Here are some general guidelines:
- Black tea: 3-5 minutes at 200°F (93°C)
- Green tea: 2-3 minutes at 175°F (80°C)
- White tea: 2-3 minutes at 185°F (85°C)
- Oolong tea: 3-4 minutes at 195°F (90°C)
- Herbal tea: 5-10 minutes at 212°F (100°C)
You can use a thermometer to check the water temperature or simply let the boiling water cool down for a few minutes before pouring it over the tea leaves.
- Remove the loose leaf tea and discard it. You can squeeze it gently to extract more flavor, but don’t squeeze it too hard or it will release tannins that will make your iced drink cloudy and bitter.
- Sweeten your iced tea if desired. You can use sugar, honey, agave nectar, stevia, or any other sweetener of your choice. Add it while the tea is still hot so that it dissolves easily. Start with a small amount and taste as you go until you reach your preferred sweetness level.
- Add some lemon juice if desired. Lemon juice adds a refreshing citrus flavor and also helps prevent your iced tea from turning brown over time. You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice. Add about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of lemon juice for a standard pitcher.
- Refrigerate your iced tea until it is completely chilled. This may take several hours or overnight. Alternatively, you can speed up the cooling process by adding some ice cubes to your drink right away. However, this will dilute the flavour a bit.
- Serve your iced tea over ice cubes in tall glasses. You can also garnish your drink with some lemon slices, mint leaves, or berries for extra colour and flavour.
Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to make your iced tea even better:
- Use filtered water for brewing your tea. Tap water may contain chlorine or other impurities that can affect the taste and quality of your tea.
- Use fresh and high-quality tea for brewing. Old or stale tea may lose its flavour and aroma over time.
- Experiment with different types and flavours of tea for brewing your tea. You can try black, green, white, oolong, herbal, or fruit teas, or even mix and match them for more variety.
- Experiment with different sweeteners and flavourings for your iced drink. You can try sugar, honey, agave nectar, stevia, maple syrup, molasses, or brown sugar for sweetening your tea. You can also try lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, peach juice, mango juice, or any other fruit juice for flavouring your iced drink.
- Experiment with different garnishes for your iced tea. You can try lemon slices, lime slices, orange slices, grapefruit slices, mint leaves, basil leaves, rosemary sprigs, lavender buds, ginger slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, cardamom pods, vanilla beans, or any other herbs or spices for garnishing your iced tea.
- Make a large batch of iced tea and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. This way, you can have a ready-made batch whenever you want without having to brew it every time.
- Make ice cubes out of brewed tea and use them instead of regular ice cubes for serving your iced tea. This way, you can avoid diluting the flavour of your beverage as the ice melts.
Conclusion
Iced tea is a wonderful drink that can quench your thirst and delight your senses on a hot summer day. By following this ultimate guide, you can learn how to make iced tea from scratch, using either tea bags or loose leaf tea, and how to customize it with different flavors, sweeteners, and garnishes. You can also learn some tips and tricks to make your iced beverage perfect every time. So what are you waiting for? Grab your pitcher, kettle, and ice cubes, and start brewing your own iced tea today! You won’t regret it!
Discover more interesting articles:
- Soursop Tea: A Tropical Treat with Amazing Health Benefits
- The Best Sweeteners for Tea: How to Find Your Sweet Spot
- How to Make Your Own Flavoured Syrups for Tea and Coffee
- The Art of Re-Steeping: How to Enjoy Multiple Cups of Flavour
- How to Turn Your Tea Into a Latte: A Simple and Tasty Guide
Sources
- (1) How to make iced tea | BBC Good Food.
- (2) 5 Ways to Make Iced Tea – wikiHow.
- (3) How to Make Fast and Easy Iced Tea – Perfect Brew.
Iced tea Photo by Barbara Webb:
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