Nothing quenches a summer thirst quite like a refreshing glass of homemade iced tea. Making it at home is quite easy, and it opens up a world of creativity. Here are some tips and tricks on how to make iced tea for you and to share. If you like your tea sweet, you can add honey or sugar while it is still hot. If you desire something that is a little bit less traditional but equally refreshing, different teas offer health benefits such as dried herbs, flowers, and spices in the bag.
How to Make Iced Tea at Home
Here is the basic recipe that is needed to make an 8 cup of tea.
Items Needed:
– 8 tea bags
– 4 cups of water
– Teakettle
– 2-liter pitcher
– Plenty of ice
Method
– Place the tea bags in the tea kettle
– Heat the water and when the water stops bubbling, pour it over the tea bags.
– Steep for 10 to 15 minutes
– Fill the two-liter pitcher with ice, and then pour over the steeped tea on the ice. The tea will be cold enough to drink almost immediately.
How to Make Flavored Iced Tea
These are great recipes that you can use to get some flavored iced tea blends. Allow each of the tea combos below to steep for at least 10 minutes before pouring them over your ice.
Lemon Vanilla Tisane Recipe
– ½ chopped lemongrass
– ½ cup fresh lemon zest
– ½ cup fresh lemon juice
– 4 chopped vanilla beans
Hot Pink Hibiscus Tea Recipe
– ½ teaspoon dried hibiscus leaves
– Sweetener to taste
– Lemon to taste
Sweet Licorne Mint Tisane Recipe
– ¼ cup fennel seed
– ¼ cup licorice root
– ¾ cup dried peppermint leaf
Method
– Place the ingredients in a quart-sized mason jar or your tea kettle
– Pour 4 cups of not quite boiling water over the herbs and spices
– Steep for 10 minutes
– Strain the tea into a pitcher full of ice using a fine mesh strainer or a double layer of cheesecloth
– Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days
How to Sweeten Your Iced Tea
The best time to sweeten your iced tea is while it is still hot; this allows the honey or sugar to dissolve completely. If you are using the cold brew method to make your iced tea, you can use simple syrup. This is because it distributes throughout the iced tea evenly. They are simple to make at home, all you need is two cups of water and 2 cups of sugar.
How to Make Simple Syrup
– Heat 2 cups of cold water
– Add 2 cups of sugar
– Reduce the heat to low and constantly stir until the sugar is dissolved completely
– Add herbs or liquid extract flavorings if desired
– Allow the syrup to cool to room temperature then pour into a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator.
You can infuse peppermint leaves in the syrup to make it minty.
How to Fix Cloudy Iced Tea
There are times iced tea made at home becomes cloudy; this could be as a result of the type of tea that was used or because it got chilled too rapidly. Iced tea clouds when chilled are formed when the various tea solids in the water precipitate and become visible.
Typically, tea made from loose tea leaves will have lots of tea solids. For a nice clear glass of iced tea, ensure that you cool your tea gradually or use the cold brew method. You can also use teas from the Nilgiri region of India as they are more cloud resistant than other tea varieties.
Iced Tea Tips and Variations
Iced teas are mostly made from black tea, but other tea varieties can also be used to make a delicious glass. Here are some:
Organic Flavored Tea Blends: Many organic flavored blends make a great refreshing cup of iced tea.
Organic Jasmine Teas: The floral nature of this variety of tea lets them go well with ice, and is a delight to drink with a touch of honey.
Organic Darjeeling Teas: This variety of tea naturally packs a full and malty flavor which goes great with ice.
There is no doubt in the fact that well-brewed high-quality tea leaves make the best iced tea, but it can be fun to spice up your iced tea with other additions like mint, thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, lemon verbena, berries, etc. for that extra excitement.
