Freshly Brewed Ice Tea With Fresh Mint
What can be more thirst quenching on a hot summer day than a tall glass of fresh brewed iced tea over ice with lemon and fresh mint leaves
Spearmint is always the first thing to bloom in my garden every spring. As it sprouts each Spring, it always brings back memories of my childhood as Mom would always put fresh mint in our iced tea. Funny how smells can take you back in time, I just cant walk past my mint without pleasant thoughts of iced tea.
Making home brewed tea is very simple. You can use orange pekoe or black tea for traditional iced tea or experiment with fruit flavors like passion fruit, peach, mango, pomegranate which are especially nice if you arent using sugar.
Brew your tea and discard the tea bags before refrigerating. Serve with fresh lemon slices or fresh fruit if you are using fruit tea. Add the lemon slices right before serving to avoid a bitter taste. For sweet tea add the sugar, agave, honey or Splenda with the boiled water so it dissolves .
Sun And Refrigerator Tea
Iced tea can be brewed by placing tea in a large glass container with water and leaving the container in the sun for hours. This often results in a smoother flavor. An advantage is that sun tea does not require using electricity or burning fuel, thus saving energy. Sun tea is sometimes served with syrup or lemon.
The temperature of the tea brewed in this manner is never heated high enough to kill any bacteria, leaving the water potentially unsafe to drink. The tea should be discarded if it appears thick, syrupy, or has rope-like strands in it, though it may be hazardous even without such indicators.
Because of this danger an alternative called “refrigerator tea” has been suggested where the tea is brewed in the refrigerator overnight. This has the dual advantage of preventing the growth of harmful bacteria and the tea already being cold without the addition of ice.
How To Store Iced Tea
Its best to store iced tea a glass or stainless-steel container instead of a plastic container. Keep it in the refrigerator at all times, covered tightly with a lid to prevent the tea from oxidizing and absorbing off-flavors. If youve added a sweetener to the iced tea, the CDC recommends drinking it within eight hours to prevent fermentation or bacterial contamination. Unsweetened tea is technically okay to drink for three to four days, although it will start to lose its flavor after the first 24 hours.
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How To Sweeten Iced Tea
Iced tea is often sweetened simply with sugar or runny honey. It’s stirred into the hot tea to dissolve, and then the tea is chilled. Sugar syrups can also be used a simple sugar syrup is easy to make, and just requires water and caster sugar. Make up a batch and store it in a bottle, so you have some on hand to add a little at a time to a jug of iced tea.
How To Make Iced Tea: Basic Steps
The hands-on time for making iced tea is quick: most of the time involved is waiting! Making the tea takes about 20 minutes total. Then youll need 2 hours for it to chill. Here are the basic steps of how to make iced tea at home:
- Steep the tea: Bring 4 cups water to a simmer, add 6 tea bags and turn off the heat. Steep for 5 minutes.
- Add cold water and cool: Remove the tea bags. Add 4 cups cool water and bring to room temperature .
- Refrigerate 2 hours: Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate 2 hours.
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Cold Brewed Herbal Tea With Fruit
Chamomile Tea + Fruit + Citrus + Herb
This one doesnt have any caffeine since its an herbal tea, also called a tisane. I used chamomile for this cold brew.
I went all out and used TWO kinds of fruit. WHOA. Haha.
The kiwi can overwhelm the flavor so I only used half and then added raspberry for a pop of flavor and color.
Is Iced Tea Good For You
One big question I think a lot of people have is whether or not iced tea is good for you. As per usual, my go-to answer with most questions like this is, It depends. What does it depend on?
- Are you adding a ton of sugar into your iced tea?
- Did you already have 6 iced teas and want another one in the same day?
- Did you use clean, simple, and fresh ingredients?
- Is it helping you reach your daily water intake minimums?
Heres the deal. Overall, if youre limiting the amount of caffeine in a day, youre not adding a ton of sugar or highly processed ingredients, and youre just enjoying a refreshing iced tea recipe to change up your pace of drinking plain water to keep you hydrated, iced tea is a perfectly healthy choice.
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Fresh Brewed Iced Tea Recipe
Summer isnt truly complete without a fresh cup of iced tea. Check out our go-to way to prepare the perfect glass!
Makes 6 servings.
- 1 Red Rose Family Size Tea Bag
- 1 medium size oranges
- Add water to tea kettle and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the water and add family size tea bag to the tea kettle.
- Steep for 5 minutes.
- While steeping, cut the oranges and lemons into slices.
- Remove the tea bags and let tea cool.
- When tea is cool enough, pour into a pitcher over ice.
- Add the orange and lemon slices to the pitcher.
- Stir and enjoy!
What You Need For Iced Tea
You might be surprised at how easy it is to make iced tea at home! There are only two ingredients in the base recipe, and three if you make sweet tea. This makes a large pitcher of 8 servings. Unsweetened tea is a fantastic healthy drink thats very low in calories. Heres what youll need to make it:
- Black tea bags: To make a full pitcher, youll need 6 bags. Black tea is the best type of tea to use. Remember that it does have caffeine, but only about half the caffeine level thats in a cup of coffee.
- Water: Youll need 8 cups of water.
- Sugar: Sugar is necessary only if you want to make sweet tea! In our opinion, we prefer unsweetened tea on the regular: but sweetened tea is nice for entertaining.
Want to make a single serving tea? Try Iced Green Tea.
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Belgium And The Netherlands
In Belgium, the Netherlands , and other parts of Europe, “Ice-Tea” is the brand name of a carbonated variety of iced tea marketed by Lipton since 1978. They also market other non-carbonated iced teas under the “Ice Tea” brand.
In Brazil, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most popular beverages is mate or chá mate. Unlike the Argentinian or gaucho mate ” rel=”nofollow”> chimarrão), the carioca rendering is consumed iced and sweetened. A preferred flavouring is lime juice , referred in Rio as “mate com limão”. It is a part of the local beach culture, where it is sold by walking vendors in portable coolers. Mate dried leaves can be bought in supermarkets to be made at home. The most popular brand is Leão, originally from Paraná, and later acquired by The Coca-Cola Company. It is generally left overnight at the refrigerator. Leão also markets mate as a non-carbonated soft drink.
Easy Fresh Brewed Iced Tea
Published: by Lois · This post may contain affiliate links ·
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Being raised in Queens, NY we grew up on iced tea.
This is how I make a glass of fresh brewed iced tea. I brew a cup of hot tea using my Keurig Coffee Machine. I let the tea steep for awhile and cool down. Then I add the tea to a tall glass filled with ice and add some sweetener and I’m in heaven…
This is NOT sweet tea, but it’s really good and EASY…
When I want to make a larger quantity of fresh brewed iced tea, I boil about 2 cups of water. Add the water to a ball jar and then add about 6 to 8 tea bags and let it steep for awhile in the refrigerator. Then I add this concentrated tea to a larger container of water and place in the refrigerator to enjoy all day long…
Enjoy!
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Which Tea Do You Use
A classic base for iced tea is regular tea bags. They allow you to be freer with your flavourings. You can also easily experiment with different teas once you know the basic recipe. Other teas that work well include earl grey, lady grey, chamomile, green tea and lemon verbena. Fruit teas are also tasty when chilled.
A good ratio to go by is 6 tea bags to 1.5 litres of boiling water.
How To Make Cold Brew Iced Tea
The method itself is incredibly simple. Just combine loose-leaf tea or whole tea bags and water in a pitcher and let the tea infuse the water for 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator . Strain, and you have cold-brew tea that will taste great for days!
Bon Appetit suggested that they have best results with loose-leaf tea, so I used loose-leaf here, but Ive since been making lazy cold-brew tea by soaking whole bags in water, which tastes almost as good and is much easier to make.
Another option? Steep your loose-leaf tea in a clean French pressjust press down the filter to remove those loose tea leaves and pour!
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Perfect Brewed Iced Tea
Black, Green and Oolong teas come from the same plant – Camellia sinensis – which is grown in lush climates around the world. The difference? Black and Oolong teas undergo a natural fermentation step. Green tea does not. Tea is a great source of antioxidants which help neutralize “free radicals”, molecules that can damage cells. So drink to your health!
Recipe Ingredients:
4 regular tea bags * 2 cups fresh cold water Water Granulated sugar or other sweetener such as Simple Syrup Lemon slices
Cooking Directions:
Makes 2 quarts or 8 servings.
*If using loose tea, measure 2 tablespoons into a paper coffee filter and seal it tightly with a twist tie, or simply pour water over loose leaves in a small heatproof container, and when ready separate the liquid from the tea leaves using a mesh strainer.
Variations:
How To Make Homemade Iced Tea
There are different ways to make iced tea. 3 Popular ones are:
Iced Chilled Ice tea: You make hot tea and immediately add a lot of ice to chill it.
Hot Brewing: In this method, You brew hot tea as usual and then allow to cool it in the refrigerator before adding ice.
Cold Brew Iced Tea: This is the slowest method for making cold brew iced tea, tea is brewed in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours and that concoction is used to make iced tea.
Ingredients To Make Iced Tea
Tea leaves: For making lemon and honey iced tea, I used simple loose tea leaves. I have used black Assam tea. You can use Darjeeling or English breakfast or green tea leaves to make this ice tea.
Teabags/ Sachet: For the quickest way to make iced tea you can use tea sachets. This is a non-messy way to make ice tea. Just steep tea bags in hot water for 3-4 minutes add honey and lemon juice and tonnes of ice. You have chilled iced tea in less than 6 minutes.
Honey: You can use or skip honey as per your taste. You can make unsweetened or sweetened iced tea as per your choice.
Lemon or Lime: Use lemon or lime juice as per your taste preference and availability.
Mint is optional but adds a nice refreshing summery flavour and is cooling in nature.
SO making ice tea at home is super simple. You do not need Ice tea mix or tea bags.
Sounds simple? Yes! Making the iced tea from scratch at home is very simple if you follow certain tips for making the perfect iced tea pitcher which I have mentioned below.
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How To Make Iced Tea With Tea Bags: 5 Easy Methods
Nothing helps cool off a sweltering day in the middle of a hot summer quite like a tall glass of refreshing iced tea. Whether you prefer creamy iced tea with hints of vanilla or tangy brews enhanced by tart lemons, iced tea is an easy-to-brew beverage that brightens up any tea party or backyard barbecue.
Brewing iced tea with tea bags is not only a simple method, but also one that allows extreme versatility when it comes to flavors. You can create fruity iced teas that complement décor at a fancy brunch, blend sweet teas that pair perfectly with savory Southern dishes or make creamy, vanilla-infused teas that are smooth and delicious. Find out how to choose the right tea bags and make delectable iced tea that cools and refreshes.
Making Your Iced Green Tea Recipe
ADD MINT OR FRUIT
To give your brew an even more refreshing taste, try throwing a handful of mint leaves into your pitcher before pouring in the water.
Feeling fruity? Add slices of pineapple, peach or guava to the pitcher before the water. And when youâve finished, be sure to enjoy the tangy marinated fruit at the bottom of your glass! If you’re looking for more inspiration, why not check out our strawberry iced tea recipe. Or try making our party favorite iced raspberry green tea.
ITâS FUN TO EXPERIMENT
Thereâs a famous quote about life being an experiment â and we couldnât agree more. So why not try some other flavors for your iced tea? You could even combine different Lipton® infusions like Purple Acai and Blueberry Green Tea. Go on, live a little.
So if the sunâs out and thereâs a clear blue sky, then itâs green iced tea time. And when you serve up this deliciously refreshing brew, youâll be everyoneâs favorite person.
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How To Brew The Ultimate Iced Tea
Let’s get one thing straight: Iced tea is the quintessential summer cooler. For most people I know, as soon as the weather gets balmy, it’s officially iced coffee season. For me, not so much, because, confession time: I am not really a coffee drinker. And while I can’t deny that iced coffee doesn’t hit the spot sometimes, a nice, tall glass of iced tea is the superior warm weather refresher.
Make a big pitcher and I guarantee you’ll forget iced coffee even exists. And while you could simply dunk a tea bag in some hot water and throw in a handful of ice, a little extra TLC can go a long way in making a better brew. Here’s how the make the best iced tea possible:
Flavor Tips And Variations:
- Tea blends This recipe calls for plain black tea bags, but you can use whatever blend you like. For instance, fruit-infused black teas tend to make great iced tea.
- Using Green TeaIf you are using green tea, the hot brew method is particularly important as it can get bitter if you steep it cold.
- I have made this recipe using other citrus fruits like orange, tangerines, and limes. All of the flavors have been delicious so dont be afraid to play around and create your own!
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Sweet Tea Or Unsweetened Tea
If youve ever been to the South, you know that when ordering tea, its not really necessary to specify iced. Or sweet. Few tea traditionalists complain of tea thats too sweet!
Expert tea-makers put the sugar in while the tea is still hot, as this allows for improved sweetness saturation throughout. When sugar is added, swirl the tea in the pitcher several times. For a glass of tea, put in sugar first, swirl several times, and then drop in ice cubes.
Here are some ideas for non-traditionalists with a sweet tooth:
- For an unorthodox approach to sweetening tea, add a spoonful of your favorite jelly or preserves to a cup of hot tea, then pour over ice.
- Sugared glasses add a sweet touch just dip the rim in lemon juice, then in sugar.
- Serve tea in a watermelon-boat punch bowl. After making the boat, fill it with a delicious drink by blending the watermelon pulp with a pitcher of iced tea brewed double-strength. Add lemon juice to taste.
- Chill tea with frozen cubes made from your favorite fruit juices such as guava, apple, mango, and green grape.
- For fruity tea pops, fill plastic ice molds two-thirds full with cut-up berries, melon, or citrus fruit. Pour in sweetened tea to cover pops. Place holder in pops. Freeze for at least 4 hours.