It is National Iced Tea Month (yup, that is a real thing) so let’s stop limiting what iced tea can be.
When we forget the classic iced-black-tea-with-slices-of-lemon-at-a-picnic and simply think of iced tea as another cold drink, possibilities open up. Iced teas are excellent as a base for cocktails or something to mix with soda water – iced tea literally provides a of world of flavours when we consider white, pu-erh and green teas, blends and herbal tisanes.
24g | 4tbsp loose tea
8C (filtered) cold water
COLD BREW | Cold brewing tea results in a milder, less tannic tea. I find that cold brewed tea is especially wonderful with white and green tea or any blends with florals.
Place the loose tea into a glass container, fill it with fresh cold water and place in the fridge for between 6-8 hours. Strain out the loose tea and voila, beautifully simple iced tea.
If you prefer the iced tea to be sweet, then make some simple syrup and add it afterwards.
12g | 2tbsp loose tea
1.5C hot water
2.5C (filtered) cold water
HOT BREW | Even though we are going to brew tea with hot water, the process is slightly different as this is for iced tea. Steep your tea in hot water (at the temperature best suited for the tea type you are using) for 3-4 minutes (again, the time should be based on the type of tea you are using).
Strain tea a couple of times to remove the loose tea (or make life simpler by using natural tea bags for your loose tea) and pour into pitcher. If you want to add any sweetener, add it to the hot tea at this time and stir well until dissolved – play around with agave, honey and cane sugar for richer flavours. Add the cold water to your tea preparation.