If you are looking for ways to stay cool this summer, or just want to enjoy your tea in new and creative ways, get started with these 5 simple and delicious iced tea methods. Iced tea makes a great alternative to juice or even fruit infused water! Tea is full of antioxidants and provides other health benefits, plus it tastes great!
Making iced tea is easy! We like the cold brew method, it gives the a more balanced flavour and complexity compared with the hot brew method. It's also incredibly simple! Just add tea and optional additions to cold water and pop in the fridge.
When making iced tea, we usually put the tea loose into the container and strain it out when ready to serve. If you are adding fruit pieces and want to keep them in the iced tea after you remove the tea, you may find that using a t-sac is easier than your re-usable infuser. We suggest using the #4 size for iced tea. T-sacs are biodegradable and easy to use!
At Shanti Tea, we like to make things as natural as possible. We don't use sweeteners when we prepare iced tea, but you certainly can! We recommend using agave, stevia or even maple syrup! Or take a look at our Herbal Tisane collection, many of these delicious flavours are sweet enough alone, just mix with cold water and remove when ready. The best thing about these tisanes is that there is no risk of bitterness that comes when using tea.
What are your favourite ways to prepare iced tea? Let us know in the comments below!
Basic Iced Tea
You’ve got to get your basics down! We love the cold brew method of iced tea, so all of our recipes use that. BUT, if you want your iced tea quickly, we’ve included a small note below on how to use the hot brew method.
Ingredients:
- 6 tbsp black tea of your choice (We recommend English Breakfast for a stronger brew, or Darjeeling Black for a lighter brew).
- 2L cold water
- Optional Orange slices, lemon slices, berries, or other fruit of your choice
- Optional Sweetener of your choice
Directions:
- Mix tea with water, stir gently. Add fruit pieces and sweetener if desired. Refrigerate 4-8 hours. Remove tea and serve!
- Do not infuse longer than 8 hours. If the brew is not strong enough, try with more tea. If the brew is too strong, add more cold water (or try infusing for a shorter amount of time). Cold brewing for too long can result in bitter tea.
If you want to make an adult version of this, add mint and dark rum!
HOT BREW METHOD
We prefer the cold brew method, it allows the complexities of the tea to really open up! But if you want to make iced tea quickly, it’s easy to swap any cold brew method.
Using the recipe, cut the amount of tea suggested in half. Use the same amount of water, but only 25% hot.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp black tea of your choice
- ½ L boiling water (only use boiling water on black or herbal tea)
- 1 ½ L cold water (with ice!)
Directions:
- Infuse 3 tbsp of tea in ½ liter boiling water. Remove tea from water after 2-5 minutes, depending on your desired strength. We suggest only 2 minutes to ensure there is no bitterness. Add more tea if you like a stronger brew.
- Mix the ½ L of tea with 1.5L ice water. Add optional fruits or sweetener if desired, serve right away!
Mint Hibiscus Iced Tea
This iced tea is caffeine-free! Add some fresh squeezed fruit juice to make a tasty and healthy beverage that kids love too!
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp African Mint
- 2 tbsp Hibiscus
- 2 liters cold water
- Optional sweetener of choice
- Optional fresh berries
Directions:
-
Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate 4-10 hours. Remove tea and serve
Grownup version: Add vodka!
Peach Ginger Iced Green Tea
Ingredients:
- 5 tbsp Peach Osmanthus
- 2 tsp fresh ginger (or 1 tbsp dried Ginger Root)
- ½ cup sliced peaches
- 1.5 L cold water
- ½ L sparkling water
- Optional Sweetener of choice
Directions:
- Mix Peach Osmanthus, ginger, peach slices and cold water, plus sweetener if using. Refrigerate 3-6 hours. Taste periodically to ensure it has not become bitter.
- Remove tea and ginger. Add sparkling water and serve!
Grownup version: Add spiced rum!
Lemonade Iced Tea
Ingredients:
For Lemonade
- 6 lemons
- 6 cups cold water
- Sweetener of choice (we used ¼ cup of stevia sugar)
For Iced Tea
- 3 tbsp black tea – Try Assam TGFOP
- 1L cold water
- Optional Sweetener of choice
Directions:
- Squeeze the juice out of lemons, will make approximately 1 cup of juice. Try rolling the lemons between your hand and the counter before slicing to make the juicing process easier.
- Mix lemon juice, 6 cups of water and sweetener of choice. Refrigerate.
- In a separate container, mix black tea, 1L cold water and sweetener of choice, if using. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
- Remove tea from container. Mix lemonade with iced tea. Garnish with slices of lemons, lime, or mint!
Grownup version: add Bourbon!
Sparkling Cucumber Iced White Tea
Ingredients:
- 6 tbsp Bai Mu Dan
- 2 cups sliced cucumber
- 1 L cold water
- 1 L sparkling water
- Optional Add fresh dill, mint or other herb of your choice
Directions:
- Combine tea, cucumber, water and herbs if using. Refrigerate for 3-6 hours. Remove tea, add sparkling water and serve!
Grownup version: Add gin!
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