On a hot summer’s day, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as a glass of iced tea. It’s super simple to make—you just need tea, water, sweetener, seasonal herbs, and fruits. With these tips, you can make some of the best iced tea you’ve ever had.
Tea
Choose high-quality tea that you would opt for when brewing hot cups of tea. Black tea, green tea, herbal tea, and fruity tea all make for great iced tea. You can use tea bags or loose leaf team but if you use bags, remove the bags or strain the tea before serving.
Water
Not all water tastes the same, so try and use filtered or spring water for your iced tea.
Brewing Method
There are three ways to brew iced tea: hot, cold, and sun. Regardless of what method you choose, iced tea is diluted by melting ice and the cool temperatures make the flavor blander, so make sure you brew it a bit stronger than hot tea. For hot brew, use two tea bags per cup of water and for cold and sun tea methods, use one teabag per cup of water.
Sweeteners and Flavorings
For iced tea, sugar and honey won’t dissolve, so you’ll need to stir them in while the mixture is hot or you can make a simple syrup. Maple syrup, agave, and superfine sugar will dissolve into the iced tea. You can also skip sweeteners and combine the tea with juices like lemonade or pomegranate juice. Stir fresh sprigs or herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, and thyme, or add fruit like peaches, watermelon, pineapple, lemon, or oranges into the tea.
