Iced tea just like its name suggests is a form of cold tea served with ice cubes in it. The term ice tea now more commonly refers to any tea that has been chilled or is cooled. This tea comes in a variety of flavors, the common ones are; Lemon, lime, passion fruit, orange, and straw berry. In this write up we shall learn how to make an iced tea for ourselves.
Different countries and cultures serve and flavor their iced teas differently. While some countries see iced tea as an alternative to hot tea others see it as the best alternative to carbonated and alcoholic drinks. Iced tea may be freshly made on-premises and served immediately, or packaged and sold in grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, vending machines, and soda fountains.
Refreshing homemade ice tea is easy to make for a gathering of friends and family members.
4 tips on how to make perfect Iced Tea
Below are a few tips and tricks that you should keep in mind when making iced tea if you want perfect results.
- Get your water measurements right, you don’t wat to end up with too strong tea or too watery tea either.
- Be precise on the time for steeping your tea, you can achieve this by setting a timer. Leave your tea steep for exactly 10 minutes, and remove the tea bags immediately.
- Make Experiments with different teas and sweeteners to invent new flavors and be more creative. You can change the types of teas you and the fruits and spices that you add to your tea.
- Make it a priority to use filtered water instead of tap water to get the smoothest flavor. This helps you to avoid the additives and minerals in tap water that tend to make the taste of tea can dull.
Ingredients for making iced tea
8 cups of water
6 teabags
1/3 a cup of sugar
8 Lemon slices
Step by step process of how to make iced tea
The following steps will get you a percect chilled tea to sip on a hot day
In a sizable saucepan, bring half the water (4 cups in this case) to boil. When the water starts boiling remove it from heat, and add in the tea bags. Let the tea bags steep for 10 minutes exactly and then remove them from the water.
Add sugar to the hot tea to Sweeten it. Whisk the mixture until all the sugar has completely dissolved into the tea. If you are on diet or for health reasons you don’t like sugar, skip adding the sugar.
To the sweet/non-sweetened hot tea mixture, add the remaining four cups of cold water and let the tea cool down.
Transfer the tea to a pitcher, cover it neatly and tightly and refrigerate it until it is chilled.
To serve, fill half a glass with iced tea, add your lemon slices and mint leaves for additional flavor and enjoy. You can alternate the fruit sweaters and additives to your desired taste.
Health Benefits
- A glass of iced tea accounts for better hydration of your body compared to hot tea.
- This tea is good for your teeth when taken unsweetened.
- Iced tea is a powerhouse of healthy nutrients when consumed unsweetened
- This tea is a rich source of manganese, if you are trying to lose weight the Manganese will help in the digestion and utilization of fat and also will fire up the metabolism.
- The cold iced tea is a stress reliever and will help you reduce anxiety and bring down stress levels
Can I Cold Brew My Iced Tea?
Yes, you can cold brew your iced tea. Do this by Combining 8 cups of cold water and 6 tablespoons loose tea or 10 tea bags in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate 15 to 36 hours, or until the tea tastes to your liking.