I love having a refreshing iced tea in the afternoon. There are so many delicious flavors to explore. I do not like a weak or bitter iced tea though. I am going to show you how to make flavor packed iced tea that you can use with any tea base of your choice. Below are two methods, one for fast iced tea, and one for super easy overnight iced tea.
I. Fast Iced Tea
1. Start by making a tea concentrate using double strength tea. For a regular cup of tea the rule is 1tsp tea/8oz. For iced tea I use 2tsp tea/8oz. For a gallon of tea use between 1/2-1 cup of loose leaf tea. I like my tea strong so I use the maximum amount and then dilute with iced or water if it is too strong.
2. Heat your water to the appropriate temperature listed below.
3. Once the water is to up to temperature, heat your cup or pitcher by pouring some of the heated water into your vessel, swish it around, and pour it out to keep the temperature constant.
4. Only fill up your vessel 1/2 full with hot water and put in your tea. Once the tea is steeped, we will add ice to make the tea cold and it will fill your glass or pitcher.
5. Cover the vessel and steep for the appropriate time below:
6. Extract the flavor from the tea by squishing the tea leaves with a spoon or tea tongs.
7. Add any sweetener of choice and stir.
8. Add ice to fill your cup or pitcher.
II. Easy Overnight Cold Brewed Tea
1. Put concentrated tea into the vessel: 2 tsp tea/8oz or 1/2-1cup loose leaf tea/gallon depending on how strong you like it.
2. Fill your vessel with filtered water.
3. Steep overnight or at least 10-12 hours.
4. Squeeze your tea bag to extract the flavor.
5. Add sweetener of choice. In the summer you can make iced lattes by adding milk or flavorings of choice.
I love using my infuser tea pitcher to make easy cold brewed iced tea. It can also be used for the fast brewed tea with hot water. This pitcher also works for coffee cold brew although you may have to wash it with a touch of bleach or vinegar to remove the flavor of coffee or tea that might linger in between.
My favorite iced teas from our tea line are: Raspberry Lemon Verbena, Bingo Blueberry, Watermelon Oolong, Raspberry Green Tea, Monique’s Garden Bouquet, Pomegranate Green Tea, Ginger Peach, Elderberry Black Currant, and Apple Medley. See our iced tea sampler packages here: https://somscafe.com/product/iced-tea-pack/
For a limited time if you try out these tips and post about your experience tagging @SomsCafe, I will send you a free sample of your choice from those listed above.
