How to Make Iced Tea
It’s hotter than ever, so cool down with a thirst quenching and refreshing iced tea.
ALL ABOUT ICED TEA
You can make it with any tea but read on for our recommendations.
You can serve it a number of ways; straight-up, sweetened with sugar, honey or syrups and mixed with milk, cream, lemon or with fruits and spices.
If using sugar to sweeten, it’s easier to make a syrup as the sugar is harder to dissolve.
It’s best to serve iced tea on the day it’s made.
It is important to use twice the normal amount of tea. We’d suggest at least 2 teaspoons of loose leaf per cup.
There are two methods we’d recommend for making your iced tea:
Hot Brewed Method:
- Brew your tea as you would normally. Despite the extra amount of leaves, do it for the same amount of time and at the same temperature.
- Strain off the leaves.
- Allow to cool.
- Pop your brew in the fridge until it’s well chilled, at least an hour.
- If you are in a hurry, just pour the hot, strained tea straight over ice cubes.
Cold Brewed Method:
- Put your loose leaf tea into a large pot or jug.
- Fill the jug with cold water and leave it to infuse in the fridge overnight.
ICED TEA RECOMMENDATIONS:
Summer Cooler is the picnic star – a breezy, delightfully blended, summer herbal infusion. This refreshing mix not only cools on a hot day but will also relax a busy body and mind.
Zesty Lemon Black tea is the classic combination for iced tea.
Take yourself to the tropics with our combination of Passionfruit, Guava and Mango!
Cardamom, cloves and cinnamon offset by a touch of fragrant orange, make Pure Chai Spices a more experimental choice – try with the Iced Float recipe!
The spicy ginger in our Sencha Ginger make a thirst quenching drink.
Try The Emperor’s Seven Treasures tea – an unusual high-quality blend of green and black teas, richly combined with peachy fruit flavours and overlaid with rose and sunflower petals.
Strawberry and Kiwi – bursting with uplifting fruits. Here sweet luscious strawberry is paired with mildly spicy kiwi and a touch of apple to make our popular infusion full, fresh and reviving on a hot summer’s day.
One of our most popular fruit teas, Kir Royale doesn’t disappoint as a hydrating iced tea. Juicy, zesty, ripe-wild brightness of berries to lift the spirits.
A super easy and refreshing iced tea can be made using our Gunpowder and Mint tea.
Caramel – a little pick me up on a hot day. Enjoy this satisfying, indulgent blend without the guilt that comes with the usual caramel calories!
Cool down with a Coconut iced tea – the richness of the coconut works beautifully. It will transport you to those Caribbean beaches that we’ve been longing after.
Other Options to Explore:
Heavenly Peach and Apricot; this speciality black tea blend is nothing less than the mellow taste of hazy summer in a cup!
Mango with Flowers has high notes of Ceylon which dance with the sweet, rounded, aromatic lilt of mango providing an extraordinary and elegant flavour.
Another traditional option for iced tea would be our Peach with Flowers. It has added orange flowers which really set off the peachy perfume to this classic.
Our cocktail inspired Sencha Pina Colada includes pineapple, apple and coconut pieces, all sure to get your taste buds tingling.
Tutti Fruiti tea contains a LOT; apple, almond, coconut pieces, pineapple pieces, hibiscus blossoms, rosehip & orange peels. Plus safflower & cornflower petals, all to give you a super sweet drink without any artificial sugar.
ENHANCE YOUR ICED TEA WITH THESE RECIPES
ICED TEA SYRUPS (to easily sweeten your iced tea):
Black Tea Simple Syrup:
Ingredients:
- 200g of granulated sugar.
- 240ml of water.
- A few drops of fresh lemon juice.
- 1 cinnamon stick.
- 1 tbsp. of Ceylon or Nilgiri tea.
Method:
- Combine sugar, water, lemon and cinnamon in a medium saucepan.
- Stir and bring to the boil.
- Reduce and simmer until all sugar is dissolved and has a syrup consistency (approx. 2-3 mins).
- Add tea leaves and simmer for a minute.
- Remove from the heat and let cool, strain leaves and cinnamon stick.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Green Tea Simple Syrup:
As above except swap Ceylon or Nilgiri tea for Green Tea leaves and fresh lime drops can be used in place of lemon.
Lemonade Iced Tea:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 100g of granulated sugar.
- 120ml of hot water.
- 120ml of fresh lemon juice.
- 960ml of your black or green tea of choice.
Method:
- In a pitcher dissolve the sugar and hot water.
- Stir in lemon juice.
- Add the iced tea.
- Serve in glasses with ice.
Iced Tea Float:
Serves 1
Ingredients:
- 360ml of black iced tea.
- 1 scoop of Dulche de Leche or Vanilla ice-cream.
Method:
- Pour the tea into a glass that is half filled with ice.
- Add 1 scoop of the ice-cream on top.