Imagine; it’s about 22 degrees outside (hot for us in England!), the sun is direct and the only thing that will quench the heat in your head is something fruity. Luckily, you’re sipping on a long-steeped red and fruity tea, sweetened and swimming around ice cubes. It hits the back of your throat, smooth and soft.
You learned how to make this delightful iced-tea from this blog, and you may have even sourced the fresh tea leaves from us…
Before we go through the recipe, let’s explore the best options for an iced-tea base.
Typically, you will want to look for something with a strong aroma such as flowers (think, hibiscus or rose) or leaves (like mint and lavender). The compounds that create the aroma will withstand the steeping process and create a richer, more flavourful final tea.
Watery fruits (like peaches, apples, pears) don’t tend to retain their flavour throughout the long steeping process, so, for fruit, it’s best to opt for bright berries or strongly aromatic fruits like oranges.
If you want to use more watery fruit, you could enhance the sweetness with a dash of sugar or honey, which is why we have suggested our Turkish Apple blend.
You will also want to avoid delicate and complex teas like oolong or white tea, because their subtle flavour profiles can be damaged and lost in the process of steeping and icing, making them into an expensive redundancy, if not a bit bitter tasting.
Likewise, delicate and vaguely-aromatised flowers like chamomile and jasmine might lose the floral taste you love, and retain only bitterness.
Based on this criteria, browse some recommendations below and select your base;
If you want to make a fruity base from scratch, try simple dried red berries or dried citrus fruits.
Our Turkish Apple blend appears to go against our suggestions, with watery dried apple featuring as the star-player, but with its layer of lemongrass and sprinkle of sugar, it defies a generic apple tea and would retain a cool sweetness in an iced-tea.
For a more floral hint, try tart, dried hibiscus, or lavender (this one is an acquired floral- bitter taste).
Our Raspberry Lemonade blend is a tart and zingy blend of hibiscus, raspberry and robust rosehip. The nostalgic, fruity taste pairs well with a sparkling water or lemonade mixer.
You could even layer some more hibiscus for an extra tropical twist.
In our (humble) opinion, minty teas translate most effectively to a cooling, iced tea.
For an uplifting and cleansing taste, our Mint Licorice offers a simple and sharp blend of cold peppermint leaves, anisee-like licorice root, and freshening fennel. It’s like a blast of arctic wind.
Ok, hopefully by now you have an idea of the best base to choose. Let’s look at a simple recipe.
You will need;
- Ice cubes
- Water
- Your loose leaf tea of choice
- Something to sweeten like sugar or honey
Instructions:
- Boil Water:
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil
- Steep the Tea:
- Place the 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea in a tea infuser or directly into a heat proof pitcher.
- Pour the hot water over the tea leaves.
- Let the tea steep for 5 minutes for black or green tea, or 5-7 minutes for a mixed blend, or herbal tea. (Adjust steeping time for stronger or milder flavour). You can even steep overnight if you want it extra strong.
- Strain the Tea:
- If you used a tea infuser, remove it. If the leaves are loose, strain the tea into another pitcher to remove the leaves.
- Sweeten the Tea (Optional):
- If you like your tea sweeter, add sugar, honey, or syrup while the tea is still warm. Stir until dissolved.
- Cool the Tea:
- Let the tea cool to room temperature. You can speed this up by placing the pitcher in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve Over Ice:
- Fill a glass with ice cubes.
- Pour the cooled tea over the ice.
- Garnish (Optional):
- Add fresh lemon slices, mint leaves, or fruit for extra flavour
Get creative! Let us know about the flavours you create in the comments or through email.