How To Make Iced Tea

How to make iced tea

Making iced tea or ice tea every day is a great summer tradition. Nothing is better for a hot summer day. In fact, in the United States, the month of June is National Iced Tea Month.

Here you will find complete instructions on how to make iced tea, including making iced tea from teabags, loose leaf favorites, and flavored varieties. If you are using a prepared commercial “instant” iced tea mix, please follow the package instructions.

If you can, start with water that is filtered to remove chlorine (Brita). You can also add a dash of baking soda to your hot water to sweeten hard water and reduce cloudiness.

How to make iced tea with teabags

Single servings
Prepare a cup of your customary tea with one to two teabags. Choose a daily mid-strength green variety like Sencha or Gunpowder Green. Follow preparation instructions according to each different selection. If you are using black teabags, try a mild Assam or Darjeeling blend. This is also a great time to experiment with those flavored teabags. After steeping 3-5 minutes, remove the teabags. Let the brew cool thoroughly or add an ice cube to speed up the cooling. Pour it into a glass full of ice cubes. You may add flavor like fresh lemon juice and sweeteners to taste. Enjoy!

Iced tea pitchers

You can make a pitcher of iced tea using the same procedure but increase to four to eight teabags (depending on your selected tea, size of pitcher, and individual taste). Heat your water to the correct temperature and remove from the heat. Let your teabags steep for 3 to 5 minutes and remove. Let it cool thoroughly or add a few ice cubes to melt. When cool, pour over a pitcher full of ice cubes. Flavor, garnish, and sweeten to taste.

Tips for garnishes: lemon slices, other citrus slices, sprigs of mint, melissa, lemon balm, fresh berries and fruit chunks, edible flowers. Want something different? Freeze a small piece of the garnish into your ice cubes!

How to make brewed iced tea with loose leaf tea

Making ice tea with loose leaf brewed tea is essentially the same as with teabags.

Prepare a single cup of tea according to recommendations for each variety. After steeping, remove the leaves and let cool thoroughly (or add ice cube). Pour over a glass of ice and add flavoring, garnishes, or sweeteners.

For a pitcher of ice tea, simply brew a whole pot, let it cool, and add ice.

Many of the delicate and expensive whole leaf varieties, like Dragonwell, are not suitable for iced teas. Their flavor is enhanced by the aromatics from the leaf brought out by the hot water. This rare flavor can be lost in iced tea.

Instead, try a selection with more robust flavor as mentioned above. But remember, everyone's taste is individual. With thousands of possibilities, you can always suit yourself!

How to make ice tea with exciting flavors

What an adventure to discover your favorite flavored ice teas.

Peach Recipe | Raspberry Recipe | Mango Recipe | Pineapple Recipe

Iced Tea Smoothies

If you don't know which to choose, start with the flavors you know you like. Adding lemon is popular and works with both green and black varieties. Adding mint is a traditional summer choice for extra cooling. When in doubt, let your nose decide with the "sniff test."

Always start with a single cup in case it doesn’t come out the way you’d hoped.

Here's a movie about how to make iced tea in a more traditional way with Japanese green selection:

How much caffeine in a cup of green tea? | Which green tea has more caffeine? | How to choose your green tea caffeine level | 21 tips for choosing green tea caffeine levels | What about decaffeinated green? | Effects of caffeine: positive and negative | Is caffeine dangerous?


Green tea varieties: Dragon Well | Mao Feng | Matcha | Gunpowder Green | Pi Lo Chun | Gyokuro | Lu shan Yun Wu | Japanese Sencha | Lu An Melon Seed | Jasmine | Blooming Tea | Chun Mee | Flavored Green | Organic Green Tea | Estate Green Tea

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