Iced Tea

SusanMFindlay

I used to have a major soda addiction. I weaned myself off slowly using diet soda then progressively more dilute Crystal Light. I've now gotten to the point where about half the liquids I drink can be water. But I still crave flavour! I tried the "water with lemon slices in it" thing, but constantly slicing lemons felt like too much work and it generated a lot of waste from dumping the fruit.

So, my latest thing is making my own iced tea by brewing it, diluting a little bit and storing in the fridge. One pot makes about 2 liters. I've got a few different teas in rotation - all from David's Tea (grocery store tea tends to make bitter iced tea, IMO). A lemon infused black tea, a lime infused white tea and a couple of herbal blends.

Anyone else make their own iced tea?

SuzySunshine99

I make my own iced tea all the time. I have a Takeya infuser that makes it really easy. I usually make plain black tea and squeeze some lemon into it, but have also made green and herbal teas. If you don't add sugar (I don't), it's a great no-calorie drink.

lynn_glenmont

I just toss a few tea bags or loose tea into an empty glass jar (I prefer small batches to ensure rapid turnover, so I use peanut butter, jam, and pasta sauce jars), add cold filtered water, and let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours or more. Remove tea bags or strain loose tea and place in refrigerator. Saves money on the unnecessary heating of water (and the house), and makes a smoother-tasting tea.

This time of year, I generally have at least one caffeinated tea (breakfast, Early Grey, or chai, mostly, but green tea sometimes) and one herbal or decaffeinated (peppermint, lemon & ginger, etc.) in the refrigerator. I seldom if ever add anything to them, unless I heat them in the microwave because I'm in the mood for hot tea despite the weather. I generally add a splash of milk to hot black tea.

BillMcKay1

I do, but prefer cold brew like @lynn_glenmont

mochi622

I like to make an iced tea concentrate too. I like to mix my tea bags so I'll do 4 bags of black tea and 2 bags mint tea to make my own blend.

TeaBea

I like do a "blend" with flavored tea bags like @mochi622. Flavored bags make the tea more mellow. Twinings Mixed Berry, Lipton's. Bavarian Red Raspberry & Lipton's Citrus Green tea are favorites.

The fruit flavor doesn't come out using the cold brew method. But green tea will be bitter if the water is too hot. This takes a little effort to get the temperature just right.