Iced Tea Recipe (Extra Easy) (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to iced tea to make it taste better? ›

Spices, Herbs & Fruit Juice: The ultimate natural sweeteners. Some herbs and spices (cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, lemongrass) can add a subtle sweetness to black tea, but they might overpower green tea.

Add water and a tea bag to a microwave-safe mug. Place the mug in the microwave, and heat for 30 seconds on 50 percent power. Let the mug sit for a minute before removing the teabag and sipping the tea.

Once you've brewed your ice-tea a dash of baking soda helps to neutralize the tannin content, offering a smoother taste, and reducing that murky appearance. The tannin content is high in black tea and green tea, so be sure to add baking soda if you're using these types of tea.

Three fast reasons to brew your own iced tea, rather than buy bottled: It's cheaper. You'll likely add much less sugar. And it's healthier.

Iced Tea Tips

Have fun with tea garnishes: sprigs of herbs, lemon or orange wheels, apple slices, whole strawberries (extra delightful when dipped in sugar!), frozen strawberries or blueberries (float them on top of the drink).

The first and easiest way to enhance your tea is with Tea Flavoring Concentrates. The potent drops increase the Flavor profile of beverages without adding sugars or carbs. You can incorporate Tea Flavorings in cold or warm brews and enjoy the pleasant notes of Honey, Cherry Blossom, Chamomile, and much more!

Use good water

Think about it: a cup of tea is mainly water, so water does matter. Use your favorite filtered or spring water. Never let it over-boil. In the boiling process, due to high temperature, the water loses Dissolved Oxygen (DO) as well as CO2 and pH.

If you have ever tried brewing tea at home over ice you might have created a cloudy, or even muddy, iced tea. Certain teas are susceptible to fast temperature changes. Shocking the tea, from hot to iced, quickly creates a chemical reaction that severely clouds the tea.

It's fairly easy to have clear iced tea every time. The trick? After boiling, let the tea cool at room temperature before adding cold water and ice. Adding this step prevents the tannins and caffeine from binding together which is the usual culprit behind cloudy iced tea.

Why does my iced tea taste bad? ›

Your Iced Tea Tastes "Off" Just like cloudy tea, a funky tasting tea could have something to do with glassware, water, or brewing methods. If your tea is tasting overly astringent, try adjusting the amount of tea you're adding or the length of time you're brewing.

Ways to make 1 Gallon of iced tea:

For 1 gallon, boil 1 quart water (32 ounces or 4 cups). Remove from heat and pour over 1 Luzianne Gallon Size Iced Tea bag (or 4 Family Size or 16 Individual Cup Iced Tea bags). Brew 3-5 minutes and sweeten to taste.

Iced tea can be made out of regular tea bags and loose leaf tea, or large tea bags made specifically for pitchers of iced tea. Black tea is commonly used for iced tea, but white tea, green tea, and oolong tea also work particularly well over ice without losing flavor integrity or aroma.

Restaurants use a variety of tea brands to make their signature iced teas. Some brew it themselves with bagged, loose leaf or powdered teas while others use tea concentrate, while still more use ready-serve tea.

White sugar or sugar syrup are neutral in flavour, serving to simply sweeten or enhance the rest, while brown sugar lends a delicate caramel note alongside the sweet. Honey and agave tend to be sweeter than sugar, but bring out more floral notes, making them a good match for floral oolongs or fragrant black teas.

Add milk, honey or lemon

Many tea drinkers prefer drinking tea without any milk or sugar. However, you may find some teas more enjoyable with adding a bit of milk or lemon.