This summer, if refreshment is on your mind, the options are several and chilled as can be. Soft drinks (you can’t include hard drinks in this list, puhlease), coconut water, shakes and yes, the bubbly and lovely iced tea.
Iced tea is a healthiest drink that works as a thanda splash on the sun-tired skin. It is rich in anti-oxidants and minerals that keep a check on calories. It cuts down on the consumption of coffee and helps in the system flush too.
[Also Read: Reasons to Stay Away from Caffeine]
So, what stops you in going for it or making it for yourself when your friends are coming over? Get some diet chips, avocados, or peanuts and get started on mission iced tea. Hurray!
Rules for making Iced Tea
First and foremost thing that you need to bear in mind is that iced tea is all about minimum sugar. So there will be fewer calories and more of thirst-quenching and fun.
1. Tea Bags
For every 3 cups of water, use 2 tea bags. Stronger teas such as Green Tea, Darjeeling Tea or Jasmine Tea make well-flavored tea when served cold.
2. Adding Sugar to Water
All of us have our own preferences while having tea. If you want a sweetened tea, add some sugar to the hot tea so that the grains dissolve. If you prefer to have it sweetened after the tea is made, then add syrup instead of sugar granules (so that the granules don’t stay back in the glass).
3. Avoid over-steeping
If you would like to go for stronger tea, use more tea bags instead of increasing the duration of steeping time. If your heart is on sipping weaker tea, then reduce the steeping time.
4. Before refrigerating, cool
Never make the mistake of putting hot tea into a fridge as that will make your tea cloudy. Patience works so allow your tea to cool down before you put it in the refrigerator.
5. Real lemons
The true flavor of an iced tea comes when you add freshly squeezed lemon juice to it. Stay away from putting artificial lemon juice as that will only spoil the show.
6. Freshness
Want to serve iced tea fresh? Then make it fresh. This is what will bring out the true taste of iced tea rather than keeping the balanced tea in the fridge and then drinking it after batches. All questions on how to make iced tea are answered below:
- 6 cups whole milk or unsweetened almond milk
- ¾ cup honey syrup
- 8 small black tea bags (such as Lipton with paper and string removed)
- 8 crushed green cardamom pods
- 8 crushed allspice
- 8 crushed peppercorns
- 8 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (seeds scraped and reserved)
- 2inch piece ginger (peeled and thinly sliced) – 1 no.
- ½ crushed whole nutmeg
Procedure:
- Take a saucepan and put all the ingredients mentioned above in 6 cups water
- Allow it to simmer, and remove from heat
- After 10–15 minutes, pour it through a strainer into a pitcher
- Serve hot or chilled
- Store in refrigerator keeping it covered for up to 1 week
Source: saveur.com
More Iced Teas for you
Here are some more iced teas to include in your gossip sessions with your friends and dates:
Classic Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 English breakfast teabags (or equivalent if using loose tea)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 ½ tbsp honey
- 1 cup iced water
- 2 cups ice cubes
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Procedure:
- In a teapot or heatproof jug, brew 4 tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes
- Remove the tea bags then add the honey while the water is still warm
- Leave to cool, then transfer to a serving jug / pitcher
- Add the iced water, lemon juice, ice cubes and lemon slices
- Serve in glasses with a sprig of mint if desired
[sc:mediad]
Jasmine Lime Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 40 oz of filtered water
- 10 generous tsp of Jasmine Jazz Full-Leaf Green
- 5 Tbsp of agave nectar
- 1Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
Procedure:
- Bring 40 oz of filtered water just to a boil
- Place 10 generous tsp of Jasmine Jazz Full-Leaf Green in a glass iced tea pitcher, add boiling water and infuse for 3 minutes
- Remove tea and allow to cool
- Add 5 Tbsp of agave nectar and 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- Garnish with fresh lime slices, and serve the tea-limeade
Cranberry and Cinnamon Rooibos Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 6 rooibos tea bags
- 80ml (1/3 cup) light brown sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks, roughly broken
- 1 litre boiling water
- 1 litre cranberry juice
- a lemon, sliced
- 30ml lemon juice
- 1 red apple, sliced into thin wafer rounds
- mint, to serve
- blueberry ice cubes
Procedure:
- Place the tea bags, sugar and cinnamon in a large, heat-resistant jug
- Pour the boiling water over and stir through until the sugar has dissolved
- Set aside and allow to steep for at least an hour or until cooled to room temperature
- Remove the tea bags and discard. Add the cranberry juice, lemon slices, lemon juice and apple wafers
- Chill for several hours or until completely cold
To make the ice cubes, fill an ice tray with water and add your favourite fruit and a sprig of mint before placing in the freezer. When ready to serve, half fill a tumbler with ice, a little extra mint and top up with the iced tea. Enjoy!
Apple & Honey Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cups water, boiling
- 4 tea bags
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 cups apple juice
Procedure:
- Steep tea bags in hot water for 5 minutes
- Strain out tea bags, and stir in honey and juice
- Mix until honey is dissolved
- Chill and serve over ice
Easy Apple Chamomile Iced Tea with Honey Recipe
Ingredients:
- 750ml chamomile tea, brewed
- 250 – 450ml clear apple juice
- 80ml (1/3 cup) passion fruit pulp
- Mint to garnish
- Instructions
Procedure:
- Brew 750ml chamomile tea and allow this to cool
- Add the apple juice and passion fruit pulp and chill
- When its cold, serve over ice and add a few sprigs of mint to the glass for garnish
Orange Mint Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- Tea leaves – 1 tsp
- Water – 1 cup
- Sugar – 2 tsp
- Orange juice – 1 cup
- Lemon juice – 2 tsp
- Mint leaves – 2-3 sprigs
- Ice
Procedure:
- Heat water in a pan and add tea leaves, 8-10 mint leaves and sugar
- Let it boil and then simmer for a minute
- Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes
- Fill a tall glass with ice till top
- Add a few mint leave
- Pour 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup tea
- Add 1 tsp lemon juice
- Garnish with orange slice
- Serve immediately
Hibiscus Mint Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 hibiscus tea bags
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 4 cups boiling water
- 2 cups apple juice
- 2 cups cold water
- Ice cubes, for serving
- Mint sprigs (optional)
Procedure:
- In a large heatproof pitcher, combine tea bags, mint leaves, and boiling water; steep 10 minutes
- Discard tea bags and mint
- Add apple juice and cold water; refrigerate until cold
- Serve over ice with sprigs of mint, if desired
Start making these summer sippers and see how the soaring temperature vanishes away by the sheer excitement and thrill of these.
