How To Make The Best Iced Tea: Easy Recipes

Tea baristas are coming up with some cool (literally) iced tea concoctions. Our very own barista has created seven unique recipes that are enticing for your taste buds. 

Quick Glance: 7 Mouthwatering Super Easy Iced Tea Recipes

• Heavenly Hibiscus Fizzer
• Tropical Black Tea
• Ginger-Peach 
• Minty-Lime-Cucumber 
• Twisted Ginger 
• Lemon-Blueberry Earl Grey 
• Orange-Jasmine Creamsicle

Which Iced Tea Is The Best?

Tea, in general, is subjective as to who prefers what. However, here in the U.S., the preferential consensus for how tea is prepared is iced, especially in the south..

Southern tea drinkers often opt for the sweet iced tea recipe Lipton tea bags deliver. Artisanal iced tea connoisseurs like to drink unique flavored recipes made from fine loose-leaf tea. Loose-leaf tea provides flavor opportunities for everyone.

Interesting Iced TeaUSA Stats

– Up to 80% of Americans prefer iced tea over hot tea. 

– The number one iced tea flavor in the U.S. is peach.

– The most preferred type of tea by 84% of Americans is black tea.

Is Iced Tea Just As Healthy To Drink As Hot Tea?

Whether you consume hot or iced tea, the health benefits are there. It’s the way you brew the tea that depicts the beneficial content of a tea. Unfortunately, many iced tea drinkers brew their tea in such a way that it degrades tea benefits.

Brewing should be a gentle bathing process where tea leaves and water marry under the right conditions. When this happens, water infuses the tea leaves, and the extraction begins. Through extraction, the integrity of the tea and its health benefits are preserved in such a way that tea drinkers reap the full benefit of consuming the tea.

The information presented on this site is provided for information purposes only. It is not meant to substitute for medical advice or diagnosis provided by your physician or other medical professionals. Do not use this information to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness or health condition. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your physician or healthcare provider.

How Do You Make Easy Iced Tea The Right Way?

We have some easy tips for making the best iced tea you’ll ever have. 

Tips For Making The Best Iced Tea

Knowing how to make iced tea from tea bags is relatively straightforward. However, did you know that most of us make our iced tea in such a way that can affect taste and appearance? We always look for ways to make iced tea fast; however, you can’t rush the process if you want a superb glass of frosty tea.

Brew Tea At The Right Temperature

Tea should be brewed in a teapot at the right temperature and be allowed to steep for the appropriate amount of time. Boiling tea decreases health benefits, causes it to be overly bitter and astringent, and increases levels of caffeine if it’s a true tea (black, green, puerh, oolong, or white.)

Use The Right Type Of Tea

Use a good, quality loose-leaf tea for the best-tasting iced tea. The typical grocery store shelf tea bag tea is made from dust and fannings (fine particles of leftover processed tea.) To truly experience a tea’s ultimate deliciousness, using whole or partial tea leaves (loose-leaf) is best.

Loose-leaf tea can either be a true tea (black, green, puerh, oolong, or white) or a tisane (herbal tea.) True teas are naturally caffeinated and are produced from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis.) Tisanes are made from herbaceous plants.

Store Iced Tea Correctly

Knowing how to store iced tea is just as important as making it. The iced tea container must be thoroughly cleaned, especially in areas such as the spout and rubber liner. Keep iced tea in an airtight, container in the refrigerator. 

Iced tea begins to degrade if stored in the refrigerator too long. Food Safety News mentions not keeping iced tea in the refrigerator longer than eight hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Prevent Cloudy Tea?

Cloudy iced tea happens when ice or cold water is added to brewed tea that hasn’t cooled down. To prevent this, allow brewed tea to completely cool down to room temperature before pouring it over ice or adding cold water.

Why Is Sun Tea Dangerous To Consume?

Tea (tea bag and loose-leaf) may have residual bacteria from processing and handling. Brewing tea at the recommended temperature eradicates that bacteria whereas relying on the sun to brew the tea only promotes bacterial growth. 

Sun tea rarely reaches the minimum temperature to kill residual bacteria. Consuming this tea puts tea drinkers at a high risk of unpleasant side effects.

Best Iced Tea Recipes

Here you have the most unique, seriously tempting, and delicious iced teas that are very easy to make. We’ve taken the guesswork out of figuring out what to add to iced tea to make it taste better! 

Heavenly Hibiscus Fizzer Iced Tea Recipe

• 6 cups of water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf hibiscus tea
• 3 cups of plain sparkling water
• 1 cup of strawberries
• 6 teaspoons of honey
• Fresh sprigs of mint
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Pour the hot water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the tea infuser.
7. Pour the tea into a large tea pitcher and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
8. Add sparkling water, strawberries, and honey.
9. Fill glasses with ice.
10. Pour the tea into the glasses and garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Tropical Black Iced Tea Recipe

• 4 cups of water
• 1 cup of coconut water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf Assam black tea
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice
• Fresh strawberries (sliced)
• Fresh wedges of Satsuma mandarin orange
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Pour the hot water and coconut water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the tea infuser.
7. Pour the tea into a large tea pitcher and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
8. Add the orange juice and pineapple juice.
9. Fill glasses with ice and a few strawberry slices.
10. Pour the tea into the glasses and garnish with Satsuma mandarin orange wedges.

Ginger-Peach Iced Tea Recipe

This is a year-round favorite in the Hummingbird Tearoom!

• 6 cups of water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf ginger peach tea
• 1 cup of sliced donut peaches (remove the pit and discard)
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Add sliced donut peaches into the teapot. 
6. Pour the hot water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the tea infuser.
8. Pour the tea through a strainer (to remove the peaches) and into a large tea pitcher.
9. Allow the tea to cool down to room temperature.
10. Fill glasses with ice.
11. Drizzle one teaspoon of honey over the ice in each glass.
12. Pour the tea into the glasses.

Minty-Lime-Cucumber Iced Tea Recipe

• 6 cups of water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf green peppermint tea
• 1 cup of sliced cucumber
• ½ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup of plain sparkling water
• Sliced limes for garnish
• 6 teaspoons of honey
• Fresh sprigs of muddled mint
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Add the cucumber and honey to the teapot.
6. Pour the hot water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the tea infuser.
8. Pour the tea through a strainer (to remove the cucumber) into a large tea pitcher and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
9. Add the sparkling water.
10. Fill glasses with ice and add the muddled mint.
11. Pour the tea into the glasses.
12. Add a wedge of lime to garnish.

Twisted Ginger Iced Tea Recipe

• 4 cups of water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf ginger twist tea
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup of ginger ale
• Wedges of fresh orange for garnish
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Pour the hot water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the tea infuser.
7. Pour the tea into a large tea pitcher and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
8. Add grapefruit juice, orange juice, and ginger ale.
9. Mix thoroughly.
10. Fill glasses with ice.
11. Pour the tea into the glasses and garnish it with an orange wedge. 

Lemon-Blueberry Earl Grey Iced Tea Recipe

• 6 cups of water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf Earl Grey tea
• Freshly sliced lemon wedges
• 1 cup of fresh blueberries
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Add the blueberries to the teapot.
6. Pour the hot water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the tea infuser.
8. Pour the tea through a strainer (to remove the blueberries) into a large tea pitcher and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
9. Fill glasses with ice.
10. Garnish with a fresh wedge of lemon.

Orange-Jasmine Creamsicle Iced Tea Recipe

• 4 cups of water
• 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf orange jasmine tea
• 2 cups of almond milk
• ½ cup of fresh grated orange rinds
• Fresh whipped cream
• Ice

1. Bring water to 185 degrees (F.)
2. Remove from the heat.
3. Place the loose-leaf tea and orange rinds into a tea infuser.
4. Drop the tea infuser into a teapot.
5. Pour the hot water into the teapot and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the tea infuser.
7. Pour the tea into a large tea pitcher and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
8. Fill glasses with ice.
9. Fill glasses ¾ full of tea.
10. Add enough almond milk to the tea to allow room at the top for the whipped cream.
11. Add a dollop of whipped cream.

Iced Tea Never Got This Good

Now you don’t have to wonder what to add to iced tea to make it taste better. Loose-leaf tea opens a whole new world of iced teas to explore. Infusions of fruit, fizzy water, spices, and more elevate a glass of iced tea to a whole new level.

After all…”It’s Never Not Teatime!”