Iced tea is a crisp and refreshing drink made with loose black tea powder. It is one of the easiest drinks to make in under 10 minutes and with only 2 ingredients. The recipe I have shared here in this post shows you how to make a perfect iced tea that is bitter-less and turns out great every time with easy step-by-step instructions. I have also attached a detailed video to make the process clear and simple.This iced tea is fresh, cold, and a delightful drink to enjoy on hot summer days.
And other best part is, this Iced Tea along with Lemonade can be used to make Arnold Palmer Drink.
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What is Iced Tea?
Iced tea is a fresh and flavorful cold drink made with fresh black loose leaf powder. The tea powder is brewed in boiling water and then diluted with cold water. Then it is refrigerated for a few hours to get the crisp, bitter-less tea. The tea is then served with a lot of ice cubes to enjoy the perfect flavor and taste of the drink.
The traditional ice tea is mainly made with loose tea leaf powder but you can also use teabags instead. Even though there are tons of ready-to-drink brands available at stores, making homemade ice tea from scratch is the best. And the bonus is you can customize it according to your family's needs. You can also flavor it with sweeteners, fruit juice, syrups, and much more according to individual preferences.
Ingredients
This is a super simple recipe and you will need only 2 ingredients.
- Black Tea Powder - I have used black tea powder here for brewing, you can also use black tea bags if powder is not handy
- Water - I have use 8½ cups of water, 2½ cups for brewing and remaining 6 cups for diluting the tea
How to make Iced Tea?
The recipe shared here is a simple iced tea recipe without any sweetener or artificial flavoring. Hence it is also called Unsweet Tea. And this recipe gives a perfect bitter-less and flavorful fresh tea that you will ever want to make.
To prepare the drink, pour 2½ cups of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once the water starts to boil, add in the black tea powder and allow it to boil for 5 minutes.
- Brewing the tea powder for full 5 minutes gives the perfect flavor and taste. Now switch off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Rest the tea mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. Now drain the tea mixture with a help of a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher. Pour the remaining 6 cups of cold water and dilute it. Give it a good mix and close the lid of the pitcher.
- Refrigerate the tea mixture for at least 2 hours. After 2 hours, pour the chilled tea over a serving glass with a lot of ice cubes and enjoy.
Tips
- Boiling the tea powder or bags in hot water helps to extract all the flavors from the tea powder
- Make sure not to boil the tea for more than 5 minutes which may turn the tea bitter even after diluting with water
- Diluting the strong tea in cold water gives a nice crisp and bitter-less ice tea
- Refrigerating the tea for at least for 2 hours gives the best flavor and I suggest keeping it for long hours to taste the best iced tea
- You can always make this iced tea in bulk batches for a week and the more it is in the refrigerator gives more crisp flavor
- I have made this iced tea without sweeteners and you can always feel free to add sweeteners of your choice
- Some people also prefer to add a pinch of baking soda before diluting the tea which helps to cut down the bitterness of tea. Since the recipe I have shared gives bitter-less tea I havent used the baking soda to mask up the bitterness
- Serve this iced tea with a lot of ice cubes for a more cooling effect. You can also garnish with lemon and mint which is totally optional
Storage Suggestions
This iced tea tastes best when refrigerated for long hours. You can make this drink in bulk batches and it can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. The more it is been chilled the more taste and flavor can be achieved.
Serving Suggestions
This iced tea tastes great on its own with ice cubes and you can also serve it along with mint leaves, lemon slices, or mixing in your favorite flavors.
You can also find similar recipes below and more at Tea Recipes
- Lemon Ginger Tea
- Barley Tea
- Masala Chai (Tea)
- Sweet Tea
- Hibiscus Tea (Agua De Jamaica)
- Bubble Tea (Boba Milk Tea)
- Taro Milk Tea (Taro Bubble Tea)
- Strawberry Milk Bubble Tea
- Thai Tea
More Iced Drinks Recipes
- Iced Coffee
- Iced Black Coffee
- Cold Brew Coffee
- Vietnamese Coffee
- Iced Chai Tea Latte
- Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Dirty Chai Latte
Iced Tea Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of this iced tea recipe, which I hope will help you to make a perfect drink at home. For a quick reference, you could also find this recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
Iced Tea
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Black Loose Tea Powder, or 6 black tea bags
- 8½ cups Water
- Ice Cubes, to serve
- Lemon slices, to serve
Instructions
To make Iced Tea
- In a saucepan, pour 2½ cups of water and bring it to boil
- Add ¼ cup of black tea powder or 6 black tea bags and allow it to cook for 5 minutes
- Switch off the heat and cover the saucepan with the lid and allow it to steep for 3 minutes
- Open the lid and drain the tea into a pitcher with a fine-mesh strainer if you are using tea powder or discard the tea bags
- Now pour the remaining 6 cups of cold water into the pitcher and dilute the tea mixture
- Close the lid of the pitcher and refrigerate the tea for at least 2 hours. And now the crisp, refreshing iced tea is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this refreshing Iced tea with lots of ice cubes. You can also use lemon, mint to garnish
Video
Notes
- Boiling the tea powder or bags in hot water helps to extract all the flavors from the tea powder
- Make sure not to boil the tea for more than 5 minutes which may turn the tea bitter even after diluting with water
- Diluting the strong tea in cold water gives a nice crisp and bitter-less ice tea
- Refrigerating the tea for at least for 2 hours gives the best flavor and I suggest keeping it for long hours to taste the best-iced tea
- You can always make this iced tea in bulk batches for a week and the more it is in the refrigerator gives more crisp flavor
- I have made this iced tea without sweeteners and you can feel free to add sweeteners of your choice
- Serve this iced tea with a lot of ice cubes for a more cooling effect. You can also garnish with lemon and mint which is totally optional
Nutrition
FAQ
Iced tea is a refreshing cold drink made with black tea powder. The tea powder is usually brewed in boiling water and then diluted in cold water. The diluted tea mixture is refrigerated for long hours and then relished with a lot of ice cubes. It is usually enjoyed plain, sweet, or flavored with other ingredients. It is one of the best drinks to have on hot summer days to quench your thirst.
Yes, you can make this tea with sugar or other sweeteners of your choice.
Yes, iced tea without sweetener is good in antioxidants, low in calories, and helps to stay hydrated. But adding sweeteners and other flavoring agents may alter the health benefits and calorie count.
I really hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
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