Bypass buying iced tea at the grocery store!
Making your own delicious homemade iced tea is super easy and super cheap!
Do you need to transport iced tea to an event? There’s a hack for that!
MY STORY
Growing up, there was always a pitcher of iced tea in the refrigerator.
There was really no rhyme or reason to how it was made.
Sometimes the tea steeped for a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours, occasionally all night.
Most times it tasted good enough, sometimes not.
When I got married, making tea went by the wayside.
However, during Covid, my mom came to live with us and, once again, iced tea needed to be a staple.
Buying iced tea at the grocery store yielded both a great tasting iced tea and convenience.
But, ug, who wants to pay dollars to buy something that can be made for cents?
I made it my mission to figure out how to make my own delicious homemade iced tea.
Of course, making iced tea is easy, but there are a few things you can do to step it up a notch.
Choose your tea bag
Making delicious homemade iced tea does not require a special tea bag.
However, my preference is to use an actual iced tea bag.
Iced tea bags are designed to infuse an entire pitcher of tea, keeping the process simple and the quality good.
Make the tea
For the best results, follow the directions on the box specific to the tea bags you are using.
There is a huge variety of teas bags available, in both size and type.
You may even want to use loose leaf tea.
You will get the best results by following the directions included with the tea.
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it is if there is a recipe on the box, the results are tried and true.
It’s in the best interest of the company for you to have a superior outcome so that you will become a repeat customer.
It’s true of oatmeal cookies (thank you Denise!), and it’s true of iced tea as well.
How to make delicious homemade iced tea using an iced tea bag.
These are the directions straight off the back of the package of the Luzianne Iced Tea Bags I use to make iced tea.
Boil two cups of water
Gently pour over 1 tea bag in a heat-safe pitcher and steep 3-5 minutes.
Remove the tea bag and add two cups of cold water (I prefer a mix of ice and water).
Sweeten to taste, chill and serve.
The steeping time when making tea is important.
Steeping refers to the amount of time you allow the tea bag to set in the hot water.
It is the most important step to conquer in order to enjoy a good cup, or pitcher, of tea.
Steeping the tea too long results in a strong, bitter tea.
If the steep time is too short, the results are pretty much a flavorless tea.
Steeping time is not an exact science but a personal preference. Practice until you know what works for you.
Sweeten to taste
Using a simple syrup to sweeten your tea is one of the things that turns ordinary iced tea into extraordinary iced tea.
A simple syrup eliminates having gritty, undissolved sugar laying in the bottom of your glass.
To sweeten the entire pitcher, add the syrup to the hot water before the cold water is added.
If you want to offer the choice of sweetened or unsweetened, put the simple syrup in a pretty container and allow guests to sweeten their tea to their own preference.
How to make a simple syrup
Measure equal amounts of water and sugar into a saucepan.
Place the saucepan on the stove and turn the heat on to medium to low.
Stir the water and sugar mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Turn off the heat and allow the simple syrup to cool.
If you want to keep some simple syrup on hand, it can be refrigerated for up to four weeks in an airtight container.
Store iced tea in the refrigerator in an airtight container
When possible, I prefer to use a glass container, but whatever you use, make sure it’s airtight.
An open pitcher of tea will pick up the odd flavors floating around inside the refrigerator.
Let the tea cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Putting tea in the refrigerator when it’s too hot results in cloudy tea.
Iced tea doesn’t have a long shelf life, usually two to three days. Unsweetened tea may last a bit longer.
And finally, a word on taking iced tea to an event
This hack comes straight from my sister, and it’s a game changer for transporting drinks to an event.
Purchase water in plastic gallon containers.
Use the water to make the iced tea (or lemonade).
Once the drink is made and cool, pour it back into the gallon jugs.
Put the lid on, and transport without spilling!
This also works if you have large amounts of drinks to prepare, and not enough pitchers in which to prepare and store the drinks.
Never be tempted to buy iced tea again.
A jug of iced tea in the grocery store averages $3.99.
A gallon of delicious, homemade iced tea costs less than fifty cents to make.
The winner is a no-brainer. Make your own delicious, homemade iced tea.
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