I like to infuse it with ginger, mint, and orange flavors. But even plain and unsweetened, it’s delightful! It took moving to the U.S. South to realize why sweet tea plays such a significant role here. Living in year-round cool Northern California, I didn’t really get it. But summer is hot and muggy here, and cold drinks are so refreshing. In the sweltering summer of Memphis, Tennessee, I find that iced tea (and iced coffee) is just the thing when I get back home from a long walk, a bike ride, or even just running errands.
Ingredients
Variations
You can use your favorite tea in this recipe. I like Earl Grey, but you can use plain black, green, white, or herbal tea. You can use different sweeteners, including sugar, honey, maple syrup, sugar-free granulated sweeteners, or stevia. You can also use brown sugar if you dissolve it entirely while the tea is hot. It’s fun to infuse the tea with different types of fruit. My favorite is orange slices, but other good options include lemon, lime, strawberry, or peach slices.
Instructions
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Recipe Card
Water: You’ll need 8 cups of cool water. Tea bags: I use Earl Grey tea. I use eight tea bags - one bag for each glass of tea. Ginger: I like to add a small piece of fresh ginger root to the tea as it steeps. It adds a very subtle flavor. If you want a more robust ginger flavor, keep it in the tea while it cools. Mint: You’ll need a bunch of fresh mint leaves and another bunch for garnish. Baking soda: This helps keep the tea clear and counteract any bitterness. You’ll only need a pinch. Sweetener: This is optional. I typically don’t add any, but if you’d like to sweeten your tea, you can add a sweetener to equal ½ cup of sugar. Each glass will contain about a tablespoon of sweetener. If this seems excessive, you can start with ¼ cup of sweetener for the entire batch and see how you like it. Orange: I thinly slice a fresh orange and add the slices to the tea. I like it better than lemon. It adds great flavor and a hint of sweetness. Ice cubes: You’ll need 4-6 ice cubes for each glass.
Bring two cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat off and add the tea bags, ginger root, and mint leaves. Steep the tea for ten minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tea bags, ginger, and mint leaves from the tea. At this point, you can strain the tea into a heatproof bowl. Stir in six cups of cool water. Refrigerate the tea until cold, for about an hour, or place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. To serve, transfer the tea to a glass pitcher. Fill drinking glasses with ice cubes and add one or two thin orange slices. Pour in the tea, garnish with mint leaves, and serve. It also goes well with dark chocolate, chocolate-based treats such as fat bombs or homemade chocolate, and baked goods such as almond flour cookies and keto pound cake.
