It is a common and refreshing drink that is often served alongside meals. In fact, people are known for their love of iced tea in the summertime. Does iced tea have caffeine? The bane of many summertime concoctions, what may seem like an easy beverage to make is not quite as simple as it seems. Even after years of practice, there are still people who don’t seem to get it right with one wrong move causing tasteless liquid or no head at all! Some people turn out perfect results time after time; however, so do the others and we’ll be giving them some tips to help you master the art of iced tea in this blog post.
1. Chilling your Iced Tea
This is absolutely essential for the success of your iced tea. When you are taking hot water (or even cold) and adding it to the mix, you’re basically diluting all of the flavor. To get a nice, cool glass of iced tea, try chilling your tea before adding a drink mixer. This will help give it that nice crunchy ice effect on the outside while leaving it hot and flavorful on the inside!
2. Tea Bags VS Loose Leaf
One factor that plays a major part in what kind of results you can expect is whether or not you used loose leaf or tea bags. The reason for this is that tea bags are just that: a bag of tea. They are not made to be steeped, since the leaves could immediately be over-steeped and become bitter. Loose leaf, on the other hand, is infused with more flavor and can take longer to brew.
3. Using The Right Measure
One mistake that people make when making their iced tea is using too much water or ice. While some people like to make their tea super strong, this is not the way to go. Over-steeping your tea will only cause it to become bitter. It will also make it very strong and overpowering. Be sure that you are using the right measurements that are suggested on the package in order to get the perfect taste while still offering a refreshing drink.
4. Using The Right Steeping Time
This is where most people go wrong. It’s all in how long you steep your tea. Too long, and you risk the chance of that bitter taste. Too short, and it could not be called iced tea anymore. There are specific times that tea should be steeped for to get the desired results. This article has titles for recipes: Iced Tea Recipes That Will Make You Say Ahhh!, but really is up to personal preference and/or taste!
5. Preparing The Right Mix
While you can add your tea to milk, lemon juice, or what have you, there is one ingredient that should be avoided! That is sugar! Sugar will only cause the ice to melt much faster and you will lose that nice chilled effect. Your best bet is to find a mix that already has sugar or another sweetener in it. You’ll have the perfect balance of sweet and tart without making your drink lose its cool.
6. Getting Cooled & Dosed With Ice
Another factor that can make or break an iced tea drink is the ice cubes themselves. Remember, you can’t add the water to the tea and expect it to be cold. You want to start with cold water because you will be diluting it completely with your hot or room-temperature tea.
7. Iced Tea Recipe Ideas
Whether you’re looking for an iced tea recipe, cake recipe, or even a tea leaf recipe, we’ve got you covered! We’ll be giving you some hints as well as providing links to some of our favorites below. It’s never too late to perfect your iced tea!
Ingredients: 1 cup brewed green tea (we’ll explain more below in the ingredients)
Ice cubes:
A pinch of sugar (this adds sweetness)
Lemon slices (optional, but adds tartness and helps the ice cubes from melting too fast)
Directions: Measure 1 cup of brewed green tea. Pour into a glass over ice cubes until chilled. Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar. Garnish with lemon slices. Serves 1.
Cook’s Note: It is best to brew the tea at least one hour ahead of time and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend nicely. You can adjust the flavor by adding more/less green tea, sugar, or lemon slices.
Iced tea recipes are very flavorful and also refreshing. There are quite a few ways that people enjoy their iced teas but some choose just to drink it cold, while others prefer it cool with a hint of sweetness (lemon).
Summary:
There are many different types of iced tea that you can make. The perfect recipes are up to your own tastes and imagination. I think the best way to remember how to make a true iced tea is to think back to when you used to drink hot tea (especially green).
