Beat the heat this summer with cold, refreshing ice teas. Try these two simple methods to make delicious, healthy ice teas at home with no preservatives, no artificial flavoring and no fancy equipment.
COLD BREW TEA
Cold-brewing is the easiest way to make cold, refreshing ice teas.
Simply combine loose leaf tea and cold water in a jug/bottle and let it steep in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. Strain the tea leaves and the cold-brew tea is ready.
The slow and gentle steeping process of cold-brewing extracts a different chemical balance from the loose leaf tea, creating a sweet, smooth tasting tea with less caffeine & no bitterness.
BREWING GUIDE:
Water : 1 litre (4 servings)
Water temperature : room temperature
Tea : 4 teaspoons* loose leaf tea
Steeping time : 4-12 hours
HOW TO PREPARE :
1) Pour 1 litre water into a jug/bottle
2) ADD 4 tsps * of loose leaf tea
3) Cover the jug/bottle with the lid and refrigerate for 4-12 hours**
4) Use a tea strainer to pour out the cold brewed tea into another container, ready to serve
5) Enjoy the cold brewed tea on its own or garnish/flavor it with citrus, ginger, herbs, honey, splash of fruit juice/nectar.
*Adjust the quantity of tea leaves and water depending on the tea you are brewing and the number of cups you want to make. For example, if 1 cup of tea requires a tablespoon of tea leaves then use the same measurement for the cold brewing.
**White teas & Green teas brew the quickest, between 4- 5 hrs. Black & Oolong teas should be brewed overnight followed by Pu-erh and Herbal teas. This is just a guideline, please experiment with the time to see what suits you best.
FLASH CHILL
Flash chill, is a quick way to make a cold, refreshing ice tea in an instant. Flash chill involves making a strong hot tea brew (concentrated tea shot ) and pouring it over a glass full of ice to instantly create an iced tea. All types of loose leaf teas can be used to make an instant 'flash chilled' tea.
BREWING GUIDE:
Water : 1/2 cup (1 serving)
Tea : 1 tsp* of loose leaf tea
Water temperature : 95-100 C (black tea)**
Steeping time : 5 minutes
Ice cubes : 1 cup***
HOW TO PREPARE:
1) Add 1 tsp of loose leaf tea to 1/2 cup of hot water (95-100 C) and steep it for 5 minutes.
(Make a hot cup of tea using twice the amount of tea leaves per cup to make a tea concentrate)
2) Optional - Add honey/ sugar to sweeten the hot tea while brewing
3) Fill a jar/ shaker with ice cubes
4) Strain the brewed hot tea over the ice filled jar/shaker and shake it vigorously for 15-30 seconds (Optional- add garnish/flavoring and shake it together)
5) Pour the tea into a new glass, ready to serve.
6) Optional -Garnish or flavor the tea with citrus zest/peel/slices, ginger, mint or other herbs, honey, splash of fruit juice/nectar
*Adjust the quantity of tea leaves and water depending on the tea you are brewing and the number of cups you want to make.
** Use the tea brewing guide on the tea package to adjust the water temperature
*** Frozen fruit can be used along with ice cubes to cool down the hot tea and create a fruity infusion.