Award Winning Iced Tea

Whether you prefer plain iced tea, sweet tea or even Thai iced tea, the ingredients you use and the method of brewing will make a huge difference in the final outcome and flavor of your tea. Everyone loves the refreshing taste of a cold glass of iced tea and a good iced tea recipe is one that will win you many compliments.

Sweet Tea or Iced Tea

Everyone should know how to make iced tea, it is one of those beverages that can be served year-round and is a staple in many parts of the country. Serving a cold glass of sweet tea or iced tea is especially fun when you add flavored rock candy. We like to serve iced tea with a raspberry, mint or lemon flavored rock candy stick. Stir the flavored sugar crystals into your tea to get the perfect balance of sweetness and flavor. Of course, sweet tea made with a simple syrup is also a quick and convenient method. We have added a sweet tea recipe as well as a regular iced tea recipe for those who prefer their tea unsweetened, or who want to sweeten it to their own liking. Remember, the best iced tea is the one that is freshly brewed!

The Best Iced Tea Recipe

Ingredients:

6 cups fresh cold water

5 tea bags

ice

lemon wedges or slices

Directions:

Bring 4 cups of fresh water to a full boil. Be sure you use good quality water, if your water has an off taste or odor, use filtered, spring or bottled water. The quality of your tea will be a reflection of the ingredients you use. Poor quality water will never result in a good cup of tea (or coffee).

Once the water has come to a boil, add to a heat-proof glass container. I prefer using glass because I find plastic and even some metals have a tendency to give off an unpleasant taste.
Add the tea bags. You can use just about any type of tea you like, I generally use green tea, orange pekoe or a combination. Tie the tea bags together to make it easy to retrieve them.
Let the tea steep in the hot water for at least 1 hour, you can leave it for several hours if you prefer. Remove the tea bags. If you want sweet tea you can stir in about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of sugar into the warm tea mixture until dissolved.

Add 2 cups of fresh cool water to the brewed tea. Chill in refrigerator. Never pour warm tea over ice or you will end up with diluted tea. be sure to chill before serving. If you prefer, you can use 2 cups of chilled cranberry juice or raspberry juice to make a delicious flavored tea.
Serve over ice. Garnish with lemon wedges or slices and a sprig of mint if desired.

Southern Sweet Tea

Nothing says southern living like a tall glass of sweet tea. Every family has their favorite sweet tea recipe, but here are a couple that have stood the test of time and have become long-time family favorites.

Ingredients:

6 tea bags

1 to 1-1/3 cups sugar

1 gallon hot water (almost to the boiling point)

lemon wedges or slices, optional

mint sprigs, optional

Directions:

Bring water and sugar almost to a boil in a large kettle.
Remove from heat and pour into a one-gallon glass pitcher. Add tea bags; be sure to tie the tea bags together to make them easy to take out when the tea is finished brewing. (Remove any paper tabs or staples before using).

Let the tea steep for about one hour, then cover and place in the refrigerator. Leave the tea bags brewing for another two or three hours as the tea is cooling in the refrigerator. Remove tea bags.
Chill until very cold. Serve over ice with some lemon.

Perfect Sweet Tea

This is a sweet tea recipe that at first glance might seem a bit strange, but trust me – it makes the most amazing sweet tea you have ever had. The use of a little baking soda helps to cut any bitterness and leaves the tea smooth and clear. Give it a try and you will probably never want to try another recipe! This sweet tea recipe makes 1/2 gallon, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

1 pinch baking soda

2 c boiling water

6 tea bags (paper and staples removed and bags tied together for easy removal)

3/4 c sugar

4 to 6 cups cold water

lemon wedges or slices, optional

mint sprigs, optional

Directions:

Put baking soda in a heat-proof, one-half gallon pitcher. Pour in boiling water and give it a quick stir to dissolve the baking soda.
Add the tea bags; Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.

Remove the tea bags. Stir in the sugar until well dissolved.
Add cool water to taste. Four cups of cold water will give you a slightly stronger tea, but test to see how you like it.
Refrigerate until very cold and serve over ice. Garnish with lemon and mint.

The fastest and easiest way to make iced tea is to use an automatic Iced Tea maker. These machines take all the guess work and mess out of making tea and you end up with a perfect glass of tea every time. Choose from one of these convenient ice tea makers shipped directly from Amazon.