Iced tea is a drink which is brewed and then chilled before serving. Almost always served with ice cubes, this versatile tea is drunk to refreshingly hydrate the body during hot days.
This tea is preferred to cool the heat off during the summer days. You can prepare iced tea at home following simple steps, and most importantly, this drink's recipe will help you rejoice on flavor and freshness during the warmest months of the year.
The choice of tea leaves to make an iced tea depends on multiple factors. Some of those factors help decide the final choice of iced tea leaves are as follows:
Quality
There are two types of tea leaves in terms of quality. The first tea leaf is whole leaves which retain their natural oil and flavors more than the broken fragmented tea leaves.
As for the second one, it is loose-leaf tea. These kinds of tea leaves can emit better flavor and vivid smell. Loose-leaf tea is a qualitative option of choice than tea bags.
Types
Green Tea: To improve brain function, L-theanine in green tea works together with caffeine, and being high in catechin, this tea supplies antioxidants which can also help boost metabolism and weight loss.
Black Tea: Being rich in antioxidants, black tea helps to protect the cells from damage, and regular consumption reduces the risk of stroke as well.
Oolong Tea: As a metabolism booster, oolong helps not only improve digestive health but is also supportive of heart health because drinking regularly reduces cholesterol levels.
White Tea: For skin health, the antioxidant properties found in white tea have shown the reducing signs of aging and because it is the least processed one, white tea retains most of its antioxidants.
Freshness
Appearance: The leaves should be even colored without any discoloration anywhere in the tea leaves.
Smell: When the tea leaves are fresh they emit a strong smell when sniffed therefore if the leaves are musty or have no smell they might not be fresh.
Texture: The leaves of teas are always dried to make tea leaves which must be dry and crisp when touched, in the case of them being damp, they possibly have gone stale.
Storage: Before purchasing the tea, one thing to make sure of is how they are have been stored. If stored in an air-tight container and kept away from heat, light as well as moisture, it can then be explored further to see if they are ideal.
Taste: After the tea passes all types of tests, it can further be checked at home with the taste. when brewed, if they have a robust flavor, these can be determined as fresh. However, if they are flat or vitter, they might be old.
Tools And Ingredients Needed
Iced tea making is a simple process but requires skills to make it tasty. To do so, some tools and ingredients are needed which are mentioned below. Tools are detailed with the reason of importance and all ingredients are listed with their measurement to be made for 1 person.
Tools:
Tea Kettle or Pot: The pot or the kettle will be used as a vessel to boil the water for the tea.
Heatproof Pitcher: The boiled water will be poured over with tea leaves to steep the tea.
Spoon: To stir the sweeteners at the end, a spoon could come in use.
Strainer: It will be used to remove the residue of tea leaves from the tea.
Measuring Cup: These tools are responsible for measuring the ingredients and their quantity.
Ice Cube Tray: Ice trays will be used to collect the water and freeze them in the freezer to make the ice cubes.
Glass Jar or Tea Cup: To serve the tea, a glass jar or a cum will be required.
Refrigerator: Iced tea needs a refrigerator for ice making, chilling the tea as well, and sometimes steeping as well.
Among the requirements to be fulfilled to make a perfect iced tea, there is some preparation that needs to be done before starting to make the iced tea.
Initial Preparation
Start the preparation of making iced tea the previous day. Fill the ice tray with filtered water and let them freeze inside the freezer overnight. For the next step, fill 1 cup of water in another glass jar and keep it inside the refrigerator to chill as well.
On the next day before starting to make the tea, choose the tea leaves as per preference, collect filtered water, prepare the sweeteners with other flavors, and then set the vessels to brew the tea.
Combine and Steep
To make the iced tea faster, measure one cup of filtered water and pour it into the pot to boil. Cover the pot with the lid until the water boils and starts forming vigorous bubbles, after which, turn off the heat. Collect the tea leaves inside the pitcher and then pour the boiled water over the tea leaves and then cover them to steep undisturbed.
The tea leaves can also be combined with water to make the tea by adding the tea leaves in water cold and letting them sit together. This process will take hours for the tea leaves to steep.
During this process, the water will extract all the flavors, taste as well as nutrients from the tea leaves. This will make the tea change into different colors, which will be determined according to the type of tea leaves used.
Check and Strain
After some time, check if the steeping is over, and take a look at the tea, After the tea leaves macerate in the water, they will open up and become loose. The color of the leaves will also change, becoming a little discolored.
They might even break as they are more fragile; therefore, they will have to be strained into a glass jar or a cup. This is done to separate the tea leaves from the tea, removing all the small residues left when the leaves break into fragments.
Cool and Add-ons
After the tea is strained and poured into a cup through a fine strainer, cover the cup with the lid and let it sit for a while till it cools down to room temperature. Add ice to the glass, greens like mint, peppermint, or spearmint leaves, sweeteners like honey, or any other adding as per the taste and preference on the glass before pouring the tea in it.
1. Hot Brew Method
This brewing technique of tea is extremely fast as well as effective. Being an ideal method to use for a brief planning period, the hot brew method is convenient and beginner-friendly too.
Take one and a half teaspoons of loose tea leaves (black, green, or herbal)
Instruction
Heat one cup of water, as it reaches boiling point which basically will be done around 5 minutes.
Then take the water off the stove which will be poured over one and a half teaspoons of loose tea leaves. Allow it to infuse for a duration of 5 minutes.
Filter the soaked and infused tea leaves and allow the tea to cool down to room temperature, which typically takes around 10 minutes.
When done straining, put ice cubes in a glass and pour the cooled tea on the glass through the top of the ice.
Place the glass with the tea in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to cool down entirely.
This brewing technique may be time-consuming, but the benefits it gives are worth the efforts made. This process successfully produces a tea that is smoother and less bitter.
Preparation
Measure one cup of filtered water and chill it by keeping it inside the refrigerator.
Set aside one and a half teaspoons of loose tea leaves.
Instruction
Put one and a half teaspoons of loose tea leaves into a glass which will then be poured with one cup of cold water. This will take about 2 minutes to do.
Put a lid or a cover over the glass and refrigerate for a minimum of 12 hours to a maximum of 24 hours.
Filter the tea leaves out after steeping which will need not more than 2 minutes.
Then add ice cubes to a glass and pour the cold-brewed tea over the ice.
The inherent warmth that the sun naturally has is the medium to provide the required heat to the tea when they are steeping.
Preparation
Freeze water to make ice cubes.
Measure water and tea leaves and keep them aside.
Instruction
-Put one and a half teaspoons of loose tea leaves in a glass jar and pour in one cup of filtered water which will take no more than 2 minutes.
-Then comes brewing in the sun, for this the container will be sealed, and it will have to be left to sit under direct sunlight for 3 hours to 5 hours for steeping.
-After the steeping is done, filter out the tea leaves after brewing. This will require 2 more minutes.
-Then place the tea in the refrigerator to cool down for a minimum of 30 minutes.
-Finally, serve by adding ice cubes to a glass and pouring the sun tea over them.
Iced tea made using the flash chilling technique is extremely revitalizing. It freshens up the brain and brings coolness to the body, especially during the hotter weather.
Preparation
Freeze water into cubes or blocks
Measure water in a cup to ready it for boiling.
Take one and a half teaspoons of loose tea leaves.
Instruction
Take about 5 minutes to heat the filtered water until it boils.
To make the tea, take the boiled water off the heat and mix in one and a half teaspoon of loose tea leaves. Infusing these leaves will take 5 minutes.
Strain the tea leaves and allow the tea to cool down to room temperature, which usually takes around 10 minutes.
Then add ice cubes to a cocktail shaker, pour in the tea, and shake vigorously for around half a minute to chill the tea rapidly.
Fill a glass with some ice cubes and then pour the chilled tea into a glass to serve.
Iced tea making is a process that can be done in four various ways. As a very first step of preparation, water should be kept at least for 4 hours to 5 hours inside the freezer to make ice blocks. Then comes the methods used for the preparation. For the hot brew method, the process is heating, infusion, filtering, and chilling, which takes around 50 minutes in total, which includes time for chilling.
For the cold brew method, the processes are to combine, infuse, filter, and then chill. Here the infusion takes longer, which can be the least of 12 hours to a maximum of 24 hours.
Another method is brewing in the sun which requires mixing, brewing, filtering, and then chilling to serve. This process also takes time which can be anywhere between 4 hours to 6 hours depending on the heat of the sun.
Then comes the last method, which is the flash chilling method. The tea-making process of this method involves heating, making, straining, and then rapid chilling. As the most time-consuming thing in this method is making ice, if not adding the duration of making ice, the tea-making process will only take a minimum of 20 to a maximum of 25 minutes which carries out all processes, from heating water to serving the tea.
Some Tips
Here are some of the tips that could come in handy when making the iced tea. These tips could elevate the taste if followed correctly.
If honey is being used as a sweetener, do not boil them. Instead, add them to the tea cup after the tea is poured and just before serving.
In place of loose tea leaves, tea bags can also be used as a substitute ingredient to make the iced tea faster.
To use jaggery, powder them by choosing the organic and darker-colored block which does not have any flavorings or spices.
In the case of using jaggery as a sweetener, boil it together in water before adding tea leaves or bags.
Boiling jaggery before tea leaves might darken up the tea way more than estimated therefore if boiling, add it after the colors of tea leaves have been extracted.
Author
Reviewer
Biswas Kharel
Biswas Kharel is a food blogger and writer who brings a sharp eye and adventurous palate to every bite he writes about. Known for his thoughtful reflections and down-to-earth style, Biswas blends personal anecdotes with rich culinary insights—from quiet village kitchens to lively urban eateries.
His blog is a flavorful mix of travel, tradition, and honest food reviews, offering readers a window into the heart of every dish. For Biswas, writing about food isn’t just a passion—it’s a way of documenting life, one meal at a time.
Biswas Kharel is a food blogger and writer who brings a sharp eye and adventurous palate to every bite he writes about. Known for his thoughtful reflections and down-to-earth style, Biswas blends personal anecdotes with rich culinary insights—from quiet village kitchens to lively urban eateries.
His blog is a flavorful mix of travel, tradition, and honest food reviews, offering readers a window into the heart of every dish. For Biswas, writing about food isn’t just a passion—it’s a way of documenting life, one meal at a time.
