With summer and lake season approaching, it is time to start making iced tea! Ditch the extra sugar and calories from processed drinks and dive into the world of brewing your own naturally sweet and refreshing iced teas this summer. Here are three simple steps to get you going!
The first step is selecting the tea. We have so many wonderful ones in the store, but here are some of our favourites:
Frosted Berries Fruit Tea
Tangerine Ginger Fruit Tea
Lake of the Woods Fruit Tea
Moody Manitoba Fruit Tea
Juicy Peach Fruit Tea
Dragonberry Fruit Tea
Strawberry Champagne Fruit Tea
Victoria Beach Fruit Tea
The Whiteshell Fruit Tea
Lemon Black Tea
The second step is selecting the best brewing method. Just as there are different techniques for brewing varieties of hot tea, there are also different ways to properly make iced tea. You will want to use double the amount of tea and half the amount of water you normally use for hot tea. For example, instead of the usual 1 teaspoon of tea per 1 cup of water, you will use 2 teaspoons of tea per ½ cup of water. This will make a concentrate so you do not lose any flavours when you add ice or water.
For fruit and herbal teas, you can use a hot or cold brewing method. We recommend using boiling water to start for both methods as this will release all of the natural flavours from the fruits or leaves. Pour enough boiling water over the fruits or leaves so that they are submerged. If you’re in a rush to serve the tea, you can pour this directly over ice cubes and then top up with more ice as needed. If you have time, you can try cold brewing your tea overnight in the fridge. Once you have submerged the tea in boiling water and it has cooled off slightly, add cold water and leave it to steep overnight in the fridge.
For green and black iced teas, we always recommend the cold brew method so that the tea leaves do not become tannic and bitter. Add the loose tea leaves, cover with cold water, and then leave to steep for several hours or overnight in the fridge. This involves a bit more planning, but it is worth it for a pitcher of perfectly brewed green or black tea.
Cornelia Bean carries a number of options for making iced tea easy and fun. We have a Bodum tea pitcher, which is excellent for cold and hot water brewing and is large enough to serve a crowd. It is made of a durable plastic so is a great option for the lake or outdoor parties. We also carry Bodum's one litre glass pitcher with the filter in the lid. We have the Hario cold water filter bottle, which is a stylish glass option for making batches of cold brew tea. As well as the ceramic Beehouse tall iced tea jug. The BrewT and Tea One are also effective for brewing up a single serving of iced tea.
The third and most fun step is serving your iced tea. A wedge of lime or a sprig of mint is a lovely touch or you could add ice cubes made from the tea. We also have some brightly coloured Beehouse ceramic pitchers that are beautiful for serving company. Once you’ve started brewing your own iced tea, you will never go back to buying pre-made drinks. Now get out in the sunshine and enjoy your iced tea!
