Description

This Refreshing Homemade Iced Tea recipe offers a crisp and revitalizing beverage perfect for any season. Brewed with your choice of black or green tea, lightly sweetened, and enhanced with fresh lemon juice and herbs like mint or basil, this iced tea is easy to prepare and delightful to sip. Ideal for gatherings or a simple refreshment, it balances robust tea flavors with natural citrus and herbal notes.

Ingredients

Scale

Tea Base

4 cups Water (Fresh, filtered water for brewing)
4-6 bags Tea Leaves or Tea Bags (Black or green tea based on preference)

Sweetener

1/4 to 1/2 cup Sweetener (Sugar, honey, or agave syrup to taste)
2 tbsp Hot Water (for dissolving sweetener)

Flavorings

1-2 lemons (Juiced, freshly squeezed for flavor)
1 handful Fresh Herbs (Mint or basil, muddled to release oils)
Ice (Use large ice cubes to prevent dilution, as needed)

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Instructions

Boil Water: Begin by boiling 4 cups of fresh filtered water in a kettle until it reaches a rolling boil.
Steep Tea: Remove the boiled water from heat and add 4-6 tea bags or loose tea leaves. Allow the tea to steep for 5-7 minutes to extract robust flavors.
Prepare Sweetener: While the tea steeps, dissolve 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your chosen sweetener (sugar, honey, or agave) in about 2 tablespoons of hot water for easy mixing.
Remove Tea Leaves: After steeping, remove the tea bags or strain out the loose tea leaves completely to avoid bitterness.
Sweeten Tea: Add the dissolved sweetener mixture to the brewed tea and stir thoroughly to combine.
Cool the Tea: Allow the sweetened tea to cool to room temperature before transferring it to a pitcher to ensure proper chilling.
Add Lemon and Herbs: Squeeze fresh juice from 1-2 lemons into the tea and add a handful of muddled fresh herbs like mint or basil to infuse aromatic flavors.
Chill: Refrigerate the tea for at least 2 hours to adequately chill and develop flavors.
Serve: Serve the iced tea over large ice cubes to minimize dilution, garnished with lemon slices and additional fresh herbs for garnish and extra zest.

Notes

Adjust the sweetness according to personal taste by increasing or decreasing the amount of sweetener.
For stronger tea flavor, steep longer but avoid over-steeping to prevent bitterness.
Use fresh herbs like mint or basil for a refreshing aroma; other herbs such as rosemary or thyme can also be experimented with.
If you prefer a caffeine-free option, consider using herbal tea bags instead.
Large ice cubes help keep the tea cold longer without watering it down quickly.