Summer’s here and the time is right for icing of the tea! Here are some easy to follow guidelines to play with to maximize your summer time with friends and family.
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!
Making great iced tea is simple and fun and there are several ways to do this. If you are using Mandala Tea, you can try making the tea according to the directions and then combine the multiple infusions in a pitcher and chill before serving over ice. Four steeps in a 8 ounce tea pot will yield 32 of tea that you can refrigerate. We highly recommend pouring brewed tea into your ice cube trays in order to avoid dilution of your tea, especially if you are pouring freshly brewed tea over your cubes.
Some add lemon wedges to black or green teas and sweetening the tea is also an option. While we rarely sweeten our iced tea we do occasionally add stevia powder while others use sugar or honey. See what works for you. Adding sliced fruit into the glass not only adds visual appeal, but the flavor can also be enhanced, too!
You may wish to try cold brewing your tea, as well. In a 32 oz jar, simply add your leaves and pour fresh, pure water over the. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight or 6 to 8 hours. Filter the leaves out and serve over ice cubes. Experiment with various teas our Milk Oolong is a favorite brewed cold.
You may choose to make a stronger tea (a concentrate, if you will) by brewing up a much stronger cup of tea in order to make up for dilution from plain ice cubes, especially with freshly brewed hot tea. Just use 1.5 times the tea you’d use for your pot and do one long steep (green teas for 3 minutes, black teas for 5 to 10 minutes). Decant and pour over ice. Or, decant the tea and add an equal amount of milk (dairy or non-dairy) and sweeten to taste, try cinnamon, coconut milk or over ice. Experiment and see what rocks your world. The options are endless, and delicious!
May you experience much delight in your summer time.