Summer is here and with that being said, what a better time to toast our frosty glasses of iced tea and say cheers to a beautiful, sunny and full of entertainment summer. There are a few ways to make a pitcher of homemade iced tea to enjoy while sitting in your back yard or partying by the pool. In this blog, you will learn what methods you can use to achieve that satisfying and refreshing feeling when you take the first sip.

We all know that the easiest one is just to pick up a bottle or a canned iced tea from the store but with all these preservatives, chemicals and sweeteners, knowing that most companies add, do we really want to do that when we can make our own healthy version at home and literally without any efforts. The two methods to prepare a homemade iced tea that we will discuss in this blog are called Cold Brew and the regularly brewed Iced Tea. Let’s go ahead and first see what Cold Brew is all about and how to make it in comparison to the conventional iced tea method.

Cold Brew 

Cold Brew is a very simple method of steeping your tea to make a flavourful, refreshing drink. All you need to do is fill in an iced tea pitcher with cold, filtered water and add one tea spoons of loose leaf tea/1 tea sachet that you would normally use for your hot tea. However, you must consider that when you add ice cubes to your glass of tea, the tea would naturally dissolve its flavours so you may want to consider adjust the proportions to achieve your perfect strength and boldness of flavours. Place it in the refrigerator, cover it with a lid or a plastic wrap and let it sit for about 8 hours or overnight, if you would like to have it ready for the next day. Feel free to also adjust the steeping time so that your tea is exactly up to your taste expectations. Steeping it less time will make it weaker and steeping it for longer, stronger.

Conventional Homemade Iced Tea

In comparison, the conventional method of preparing iced tea involves some brewing. You must fill four cups of filtered water and pour it into a tea pot and brew until it reaches the desired temperature for the selected tea. During this time, add in one tea spoon of Harney & Sons loose leaf tea per cup or 1 tea sachet per cup into the pitcher and pour the hot water in. Make sure that your pitcher is heat-proof or it may otherwise break into pieces and you don't want this to happen because all you want right now is sipping your iced tea. Steep for 3-5 minutes depending on the tea type. Stir in 4 cups of cold filtered water or 6 cups of ice cubes to cool it down.

Tea Flavours Perfect for Iced tea

If you like your teas flavoured, you may choose some of the selection of green or black Harney & Sons Fine Teas that make the perfect homemade iced tea glass for summertime. There are delicious, fruity choices like the Real Peaches & Ginger Black Tea or the Coconut, Ginger & Vanilla Thai-inspired Green Tea available in loose-leaf tea format or filled in silken sachets for those of you looking for convenience. If you prefer your homemade iced tea spicy and creamy, you may select the Indian Chai (also perfect for Chai Tea Lattes) or the signature Harney & Sons Tea – Hot Cinnamon Spice with three types of cinnamon, sweet cloves and orange rind to satisfy your palate.

Factors to Consider When Preparing a Homemade Iced Tea

No matter how you like your iced tea or what flavours you prefer, the most important factors that you must consider when preparing it, is the quality of tea you use, the quality of water (filtered is preferred), and to steep for the right time and at the right temperature.

Don't forget to comment below if you have any questions and share with us on Instagram @premiumteas.ca and Twitter @premiumteasCA how your homemade iced tea turned out using #MyPremiumIcedTea

Happy Steeping!