Iced Tea Season!

MushCreek · #1 05/14/10, 03:07 PM

Who makes there own tea? We drink a lot of tea (iced tea, for the folks up north) so we brew our own. My current 'recipe' is to heat a quart of water to 175, steep 8 green tea bags for 10 minutes, remove the tea, and add 1/3 cup of honey. I mix it up and pour it in a gallon jug, with enough water to fill it. A dash of lemon juice finishes it off. Lately I've been putting a sprig of crushed spearmint in the steep, since we now have it in the garden. I've found that better quality tea and honey makes better tea (duh!) We used to buy cheap honey, but it has an 'off' flavor, not clean tasting like the good stuff. It's still way cheaper than buying the Arizona products, and at least we know what goes in to it! What's your favorite tea? (Iced or otherwise)

Jenn · #2 05/14/10, 03:18 PM

I'm not local to the SOuth. I just pour my cuppa when I haven't finished it when it was warm, or if I really don't want hot tea, over a large glass of ice. BTW my tea is plain (preferably green organic) but with a sprig of chocolate mint in it. No sugar or honey. Might try adding cinnamon tonight.

marinemomtatt · #3 05/14/10, 03:19 PM

Our favorite tea is THAI ICED Tea (good hot too). It brews up a glorious orange color, it's so fragrant and tasty with sweetened condensed milk, honey and ice.

mamita · #4 05/14/10, 03:19 PM

I brew my tea to the hilt. then add orange, lemon, and lime to the brew. DELISH!

jassytoo · #5 05/14/10, 03:20 PM

I make iced tea for DH. He likes it without anything in it, no honey in it even though we have bees. I can't stand it. I like hot tea with a little milk, even on a hot day.

Ohio dreamer · #6 05/14/10, 03:41 PM

A gallon pickle jar full of water and 4-6 tea bags (flavor changes with my mood) and set outside for a few hours. Sweetener in the tea ruins it for me, but DH likes SWEET tea (tastes like liquid candy to me) so I do it for him every so often. I'll have to try honey and see if I like it better....why I never thought of that I'll never know.

olivehill · #7 05/14/10, 03:59 PM

I'm not a big fan of sweet teas, I'll add a tiny bit of honey once in a while but for the most part like my tea straight. Right now I'm a bit hooked on Jamaican Tea (Hibiscus tea). I have a glass jug with a spout that I keep on the shelf in the fridge all summer.

farmergirl · #8 05/14/10, 04:03 PM

We never hot brew our iced tea. We're purists and prefer it steeped by the sun only

I weaned myself off of adding sugar to my iced tea a couple of years back and don't miss it all anymore.

Jenni979 · #9 05/14/10, 04:29 PM

We cheat... We have an iced tea maker. 8-)

We use black tea and add sugar by the glass...

I can't wait until we get the deck done, though... Then we can start making sun-tea again...

hippygirl · #10 05/14/10, 04:42 PM

I boil about a quart of water, remove it from the burner, drop in 8 Lipton or Tetley tea bags (the small ones), cover and steep for at LEAST an hour. I then pour it into a gallon pitcher, top off to the gallon mark with plain water, stir, and refrigerate.

I usually don't drink "sugar tea" (I sweeten it by the glass with sweetener), but when I do, I add a scant 1.5 cups of sugar when I mix it in the gallon pitcher.

I "do" like hot chai tea w/ cream, but rarely drink it, as I prefer iced tea.

TJN66 · #11 05/14/10, 07:25 PM

Yum...these sound good!

Scott in Florida Panhandl · #12 05/14/10, 08:28 PM

Didn't know there was an iced tea season. We drink it year round, always have. Don't guess it's illegal to drink out of season do you

Louisiana Mom · #13 05/14/10, 08:28 PM

or around here it's just called sweet tea. Here in the south it's just something most of us keep made all the time just like you normally keep a jug of milk in the fridge.
Boil 2 quarts water. Then add 2-3 family size tea bags (I like lipton & luzianne the best) Let soak for about 15 minutes. Pour into a gallon jug. Add 1 cup sugar & stir. Then fill the rest up with water and stir again. Keep in the fridge.
Best served over ice in a clean mason jar...

It's really good, but addictive!!!

GrannyG · #14 05/14/10, 08:36 PM

I'm with Ohio Dreamer...I love Sun Tea.....add a fresh spring of mint from the garden or a nice slice of lemon to the glass, pour the tea ....and dream away.....

Our Little Farm · #15 05/14/10, 08:42 PM

We enjoy green mint tea. We steep green tea with mint in an infusion ball and add some sugar or honey. Then we top up the pitcher and set it in the fridge. Very refreshing.

We dehydrate mint as soon as it is ready so that we have enough to last all fall and winter long.

bluesky · #16 05/14/10, 08:54 PM

I love STRONG iced tea. I make it unsweetened so DH can have his plain then I sweeten mine by the glass.

#17 05/14/10, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jenni979

We cheat... We have an iced tea maker. 8-)

...

We cheat, too!

I got an electric iced tea maker in an 'end of lot' deal at the auction house. I spent all of $2 and got quite a few useful things and the maker was one of them.

I put 3 bags of decaf Lusianne tea in it. I brew it twice to make a nice full pitcher of it.

Lately I've been keen on buying a bag of Sonic ice and using a full glass of ice, a full glass of tea and a teaspoon of Splenda. YUM!

kyweaver · #18 05/14/10, 09:11 PM

DH drinks about a quart of peppermint iced tea every two days. Four mint tea bags and one cup of fresh chocolate mint in a quart jar, cover with boiling water, strain out the mint when I remember about it. That goes in the fridge. He fills a glass with ice and half water, then adds the double strength tea.
I can't stand iced tea. And I'm from further South than he is.

3ravens · #19 05/14/10, 09:32 PM

I've got one of those gallon tea jars with a spout too. Fill with filtered water (the city water has a "taste" LOL) Put in 6-8 tea bags (usually Red Rose) Set in the sun until it looks strong enough. Throw in half cup of mashed blueberries, or strawberries, or peaches, or even mango, or...... you get the idea! Banana doesn't seem to work too well, though.

Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey. The amount will depend on the sweetness of the fruit. That makes fruit tea.
Now, sweetea (all one word) is another story! Put 4 tea bags in a pot with a quart of filtered water and boil it for...... oh, 'bout 5 minutes.

It should be almost black! Put enough sugar in there to make it sticky.... at least a couple cups should dissolve in it, since its boiling hot. Then when you want to use it you cut it 3 or 4 to 1 with plain water. Or pour it hot over a LOT of ice, so the melted ice will dilute it.
ETA: That's one part tea to 3 or 4 parts water, LOL!

mosepijo · #20 05/14/10, 09:45 PM

Well, you all got me wanting some tea now... Tomorrow I guess I will break out the gallon jar and make some sun tea. Green tea with some xylitol sweetner.

Yummmy!!!!