Loose Leaf Iced Tea

Believe it or not, the recipe I get asked how to make the most is iced tea. If you have a package of loose leaf iced tea (my preferred vice over commercial tea bags) you can easily brew yourself the perfect glass to sip or pitcher to share. Here’s how.

Loose Leaf Iced Tea

By Suzanne Klein, Tea Foodie

For one glass to sip:

Steep 1 to 2 tablespoons of loose leaf iced tea in 1 cup (8 oz.) of just boiled water for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the tea. For white or green teas go about 2 to 3 minutes, for black tea about 3 to 4 minutes, and for herbal tea about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the tea leaves and pour the hot tea into a 2 cup (16 oz.) glass filled to the brim with ice. Sip and enjoy!

For a pitcher to share:

Steep 4 to 5 tablespoons of loose leaf iced tea in 4 cups of just boiled water for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the tea. For white or green teas go about 2 to 3 minutes, for black tea about 3 to 4 minutes, and for herbal tea about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove tea leaves. At this point you can either pour your just steeped tea over glasses full of ice and serve. Or you can top the hot tea with 2 to 4 cups of cold water, let it cool to at least room temperature, and then refrigerate to chill. If you do follow the latter method, you won’t need to use as much ice later to keep the tea chilled when you serve it.

Care for sweet tea?

If you want to sweeten your iced tea, add the sweetener (like sugar, honey, stevia, agave, or simple syrup) just after you’ve steeped the tea, while it’s still hot. Stir to dissolve the sweetener. You’ll have to decide how much sweet is right for you. I usually like about 1 to 2 teaspoons in a single serving and 1 to 2 tablespoons in a pitcher.