Summertime and the livin' is sweet with fresh fruit pies, shortcakes, and sweet iced teas to look forward to this season.
It is positively amazing how many wonderful and delicious recipes there are out there for Sweet Summertime Iced Tea! Most iced tea drinkers have an old family favorite that they just love to boast about, full of secret ingredients and special touches.
Although tea recipes seem to vary from household to household, they also vary quite distinctly from region to region. It seems the further south you travel in the U.S., the sweeter the tea; while if you travel north, you’re likely to find it not sweetened at all.
No matter where you reside, or where you travel, what a good glass of iced tea ultimately boils down to is taste. Luckily iced tea recipes can be easily tailored to individual tastes.
If you are not one of those already armed with a secret family recipe, or just feeling adventurous, the best approach to making your own iced tea is to experiment, find your own taste!
Sweet Summertime Iced Tea:
Ingredients:
- 1 large tea ball one half filled with jasmine pearl tea (green, organic)
- 1 small tea ball half filled with lavender sencha tea (green, organic)
- 1/4 C organic raw cane sugar
- 1 healthy pinch of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional, organic) or fresh mint leaves
Directions:
- Fill a tea kettle (or a pot) with water and bring to a rolling boil.
- While water is boiling, fill tea balls and hook on sides of a pitcher.
- Put the sugar, baking soda and optional mint extract (or fresh mint if it's available) in bottom of the pitcher.
- Pour all the boiling water from the kettle into the pitcher. Fill the pitcher to the top with tap water or ice, if necessary to fill it. Stirring the tea is not necessary; the boiling water will dissolve all the ingredients on the bottom of the pitcher as it is poured in.
- Let the tea steep until it cools to room temperature. Refrigerate tea until it is cold.
- Serve the tea in a glass over ice. It is also nice and refreshing to add some fresh fruit to the glass or a mint sprig for garnish.
Tips:
- Adding the baking soda allows you to let the tea steep for a longer amount of time while is softens the natural tannins that can make it bitter (as in green and black teas).
- Green tea is not only tasty, it is good for you. It contains powerful antioxidants and can also help ward off cancer.
