Perfect Iced Tea Food

PERFECT ICED TEA

Steps:

• Hot-Brewed:
• Bring 8 cups water to a simmer; remove from the heat and add 3 tablespoons loose tea or 6 tea bags. Let steep about 4 minutes, until it's the strength you like. Strain loose tea with a fine-mesh sieve or remove the tea bags. Let cool, then transfer to a pitcher, cover and refrigerate.
• Cold-Brewed:
• Combine 8 cups cold water and 6 tablespoons loose tea or 10 tea bags in a pitcher. Cover and refrigerate 15 to 36 hours, until it's the strength you like. Strain loose tea with a fine-mesh sieve or remove the tea bags.
• Sweet Teas:
• Combine 3/4 cup each sugar and water in a saucepan and add 1 infuser, if desired. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and let cool. Strain the infused syrup through a fine-mesh sieve (you'll get about 1 cup).
• Orange Add 6 strips zest
• Blackberries 1 cup
• Cinnamon 2 sticks
• Lavender 3 tablespoons dried
• Vanilla 1 halved bean
• Mint 3 sprigs
• Ginger 1 cup sliced
• Lemon 8 strips zest
• Nectarine 1 cup chopped
• Cucumber 2 cups chopped

EASY ICED TEA

Steps:

• Put the tea bags, sugar, honey and 1.5 litres water in a large jug. Leave to infuse for 10 mins, then remove and discard the tea bags. Chill until ready to serve.
• Stir in the lemon juice, lemon slices, orange slices and mint leaves. Fill the jug with plenty of ice and stir again.
• Fill tall glasses with ice and pour over the iced tea, then serve with extra honey to taste.

SMOOTH SWEET TEA

Steps:

• Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64-ounce, heat-proof, glass pitcher. Pour in boiling water, and add tea bags. Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
• Remove tea bags, and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold.

PERFECT ICED TEA

Steps:

• In a 4-cup measuring cup, heat 4 cups water in microwave to boiling.
• Place tea bags in water and let steep for 5- 10 minutes.
• Pour sugar into 2 quart pitcher and pour hot tea over it.
• Squeeze tea bags to get out any remaining tea; add tea to pitcher and discard bags (if they are too hot to squeeze by hand, pull them up the side of the measuring cup with the strings and press with a spoon).
• Stir hot tea until sugar is dissolved.
• Add 4 cups cold water and lemon juice; stir well.
• Chill until very cold and serve over ice with lemon.

MAKE PERFECT ICE TEA

Steps:

• Place tea bags and baking soda in a large heat resistant glass measuring cup.
• Add 2 cups of boiling water. Cover and steep for 15 minutes.
• Remove tea bags and pour tea into a 2 quart pitcher.
• Add 6 cups of cold water. If you have hard water, use filtered water or bottled water.
• For sweetened tea, put approximately 1 cup of sugar (adjust to taste) in 2 quart pitcher. Then pour tea concentrate from step 2, and after sugar has dissolved, add 6 cups of cold water.
• To avoid cloudiness, cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
• Garnish with lemon or mint and serve over ice.
• Store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

PERFECT ICED TEA

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups of water up to a full roiling boil. Pour the water over the tea bags in a pitcher and let sit, without stirring, until cooled to room temperature. If pouring the water into glass pitcher, drop in a large metal spoon and pour the hot water over the spoon to absorb the heat and prevent the pitcher from cracking.
• Remove the tea bags without squeezing and add the remaining 2 cups of cold water. Sweeten and garnish as desired and serve over plenty of ice.
• Makes 4 cups.