Meghalaya Iced Tea Recipe

Combine and steep

Place 12 g Himalayan broken cloud black tea in a clean 1-liter jar or pitcher. Pour 1000 ml cold filtered water over the tea leaves. Stir gently to ensure leaves are fully saturated.

Cover the jar and refrigerate. Steep for 12–16 hours for a smooth, low-bitterness cold brew. For a lighter flavor, steep 8–10 hours; for a fuller body, aim for 14–16 hours.

After steeping, strain the cold brew through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper filter into a clean container. Discard or compost the used tea leaves. Keep the cold brew refrigerated until assembly (up to 4 days).

Prepare syrup

In a small saucepan, combine 150 g granulated sugar and 150 ml filtered water. Add the 1 cup chopped peach and 1 tablespoon lightly crushed coriander seeds.

Bring mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cook for 6–8 minutes, until the peach pieces are soft and the liquids are slightly reduced.

Remove from heat and let the syrup steep for 10 minutes to allow coriander flavor to infuse further.

Strain and finish

Strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the peach to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to brighten the syrup. Taste and add optional simple syrup or honey if you prefer it sweeter.

Build the drink

Fill two tall glasses with about 1 cup (about 120–150 g) of ice each. Pour 400 ml (approx. 2 cups) of cold-brewed tea into a measuring cup. Add 60–80 ml (4–5 tbsp) of the coriander-peach syrup to the tea and taste: adjust sweetness by adding more syrup or optional sweetener to taste.

Divide the sweetened cold brew between the two glasses over ice.

Garnish each glass with 2 fresh peach slices and 1–2 sprigs of fresh coriander. Optionally slap the coriander sprig once between your hands before garnishing to release aroma.

Serve immediately chilled with a straw or stirrer.