American Iced Tea Recipe

Steep the tea

Bring 1 liter of water to a rolling boil. Place 4 standard black tea bags into a heatproof pitcher or pot. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags, covering them completely.

Brew time

Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes for a balanced strength. For stronger tea, steep up to 7 minutes; for milder, 3–4 minutes. Do not steep longer than 8 minutes to avoid excessive bitterness.

After steeping, remove and discard the tea bags. Gently press each bag against the side of the pitcher with a spoon for a few seconds if you want slightly more extraction, then remove.

Sweeten with granulated sugar

If using granulated sugar, while the brewed tea is still hot, stir in 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar until completely dissolved. This helps the sugar dissolve more easily than adding it to cold tea.

Or use simple syrup

If using simple syrup instead of granulated sugar, add 120 ml (about 1/2 cup) of chilled or room-temperature simple syrup to the brewed tea and stir to combine. Adjust amount to taste.

Cool the tea to room temperature for about 20–30 minutes, then add 1 liter of cold water to the brewed tea to dilute to a balanced strength and volume for serving over ice.

Refrigerate the pitcher until chilled, at least 1 hour if time allows. For faster cooling, place the pitcher in an ice bath.

When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups ice per serving glass). Pour chilled tea over the ice.

Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig if desired. Serve with extra lemon wedges and simple syrup at the table so guests can adjust sweetness and citrus to taste. Offer free refills by keeping a chilled pitcher on hand.