Black Iced Tea Recipe

Time1h 30m
Serves4

Make Black Iced Tea Recipe in just 1h 30m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

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Ingredients

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Tea Concentrate

Method

Tea Concentrate

1

Boil water

Pour 6 cups water into a kettle or medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

2

Steep the tea

Remove the water from heat. Add 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf black tea (or 6 standard black tea bags). Cover and steep for 5 minutes for a medium-strength brew, 7 minutes for stronger iced tea. Avoid steeping longer than 8 minutes to prevent excessive bitterness.

3

Sweeten (optional)

If making sweetened iced tea, while the tea is still hot, stir in 1 tablespoon granulated sugar until fully dissolved. For a sweeter drink, increase sugar to taste (add in small increments).

4

Cool the concentrate

Strain out loose tea leaves or remove tea bags. Let the brewed tea cool at room temperature about 20–30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill at least 45 minutes (or place in an ice bath to speed up cooling).

To Serve

5

Prepare glasses

Fill 4 serving glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per glass).

6

Assemble

Divide the chilled tea evenly among the glasses over the ice (about 1.25 cups tea per glass). If the concentrate was very strong, dilute with cold water to taste (use up to 25% cold water).

7

Garnish and serve

Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig if desired. Stir briefly and serve immediately. Leftover tea will keep refrigerated in a covered pitcher for up to 3 days.