Thé Glacé Recipe

Bring water to boil and steep

Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil. If using loose leaf tea, pour a half cup of boiling water over the leaves first and let bloom for 30 seconds, then add the remaining boiling water. Add 6 tsp loose tea (or 6 standard tea bags) to the full 8 cups of boiling water. Remove from heat and steep: 4–5 minutes for black tea, 2–3 minutes for green tea, 5–7 minutes for herbal. Do not over-steep to avoid excessive bitterness.

After the appropriate steep time, strain out the leaves or remove tea bags. Pour the hot tea into a heatproof pitcher to cool slightly for 5–10 minutes.

Sweeten while warm

If using granulated sugar, stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar into the warm tea until fully dissolved. If using honey or agave, stir in 2 tbsp instead. Alternatively, use 1/2 cup simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water heated until dissolved and cooled) for easier mixing.

Add 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice to the tea while it's still slightly warm to meld flavors. Add orange slices and 4 mint sprigs to the pitcher for aroma. Taste and adjust: add more lemon or sweetener if desired.

Refrigerate the pitcher uncovered until fully chilled, about 1–2 hours, or put the pitcher in an ice bath to speed cooling. When chilled, fill glasses with ice (about 3/4 cup ice per glass) and pour tea over ice. Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig.

If serving immediately and you want less dilution, make ice cubes from brewed tea beforehand or add ice just before serving.