Cold Or Hot Recipe

Boil water and steep

Bring 4 cups water to a gentle boil in a kettle or saucepan. Remove from heat and add the black tea (if using tea bags, nestle them in; if using loose leaf, use an infuser). Steep for 4–5 minutes for a medium-strength brew (longer for stronger).

Dissolve sweeteners

While the tea is hot, add granulated sugar and honey to the pot and stir until fully dissolved. Add vanilla extract and ground cinnamon, stirring to combine.

Add milk and optional coffee

Stir in 1 cup whole milk and, if you want a coffee note, stir in 1 tsp instant coffee until dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness or spice as desired.

Serve hot

To serve hot: ladle into cups and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a mint sprig if desired. Makes about 4 generous servings.

Cool the hot base quickly

If you prepared the hot base above, allow it to cool 15–20 minutes at room temperature. To speed cooling, transfer the liquid to a shallow container.

Chill or use cold-brew

For a cold version you can either refrigerate the cooled base until cold (about 1–2 hours) or substitute 1 cup cold-brewed tea concentrate in place of 1 cup of the hot-brewed tea. If using a cold-brew concentrate, combine concentrate with remaining brewed tea or water to reach 4 cups total.

Assemble iced drinks

Fill glasses with ice (about 1/2 to 1 cup ice per glass). Pour chilled beverage over ice, leaving space for stirring. Stir briefly to chill and combine. Taste and add additional sweetener if desired (dissolve small amounts by stirring).

Garnish and serve cold

Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs if you like. Serve with a straw or spoon for stirring.