Unsweet Tea Recipe

Bring water to a boil

Pour 8 cups of cold water into a kettle or medium saucepan. Heat over high heat until it reaches a rolling boil.

Steep the tea

Remove the water from heat and let it sit 15–30 seconds if you prefer slightly milder flavor (optional). Add 4 black tea bags (or an equivalent amount of loose-leaf tea in an infuser) to the hot water. Cover the pot or kettle to retain heat and steep for 5 minutes for a standard-strength unsweet tea. For stronger flavor steep 6–8 minutes; for lighter tea steep 3–4 minutes.

After steeping, remove and discard the tea bags or remove the infuser. Avoid squeezing tea bags aggressively to keep tannins from making the tea overly bitter.

Let the brewed tea cool at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, then transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled (about 1–2 hours) if you want cold tea immediately. If serving hot, pour directly into cups.

If using lemon, add lemon slices to the pitcher or to individual glasses. If using mint, gently clap the mint sprigs between your palms to release aroma and add to the pitcher or glasses.

To serve iced tea, fill glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per serving) and pour chilled tea over ice. Stir gently and adjust lemon or mint to taste.