Iced Tea Recipe

Bring water to a boil

Pour 8 cups of water into a kettle or pot and bring to a full rolling boil.

Steep tea

Place 6 black tea bags (or equivalent loose-leaf in an infuser) into a heatproof pitcher. Pour the boiling water over the tea, cover the pitcher to keep heat in, and steep for 5 minutes for standard strength or up to 7 minutes for stronger flavor. Avoid oversteeping more than 8 minutes to prevent excessive bitterness.

Remove tea bags or strain out leaves, gently pressing the bags against the side of the pitcher with a spoon to extract liquid (do not squeeze too hard to avoid bitterness).

If using granulated sugar: dissolve 3 tablespoons sugar in 2 tablespoons hot water to make a quick sugar slurry. Stir the slurry into the hot brewed tea until fully dissolved.

If using simple syrup: allow the brewed tea to cool slightly (5–10 minutes) and then stir in up to 1 cup simple syrup to taste. Start with 1/4 cup, taste, and add more if desired. Simple syrup blends easily into both warm and cold tea.

Let the sweetened or unsweetened brewed tea cool at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, then add 4 cups cold water to the pitcher to dilute to serving strength. This yields a balanced strength; adjust by adding more or less cold water if desired.

Refrigerate the pitcher until thoroughly chilled, about 1–2 hours. For faster chilling, transfer to a shallow container or add a large tray of ice briefly and top up with additional cold water if melted ice dilutes the tea.

Fill tall glasses with ice (about 1 cup of ice per glass). Pour the chilled tea over the ice.

Garnish: squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon into each glass, add a lemon slice and a sprig of fresh mint if desired.

Taste and adjust: if the tea is too strong or sweet, add a splash of cold water or a few ice cubes. Serve immediately.