Organic Black Iced Tea (sweet/unsweet) Recipe

Time1h 30m

Serves8

Make Organic Black Iced Tea (sweet/unsweet) 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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1
Bring water to a boil
Pour 12 cups of cold water into a large pot or kettle and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
2
Steep the tea
Remove the boiling water from heat and add 6 organic black tea bags. Cover the pot and steep for 5 minutes for a standard strength. For stronger tea steep 7–8 minutes. Avoid steeping more than 10 minutes to prevent excessive bitterness.
3
Cool the concentrate
After steeping, remove the tea bags (gently squeeze each against the side of the pot with a spoon to extract extra flavor) and let the brewed tea cool for 10–15 minutes at room temperature.
4
Chill
Transfer the cooled tea to a pitcher and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. If you need iced tea immediately, place the pitcher in an ice bath to speed cooling.

5
Make simple syrup
Combine 1 cup organic cane sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. This yields about 1 cup simple syrup suitable to sweeten 12 cups brewed tea to a typical sweetness. Adjust amount used when serving.
6
Mix sweet tea
If making the sweet version, add the cooled simple syrup to the chilled brewed tea. Start by adding 1 cup of simple syrup to the 12 cups of tea, stir, then taste. Increase by up to 1/2 cup more if you prefer sweeter tea. For individual servings, add 1–2 tablespoons simple syrup per 8-ounce glass to taste.

7
Prepare glasses
Fill glasses with about 1 cup ice cubes each (adjust to preference).
8
Serve
Pour sweetened or unsweetened chilled black tea over the ice in each glass (about 8–10 ounces per serving). Garnish each glass with one or two lemon slices and 2 mint leaves if desired. Stir gently and serve immediately.
9
Storage
Store any leftover tea in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep simple syrup refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.