Black Tea Lemonade Recipe

Brew strong tea

Place the loose black tea (or tea bags) into a heatproof pitcher or bowl. Pour 1000 ml of boiling water over the tea. Stir once to ensure leaves/bags are saturated.

Steep the tea for 5–7 minutes for a robust, slightly tannic concentrate. Do not over-steep more than 8 minutes to avoid excessive bitterness.

Strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve (and paper filter if using loose leaves) into a clean saucepan or bowl. Discard used leaves or bags.

Sweeten while hot

While the tea is still hot, add the granulated sugar (150 g). Stir until the sugar fully dissolves to create a lightly sweetened tea concentrate (this doubles as simple syrup). Allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If you prefer unsweetened tea, omit sugar and use a separate simple syrup to taste in the lemonade step.

Juice lemons

While the tea cools, juice fresh lemons until you have 240 ml (about 8–10 medium lemons). Strain the juice through a fine sieve to remove pulp and seeds if desired.

In a large pitcher, combine the chilled tea concentrate with the fresh lemon juice and 600 ml cold water. Taste and adjust balance: the ratio here makes a medium-strong black tea lemonade. If you prefer sweeter lemonade, stir in up to 60–90 ml additional simple syrup (or more of the chilled sweetened tea concentrate). If too strong, add more cold water in 100 ml increments.

Add ice cubes to the pitcher or to individual glasses. Pour the tea lemonade over ice, garnish with lemon slices and optional fresh mint sprigs.

Serve immediately. The prepared lemonade keeps chilled in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours; stir before serving as separation may occur.