Raspberry Iced Tea Recipe

Bring water to a boil

Pour 8 cups of water into a medium saucepan or kettle and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

Steep tea

Remove the water from heat. Add 6 black tea bags to the hot water, cover, and steep for 4 to 5 minutes for a balanced strength. For stronger tea, steep up to 6 minutes. Avoid oversteeping to prevent bitterness.

Add raspberries to steep

After about 2 minutes of steeping, drop in 1 cup fresh raspberries into the pot so their juices infuse with the hot tea. Gently press a few raspberries with the back of a spoon to release color and flavor while steeping.

Strain tea

Once steeping is complete, remove tea bags (squeeze gently against the side with a spoon if desired) and strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a heatproof pitcher to remove raspberry seeds and solids.

Cool to room temperature

Let the strained tea sit at room temperature until it is warm (about 15–20 minutes), then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour while you prepare the simple syrup. For faster chilling, place the pitcher in an ice bath.

Make simple syrup

Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring frequently until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture becomes clear. Bring to a gentle simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat.

Add extra raspberries to syrup (optional)

If you want an intensified raspberry syrup, add 1/2 cup of the reserved fresh raspberries to the warm simple syrup and smash them with a spoon. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain out solids through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing to extract liquid. Discard solids.

Cool syrup

Allow the simple syrup to cool to room temperature before combining with the chilled tea (about 15–20 minutes). You can refrigerate to speed cooling.

Combine tea and syrup

When both the tea and simple syrup are cool, add the simple syrup to the chilled tea. Start by adding 1/2 cup of syrup, stir, then taste and add up to 1/2 cup more if you prefer sweeter tea. Stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavor.

Serve

Fill 4 tall glasses with ice cubes. Pour the raspberry iced tea over the ice, distributing evenly.

Garnish

Garnish each glass with 2 fresh raspberries and 2 fresh mint leaves (if using). Optionally, add a thin lemon wheel to the rim for presentation.

Storage

Store any leftover iced tea in a sealed pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir before serving as separation may occur.