Unsweetened Iced Tea Recipe

Bring water to a boil

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

Steep the tea

Remove the water from heat. Add 6 black tea bags (or the loose-leaf equivalent: about 6 teaspoons). Cover the pot or kettle to trap steam and let the tea steep for 5 minutes for a medium-strength brew, 7 minutes for a stronger brew. Avoid steeping longer than 8 minutes to prevent excess bitterness.

Remove tea bags / strain

After steeping, remove the tea bags, pressing gently with a spoon against the side of the pot to extract flavor (do not squeeze hard to avoid bitterness). If you used loose leaf, strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve or tea strainer into a heatproof pitcher.

Cool to room temperature

Let the hot tea sit uncovered at room temperature for 15–20 minutes to cool slightly. This speeds chilling and prevents melting excessive ice later.

Chill

Refrigerate the pitcher until well chilled, at least 1 hour. For faster cooling, transfer the tea to a shallow container or an ice bath: set the sealed pitcher in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir occasionally until cool (about 20–30 minutes).

Prepare serving

Fill glasses with about 1 cup each of ice (adjust to preference). If desired, add a slice or two of lemon and a mint sprig to each glass for a fresh aroma and garnish. These do not add sweetness.

Serve

Pour the chilled tea over the ice-filled glasses. Taste and, if you prefer, add an extra lemon wedge on the rim. Serve immediately. Store leftover tea in a sealed pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.