Half Gallon Of Iced Tea (unsweet/sweet) Recipe

Time20m

Serves8

Make Half Gallon Of Iced Tea (unsweet/sweet) Recipe in just 20m. 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 near boiling
Place 8 cups (about 1.9 liters) of fresh water in a kettle or pot and bring to a rolling boil, then remove from heat. Let the water sit for 30 seconds if you want a slightly cooler steep for black tea.
2
Add tea bags
Add 8 black tea bags to a heatproof pitcher or container. Pour the hot water over the tea bags, ensuring they are fully submerged.
3
Steep
Let the tea steep for 5 to 7 minutes for a standard-strength tea. For stronger tea, steep up to 10 minutes. Do not steep longer than 10 minutes to avoid excessive bitterness.
4
Remove tea bags
Remove and gently squeeze the tea bags against the side of the pitcher to extract flavorful liquid, then discard the bags.

5
If making sweet iced tea, dissolve 1 cup granulated sugar into 1 cup hot water: place the sugar in a heatproof measuring cup or small bowl and pour 1 cup of very hot (not necessarily boiling) water over it. Stir until completely dissolved to form a simple syrup-like liquid. Allow to cool slightly (2–3 minutes).
6
Stir the dissolved sugar into the hot brewed tea until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness if desired (add up to 1/4 cup more sugar dissolved in a little hot water if you like it sweeter).

7
If making unsweetened iced tea, skip the sweetener step. Add 4 cups of ice directly to the pitcher to quickly cool the tea, or transfer the brewed tea to another container and chill in the refrigerator until cold (about 1–2 hours).
8
If you prefer a full half-gallon and to avoid overly diluting with melting ice, fill a half-gallon (64 fl oz / about 8 cups) pitcher with the brewed tea (after adding sweetener if using) and then add ice in individual servings rather than bulk. Alternatively, use chilled brewed tea and reserve ice for serving.
9
Taste and adjust: if tea tastes weak, steep next batch a minute longer or add an extra tea bag next time. If too strong or bitter, dilute with a little cold water or add more ice when serving.
10
Serve: pour over ice into glasses. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs or add peach slices/syrup for variation.