Sweet Or Unsweet Tea & Hot Tea Recipe
Make Sweet Or Unsweet Tea & Hot Tea Recipe in just 1h 15m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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For brewed tea base (makes about 8 cups / 1.9 L)
For sweet tea (optional)
For serving (iced sweet or unsweet tea)
For hot tea serving (per cup)
Method
Brewed tea base
- 1
- 2
Steep tea
Remove the boiling water from heat. Add 8 tea bags (or the loose-leaf equivalent in a tea infuser) to the hot water. Cover and steep 5 minutes for a standard-strength black tea. For stronger tea steep 6–7 minutes; for lighter tea steep 3–4 minutes. Avoid steeping more than 8 minutes to prevent excessive bitterness.
- 3
Remove tea leaves
Remove the tea bags or strain out loose leaves. Press the tea bags gently against the side of the pot with a spoon to extract flavor if desired, then discard.
- 4
Cool (for iced tea) or keep hot (for hot tea)
If making iced tea, allow the brewed tea to cool 10–15 minutes at room temperature before proceeding. For hot tea, proceed to individual cup preparation in the Hot tea serving section.
Make sweet tea (optional)
- 5
Dissolve sugar
If making sweet tea, place 1/2 cup hot water into a heatproof measuring cup or small bowl. Stir in 1 cup granulated sugar until fully dissolved to make a simple sugar syrup. This warm syrup incorporates into brewed tea more evenly than adding dry sugar to cold tea.
- 6
Combine syrup and tea
Pour the warm sugar syrup into the warm brewed tea and stir thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness: for less sweet, add up to 1/2 cup more water and reduce syrup, or add more syrup for sweeter tea.
- 7
Chill
Place sweetened tea in the refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour. For quicker cooling, pour the tea into a shallow container and refrigerate, or add ice (see serving).
Iced tea serving
- 8
Fill glasses
Fill tall glasses with ice (about 1/2 to 1 cup ice per 8-12 oz glass).
- 9
Pour tea
Pour sweetened or unsweetened chilled tea over the ice, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 10
Garnish and serve
Garnish with a lemon slice and a mint sprig if desired. Serve immediately.
Hot tea serving (per cup)
- 11
Prepare individual cup
Boil fresh water (about 1 cup per cup of tea). Place 1 tea bag or 1 tsp loose tea in a cup. Pour 1 cup hot water over the tea, cover the cup and steep 3–5 minutes according to desired strength.
- 12
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