Iced Tea (sweet Or Unsweet) Recipe
Make Iced Tea (sweet Or Unsweet) Recipe in just 1h 30m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Tea base
Sweetener (for sweet iced tea)
Finish & garnish
Method
Tea base
Steep tea
Remove from heat. Add 6 black tea bags (or equivalent loose-leaf in an infuser). Cover and steep for 5 minutes for a standard-strength iced tea, 7 minutes for stronger flavor. For a lighter tea, replace 1–2 black tea bags with green tea and steep 2–3 minutes instead.
Remove tea
Remove and discard tea bags or lift out the infuser. Do not squeeze bags (to avoid bitterness).
Sweetener (optional)
Add sweetener
If making sweet tea, while the brewed tea is still hot, stir in 3 tablespoons granulated sugar per 8 cups until fully dissolved. Alternatively, use 1 cup simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water) if you prefer an easy-to-mix liquid sweetener. Taste and adjust: add more sweetener for a sweeter result, less for lightly sweet.
If making unsweetened
Skip this section. Allow the brewed tea to remain unsweetened.
Finish & serve
Cool to room temperature
Let the sweetened or unsweetened tea cool to room temperature (about 20–30 minutes) or place the pot in an ice bath to speed cooling.
Chill
Transfer the tea to a pitcher and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
Serve over ice
Fill glasses with ice (about 1 cup per serving). Pour chilled tea over ice. Add 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice per glass (about 2 tablespoons for the pitcher) and stir.