Iced Tea Recipe

Boil water

Bring 4 cups of the 8 cups of water to a rolling boil in a kettle or medium saucepan.

Steep tea

Place 6 black tea bags in a heatproof pitcher. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags, cover the pitcher and steep for 5 minutes for a balanced strength (6–7 minutes for stronger tea).

Sweeten while hot

Remove and discard the tea bags, gently pressing them against the pitcher side to extract flavor (do not squeeze aggressively). While the brewed tea is still hot, stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar until fully dissolved. This helps the sugar integrate evenly.

Add remaining water and chill

Add the remaining 4 cups of cold water to the pitcher to dilute to serving strength. Stir in 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice. Let the pitcher cool to room temperature for 15–20 minutes, then refrigerate until well chilled, about 1–2 hours.

Serve over ice

Fill glasses with ice cubes (about 1/2 cup to 1 cup ice per glass). Pour chilled tea over the ice. Garnish with lemon slices or mint if desired and serve immediately.

Adjust sweetness

If you prefer honey instead of granulated sugar, stir 2 tablespoons honey into 1–2 cups of the hot brewed tea until dissolved, then add cold water and chill as above. For lighter sweetness, use 1/4 cup simple syrup stirred into the chilled tea to taste.

Make peach iced tea

For peach flavor, add 1 cup thinly sliced fresh peaches to the pitcher before chilling or stir 1/2 to 1 cup peach puree into the chilled tea. Let infuse in the refrigerator 30–60 minutes for best flavor, then strain if desired.

Mint infusion

Lightly bruise 6–8 mint sprigs by clapping them between your palms, add to the chilled tea and refrigerate 15–30 minutes. Remove sprigs before serving or leave for garnish.

Garnish and customize

Serve additional lemon slices, mint sprigs, or peach slices on the rim or in each glass. Taste the tea before serving and adjust sweetness or acidity by stirring in small amounts of simple syrup or lemon juice to taste.