Delicious Iced Tea

I'm frequently asked how we make our cold tea samples at the store.  We keep it really simple but want to bring the best flavors out in the process.  So here's our secret...

It's a hybrid between hot preparation and cold steeping that we think gives you the best flavor from both methods.  Here's an example of our process.

In our example, we're going to make a gallon of tea as the final result, but you can adjust the measurements for the amount of tea you desire.

- Heat 1 quart of water to the temp needed for your tea or 1/4 of the final result.

- Place enough tea to make a gallon in a heat resistant 1 gallon pitcher.  We use the large empty tea bags we sell to contain the tea while steeping.  Then it's simple to remove the tea bag when you are ready to serve.

- Pour hot water over the tea.

- Let your tea steep for half the amount of time you would normally steep for hot tea.  For example, most black teas have a full steep time of 4-5 minutes.  For this method you would only steep for 2 to 2.5 minutes.

- Pour cold water into the pitcher to make up the rest of the gallon, leaving the tea in the pitcher.

- Put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, but 8 to 12 hours is best.

This method brings out many flavors that you can miss with a standard hot steep method.  It reduces the tannin flavor that you get from hot steeping and increases the other flavors from your tea.  Plus, it's so simple to do!

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