Iced Tea Tutorial: The Way We Do It

Bentley serving up All Things Tea iced tea!

This blog post might be short and sweet (and oh, how sweet it is)...but it just might save your summer!  Southwestern Ontario is in the grips of a scorching, dry summer...so I kind of feel like revealing our iced tea secret makes me a heroine.  Ha.  The other day a burly man pulled up to our shop on his beautiful Harley Davidson.  He was that stereotypical 'biker guy' - long hair, tattoos.  He came in with one sole motive: Iced Chai Latte from All Things Tea.  It's a popular iced tea here, and as such, I had to break the news that it had sold out and was still in the process of being made.  His bottom lip began to quiver and I was certain my news was about to make a grown (biker) man cry.  Yup folks - it's really THAT good.  Fortunately, I was able to use my back-up flash freeze method (more on that later) and he left happy, dignity well in tact. 

More often than not, people tell me that when they make their iced teas at home with our great loose leaf tea, it still doesn't taste the same as what they drink at the shop.  It really is an easy method I use, but a few details are critical in making it SUPERIOR iced tea.  My method may not be the same as you've heard before, but it works for us....and as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

WHAT MAKES A STELLAR ICED TEA?

1.  Start with top quality loose leaf tea - your iced tea will only be as good as the tea you use;
2.  We use Reverse Osmosis (RO) water.  This is IMPORTANT.  Loose leaf tea is delicate and water that is hard destroys the natural flavour.  At the very least, use a quality spring water - tap water does NOT cut it.
3.  Use the right amount of tea leaves:water ratio, watch your water temperature and steep time - tea is by nature 'fussy' - follow these simple rules and I promise the best iced tea on the block every time!
4.  Do not over sweeten your iced teas - common mistake!  Using too much sugar masks the great flavour of your iced tea.

WHAT WE DO:

1.  Figure out how many ounces are in your heat-safe pitcher that you'll be using.  Use 1 heaping teaspoon of loose leaf tea per 6 oz. of water.  For example, if your pitcher holds 60 oz. of water, you should be using 10 heaping tsps. of tea.

2.  Fill your pitcher with boiling water (for black, rooibos or herbal teas) or steaming water (just below the boiling point) for green, white or oolong teas.

3.  We use non-bleached, biodegradable tea sacks for steeping the tea (available for sale at All Things Tea) - this facilitates easy leaf removal and the used tea sack can go into a compost bin or garbage.

4.  Place your prepared tea sacks into the pitcher and steep for the proper amount of time (green tea: 2 minutes; oolong: 2 minutes; rooibos/herbals: 10 minutes; black tea: 3 minutes; white tea: 2 minutes).  Promptly remove your tea sack.

5.  At this time you can choose whether to sweeten your iced tea or not.  For rooibos teas, we often use nothing as it has its own natural sweetness.  For greens (which tend to take on a slight astringency as they cool) we generally use 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. sugar per measuring cup.  If you're not a fan of sugar, you could certainly use stevia or even agave nectar, honey - up to you!

6.  Let your iced tea come to room temperature on your counter and then put in fridge (ideally overnight).

When our iced tea is at room temperature, we like to sometimes make ice cubes from the tea itself.  It is attractive and doesn't water down your final product.  If we're feeling extra-fancy, we might freeze some blueberries or raspberries in the ice cube tray, too.  

To make a latte drink, we simply use a black tea (like our Chai Indienne) - fill the pitcher 3/4 with water, 1/4 1% milk and about a 1/2 tsp of sugar per measuring cup.  We let THIS concoction steep for 15 minutes.  That's it, that's all - no fake syrups, no false ingredients - just yumminess!

Flash-Freeze Method: This method we use when in a pinch for time.  Steep your tea just as above and then immediately pour it over a glass or pitcher FULL of ice - less enamoured with the process because it does water it down somewhat, but it is still acceptable!

And, you didn't hear this from me, but we've actually been known to use our amazing iced teas as a vodka martini base at summer BBQs at our house.  They aren't half bad, I tell you.  Ahem.  I find solace in the fact that tea is so good for us!  And before signing off, I would like to send out a mention to a friend and customer who has an incredible blog on living a lifestyle with less sugar.  She is a big fan of All Things Tea and has concocted some amazing summer drinks using our tea.  She has a VERY amusing writing style and the amount of effort she puts into her research is admirable.  Feel free to pop by her blog at: http://www.lesssugarnaturally.com/sugar-free-beverages/

And lastly, if you're thinking iced tea is just the thing to get you through this blazing heat, I'd like to share with you what we've noticed are best-selling loose leaf teas for making iced teas (this is observation for 7 summers!):

Georgia Peach

Honeybush Raspberry Rooibos

Angel Falls Mist (fruit tisane)

Japan's Green Treasures

Mayan Chocolate (particularly for making lattes)

Thanks for stopping by - may you drink tea, stay cool and have a great summer!