[maclolo]

How do you go about making a big batch of iced tea? Funny enough, I have never done this before. Do I just boil a gallon of water and then add the appropriate number of teabags (...16?) and let it steep for as long as it says to, and then refrigerate it?

TIA!

 

[TulikaEma]

Yup--that's one eay of doing it. Your box of tea should tell you how many bags/ large amount of water, although 16 sounds high to me.

I just fill a pitcher with water and 6-8 tea bags, and then leave it all in the fridge for 4 hours- overnight. Its easier and keeps the kitchen from getting hot. I also like to experiment with mixing various herbal tea flavors...

 

[maclolo]

oh thanks! so you don't have to boil it and have it steep that way for it to do its thing (release its flavor, or whatever)?

 

[melissakc]

I microwave a big glass measuring cup of water (8 cups) for 8 minutes and use 8 teabags. I let it steep for a while, until it gets dark. Then I pour it in a big plastic pitcher (probably a gallon) and dilute with enough water to fill to the top and put it in the refrigerator.

 

[Heather Marie]

I boil the water in my kettle, stick about 6 tea bags into the water after I take it off the heat, let it steep, and then pour it into a big glass pitcher full of ice. It cools down very quickly that way.

 

[tiffanymm]

Lipton makes an iced tea bag that you only use one tea bag for an entire pitcher.

I believe that you always have to boil water when making any kind of tea.

 

[meisterfrau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heather Marie I boil the water in my kettle, stick about 6 tea bags into the water after I take it off the heat, let it steep, and then pour it into a big glass pitcher full of ice. It cools down very quickly that way.

This is pretty much how I do it too. I drink soooo much iced tea. Just now it's all Red Raspberry Leaf tea, though! I'm going through about a gallon a day, no exaggeration. I miss my regular old black tea.

 

[TulikaEma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maclolo oh thanks! so you don't have to boil it and have it steep that way for it to do its thing (release its flavor, or whatever)?

no need to boil water to make tea--it takes longer if you leave it in the fridge (hours instead of minutes), but I find it easier not to boil. Even if you do use hot water (for hot tea or iced tea) you want to use water that is just shy of boiling--slightly cooler water releases fewer of the bitter elements in teas, so it tastes better. (we're tea-snobs at my house, can you tell?

)

 

[Googy]

One trick I learned when I was working for Americorps in the South...

If you like sweetener in your tea, add it to the pot when the tea is hot, then refrigerate. The sweetener dissolves completely in the hot tea, so you won't have that whole gritty sugar/blob of honey at the bottom of your glass thing...just a nice, sweet glass of tea. I HAVE to do this with RRL, as I do not care for the taste at all unsweetened.