How to Make the Perfect Glass of Iced Tea

Iced tea. Sounds like a simple deal right? Make tea, add water. But it never tastes as good as grabbing it from my favorite coffee shop. What gives? It all comes down to the science of crafting that perfect and refreshing glass of iced tea with one simple rule: double the amount of tea you use. 

Here's what you'll need:

• loose leaf tea
• 295ml/10 fl. oz. of water (filtered preferably)
• 475ml/16 oz. of ice
• a kettle or saucepan
• 1 tablespoon measuring spoon
• a steeper of some sort: disposable tea bag, in-cup strainer, steeper device, mesh ball, etc.
• a 475ml/16 fl. oz. glass or cup
• fixings: honey, sugar, sweetener, milk, etc.
• optional: thermometer

There are a lot of misconceptions as to how iced tea is made. A lot of people assume you can brew your iced tea in cold water and it'll come out just fine, but it doesn't work out that way unless you're using a specialized blend that's crafted for cold brews, you will likely be unsuccessful in achieving that strong flavor you'd like. Thankfully making iced tea is just as easy as making a hot cup of tea. The whole point is to increase the concentration of the tea by adding more tea and less water. By pouring the hot tea over ice, the ice will melt, cooling down the temperature of the water, but also dilutes the concentration of the flavor as well. By doubling the concentration, the dilution process will make sure you have a delicious cup of iced tea without a watered down taste.

There is a science to making the perfect cup of tea and it all depends on what kind of tea you have, the temperature of the water, and then how long you let it steep for. Please note that boiling your water may cause the tea to burn or become astringent (bitter) in its taste.

Now that you know what tea you are using, heat up your water to the appropriate temperature. You can use a kettle that has pre-set temperature settings, or use a thermometer while heating up your water on a stove top.

If you don't have either, you can let your water boil and then let it sit for about 1-3 minutes to get it at 95°C / 200°F, 7-8 minutes to get it at 85°C / 185°F, and 10 minutes to get it at 75°C / 165°F before steeping your tea.

1. Heat up your water to the corresponding temperature for the tea you are using.
2. Measure out 1 tbsp of tea and place it into your tea making device of choice.
3. Once the water is ready, pour the hot water into your mug over the tea leaves. If you do not have a tea strainer device, you can simply pour the loose tea directly into the hot water and let it steep that way.
4. You can also add in your fixings during this time or right after you remove your tea leaves. Just remember that it's easier to dissolve sugars and sweeteners while the water is still hot instead of when it gets poured over ice.
5. Once you've waited the appropriate amount of time for your tea to steep, remove the tea leaves by either removing your strainer device, or use a mesh strainer to scoop out the floating tea leaves.
6. Fill up your glass/cup with the ice and proceed to pour over your concentrated tea on top. Stir the tea with either a spoon or a straw to make sure the tea gets cold.
7. Sip and enjoy!
8. If you find that your iced tea is not as sweet as you would like or you forgot to add sweetener while it was still hot, pour your sweetener into a small cup or tupperware, add a splash of hot water and mix it to make up a liquid sugar. Stir this into your iced tea to your desired sweetness.

Did You Know?

If you're looking to make an iced tea latte, use a lot less water and increase the amount of tea leaves used. Since lattes are diluted by milk, the flavor will still be strong enough to infuse into the milk.