At a recent bridal shower, we decided to freeze 100% tea into ice cube trays to add to our large tea dispenser to keep it cold and yet not to dilute it. I also froze some of my garden's spearmint leaves in a separate ice cube tray, in case anyone wanted to add it to their individual glasses!
Now that I think of it; raspberries, blueberries or even watermelon cubes could also be frozen as additions, just for fun!
(The photo is just to show you the cubes, taken after the party.)
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Use spaghetti sauce jars in the summer as tea jars. They are just the right size. Most people like to drink their cold ice tea from a jar in the south.
I like the health benefits of green tea, but I'm not too hip on the taste of it. To remedy this, when I make a half gallon of iced tea, I use 4 green tea bags and 4 regular (black) tea bags, instead of all regular tea bags.
If you run out of iced tea, you don't have to make a whole pitcher. Here's how to do it for one glass.
I like to drink tea, soda, etc. from the smaller bottles and an inexpensive way of having them ready to go is place your favorite teabag in the bottom of the bottle and fill with water and place in your fridge. Within a few hours, you have unsweetened tea ready to go without pouring or mixing anything.
The best way to make tea for me is to microwave a family size tea bag (I really like Tetley, Lipton seems to fall apart and tea leaves go everywhere) in a cup of water for a couple of minutes until it is boiling.
My husband used to drink a lot of bottled "iced tea" that was too sweet and too expensive. I weaned him off it by placing a dispenser jug from a thrift shop in the frig and keeping cold tea in it at all times.
When brewing iced tea, to take out some of the bitter taste, add a pinch of baking soda to the container.
When you get iced tea from a fast food place, it is often too strong. If you are at the take out window, ask for an extra cup of ice water or just a cup of ice - then you can use it to dilute the iced tea to make it more tasty.
I like the taste of flavored teas, but making iced tea with them can get expensive if you drink a lot of it like I do. My solution is to use anywhere from 1 to 4 flavored tea bags and 4 regular tea bags mixed together when making a half gallon of iced tea.
Every once in a while, I get Starbucks cappuccino or frappuccino at the grocery store. They come in nice glass bottles.
Iced tea will last longer once it is made if you store it in a sealed glass jar instead of a plastic pitcher.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Tips for making iced tea. Post your ideas.
When making iced tea, add a pinch of baking soda to hot water to make it less bitter and that way you use less sugar to sweeten it.
By Dee
Make Sun Tea It is the best......6 Large tea bags in a gallon glass jar....Leave in the sun 3-4 hours bring in and put in 1/2 - 1 C of sugar...Pour over Ice...the best ever
We drink iced tea year round even though we live in Maine. Here is the recipe that I developed:
Steep 6 Red Rose Tea bags in a quart of boiling water, let sit until cool. Pour tea into a gallon container, squeeze tea bags and add that. Add 1/3 cup sugar and 1 - 12 oz.
hello,
I read that in the south they make a syrup with sugar and water to add to ice tea.
Stirs in easily :-)
Everyone always likes my tea and wants to know how I make it. I take 4 cups of filtered water in a glass measuring cup and put it into the micro-wave for 7 mins. Then I put in 4 family size teabags and let this seep for about 15 to 20 mins. with plastic wrap over it. In large gallen pitcher, put in 1/2 cup sugar, then sqeeze the tea from the tea bags, and pour over sugar and stir. Add filter water until pitcher is full and stir.
I live in TX now, but from NC.......we really drink sweet tea. Here's my recipe, and I will tell you, the brand of teabags you use really do make a difference. I fill a gallon pitcher 1/3 way full with hot water. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir until dissoved. I tie the strings of 4 Luzianne family size tea bags together and tear off the tags and soak in the hot water for one hour.
Ok now from North Carolina here... We use Lipton tea bags the small ones. I think it is 100 to a box that i get. I take ten tea bags remove the paper and the tag on each bag tie all the bags together with the strings. Bring to boil one pot which is about quart or quart and 1/2 not really sure what my pot is. Take off burner when it comes to boil add tea bags and cover for 5 minutes. Then have sugar ready in tea pitcher. When 5 minutes are up pour tea into the pitcher refill pot with hot water on top of the bags.
You can also buy "Cold Brew" tea bags by Lipton and put a glass of ice water w/ one individual bag and let it sit for a few minutes and then it's ready. You can also add sugar before you put the bag in there and stir and it'll already be sweetened. See ya!
Even though I was raised in the south I absolutly can't stand sugar or lemon or anything in my iced tea. The tea itself has to taste good. Since I drink iced tea all day every day a friend gave me for Christmas a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker. I love it. Makes great tea. It goes through a coffee filter so you can use tea bags or loose tea. I actually go to a dollar store and buy a box of 100 tagless teabags for $1
i fill up a gallon glass jar or plastic and put 1 big tea bag((lipton))) and stick it out side and let the sun make it. takes about 2 or 3 hours ,but worth the wait
I prefer Lipton Cold Brew Iced Tea too. I keep a 52oz. cup with lid (saved from a trip to the local convienence store) with one bag (pitcher size) of tea and water and let it sit til it gets nice and dark. I then pour a bit of this "concentrate" tea into another cup, add water and sweetner then add more water to the 52oz. cup and tea bag. I do this til the 52oz. cup starts to get pretty clear (ie, no more tea). This usually lasts me the day, and I only use one tea bag. Keep in mind I also like my tea very diluted. Works for me though. :)
Question: Does anyone know if it is safe to pour boiling water in a plastic pitcher? I'm not concerned with the pitcher melting--mine appears just fine--but I was wondering about health concerns. Thanks.
For iced tea, I take a half gallon container, put it 6 decaf tea bags and fill container with hot water from the faucet, as hot as it will come out. Put on lid and let set an hour and put in frig. I cannot do 'sun' tea so this is about as close as you can get.
By Linda
DON'T use hot water from the tap as i have heard it's unfit for human comsumption. The hotter the water going through the pipes the more crap from inside the pipes comes with it. Not healthy. Also boiling water in plastic pitchers may be a similar thing to microwaving in tuperware or anything with plastic wrap over it. It will heat up and drop toxic cancer causing chemicals into whatever you are going to eat. I have read this a couple different times from reliable sourses. You should always microwave food on a plate or in a bowl with a paper towel over the top for splashes.
Janeen
I like to use a 4 cup glass pyrex cup to heat 4 cups water in the microwave and then add 8 tea bags, let that steep for about 1/2 hour or until the water cools enough so I don't melt the plastic pitcher. Then pour over 1 -1 1/2 cups sugar for southern sweet tea , stir to dissolve the sugar and top with water! I'll often add a few pieces of lemon rind for flavor.
Rebekah
I take my tea (both iced tea and hot tea) without any additions...just tea!
I`ve made Sun Tea and also made it other ways. Does anyone know how to prevent the cloudiness in the tea? It doesn`t alter the taste but looks bad. Thanks
Hi, I use a cheap coffee maker for tea. I put the tea bags in the coffee filter basket (after removing paper tags) and do like making coffee. After brewing I pour the hot tea over ice cubes then add a sprig or two of fresh mint! YUM! You will then need to add ice cubes to your glass or chill until use.
First of all - never put iced tea in a plastic pitcher - the acidity of tea leaches chemicals out of the plastic. Second - try making refrigerator tea! It is fantastic, I just did it for my first time yesterday. I put 4 tea bags in a glass pitcher filled with cold water (I used bottled since our tap water isn't great). After 2 or 3 hours the iced tea will be brewed and ready. Or you can leave bags in for up to 12 hours, I think. Add lemon and sugar (or sugar syrup) to taste. It won't cloud.
Tips and recipes for making iced tea. Post your ideas.
Add a packet of unsweetened flavored drink mix (kool-aid) to a batch of iced tea for a great change. I love lemonade with tea. It makes a great tea cooler.
By Dee
When I make iced tea, this is my recipe: I usually put on a quart of water to boil and put my sugar in then. I use 1/2 cup (I have found that Splenda is fantastic used this way) of sugar. I then boil the water for 2 or three minutes to make a simple syrup. The sugar seems to get sweeter this way so you don't use a bunch of sugar. Drop in 8 tea bags and let it steep for 10 minutes or so. Then I put the mix into a pitcher, fill it with water, and pop it into the fridge. I don't like and cannot use lemon so have learned to drink the tea straight and it is so good. Just has to be refrigerated.
We go through two gallons of iced tea per day, so I make mine every night before I go to bed. I use an 8 quart pot. Start by putting as much sugar as you like (I use 1 1/2 cups) in pot. Add enough hot water to melt sugar, and stir. Put in 7 large tea bags and fill to about 3 inches from top. Let come to a roiling boil, turn off stove, let sit til morning, then pour into two 1-gallon pitchers. My hubby doesn't like lemon, so I just add the lemon to my glass before I pour the tea. Enjoy!
Add a pinch of baking soda to the tea to take out the bitterness..while brewing.
I use brown sugar instead. Also put it some mint leaves and lemon while water is still hot for a fantastic taste!
Does tea in a plastic pitcher really leach plastic into the drink? I have a lovely Lucite double wall plastic pitcher that I use and would hate to swtich to a heavy glass one.
By Ellen
I can't promise it doesn't happen, but I've used a plastic tea pitcher for many years with no problems.
