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Black Iced Tea (Sweet Tea) Recipe

Making Sweet Tea

Black Iced Tea (Sweet Tea) is a real classic of the American South and by far the most popular way that Camellia Sinensis is consumed in the USA. Adding high quality Jenier Loose Leaf Teas to this classic recipe is a great way to create a successful summer refreshment. 

Ingredients (makes 1.5 litres of Iced Tea)

  • 36g of black tea (we sell this amount in our Summer Smiles Bulk Iced Tea Sachets but this can also be any loose leaf tea you infuse, contained in a T-Filter or be the equivalent value in pyramids or tea bags). The important aspect here is for the tea to be strong. We use a blend of Ceylon, Assam & Keemun tea in Summer Smiles Iced Tea.
  • 1L of filtered water
  • 500g of ice
  • 24g (6 teaspoons) of sugar (or stevia or honey or other sweetener). We recommend enough sweetener is added to make the tea nice and sweet. The bitterness of black tea doesn’t suit an unsweetened cold drink.

Directions

  1. Put the ice aside in a container or pitcher that can contain at least 1.5L of fluid and can withstand the hot tea without breaking. Refrigerate while brewing.
  2. Bring the litre of water to boil in a pot or kettle. Allow the water to come down from the boil slightly and pour it over the tea (which should be in a pot large enough for 1L of fluid). Allow the tea to brew for around 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags/infuser once the tea has brewed to an reddish-brown appearance.
  3. Remove the tea bags from the pot, remove the pot from the heat and stir in your sweetener. Allow it to stand for a minute.
  4. Carefully pour the brewed tea over the ice. Some of the ice will melt of course, but more ice and fresh fruit and be added before serving. Store in a refrigerator if not using straight away.

Add Lemonade For A Sparkling Iced Black Tea Drink

Make Black Iced Tea (Sweet Tea) as above but pour 1.5l of lemonade into the iced tea so the blend is now 50% Black Iced Tea and 50% lemonade. Depending on the sweetness of your lemonade, you can forgo adding a sweetener to the tea. If you'd like to make this into an alcoholic tea spritzer simply add one shot of vodka or gin to every 200ml.

View More Bulk Iced Tea Sachets