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Another Tea Video

In honour of National Iced Tea Month, another iced tea related video. This little retro gem dates back to 1973.

Feisty Iced Tea

Some iced teas just aren't for the kids. Here are some boozy iced tea recipes.

Bengal Tiger Tea

Add a bit of roar to your iced tea with bitters and cognac. It's a sophisticated and different way to serve an iced tea cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz cold tea
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 dashes aromatic bitters
• 1 tsp sugar syrup (see below for recipe)
• 1 1/2 oz cognac

Preparation:

Mix ingredients and serve over ice, with a lemon slice.

Carolina Iced Tea (if this one seems too boozey for you, adjust the amounts to your taste)

1 1/2 oz peach liqueur
1 oz spiced rum
1 oz peach schnapps
1/2 oz vodka
5 oz sweet iced tea

Add alcohol to glass and stir lightly. Pour in iced tea. Stir a few more times and serve.

Note: Add a splash of lemon and garnish with a twist for a classy drink or serve in a mason jar for a real down-home feel.

 

Watermelon Strawberry Slush

Prepare the iced tea iced cubes in advance and then

• 1 cup hulled fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup ice cubes made from strong black tea

 

~Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into 2 goblets and serve.

 

Viennese Iced Tea

Crushed ice

Slice lemon

Superfine sugar to taste

1 1/2 ounces rum or brandy

Freshly brewed, hot tea

Fresh mint sprigs

Fill a 14-ounce collins glass three-quarters full with crushed ice. Add the lemon slice, sugar and rum or brandy. Fill up with tea and stir gently. Garnish with mint.

Gin Tea & Lemon Fizz

1 cup water

4 teaspoons black tea leaves or 4 tea bags (such as Darjeeling)

1 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 cup gin

2 cups sparkling water

Ice cubes

In small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to boil. Add tea leaves. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep 15 minutes. Chill overnight.

Strain tea mixture into pitcher; discard tea leaves. Add lemonade concentrate and gin, then sparkling water to pitcher; stir to blend. Serve over ice.

Southern Kick

Iced Tea

½ oz of Southern Comfort

½ oz of whiskey

Just mix all the ingredients and serve on crushed ice.

Spiced Rum Iced Tea

½ tsp lemon juice

1 ¼ oz spiced rum

5 oz iced tea

Mix all the ingredients together and serve over crushed ice in high ball glasses.

 

Tea Spike

1 ½ oz white rum

½ dark crème de cacao

4 oz iced tea,

Some vanilla extract

Mix everything together in a cocktail shaker and serve on crushed ice in high ball glasses.

 

Ice This!

Steeped Iced Tea

Earlier this week, we shared a list of suggested combinations for creating your own flavoured iced teas.

Today we're sharing a list of suggested iced teas that don't require any blending. Just add 2-3 tbsp of any of these teas to your pitcher and add hot water. Steep for the same amount of time as you would a cup of hot tea. Then pour over ice cubes to chill.

• Pomegranate White

• Pai Mu Tan

• Margaret's Hope

• Jasmine Dragon Tears

• Any rooibos but especially: Pina Colada, Cranagranate, Lemon Drop, Orange Burst

• Many of our flavoured black teas: Monk's Blend, Ginger Peach, Bluest Blueberry 

• Herbal Tisanes: Berry Mania, Bella Coola, Roasted Mate, Blue Lagoon, Superior Sunrise Strawberry Orange

• Green Teas: Superior Snow Cap Green, Japanese Sencha, Mango Delight, Genmaicha

• Iron Goddess Oolong (if you have some left!)
  

   Which Steeped Fine Loose Teas have you tried iced? Leave us a comment!

Steeped Iced Tea Flavour Combinations

Here are a few ideas to try as you experiment with blending tea leaves to create new flavours. Remember to steep the tea tea leaves in the hot water for the same time you would do if preparing a cup of hot tea (ie, 5 minutes for black tea, 3 minutes for green, etc.)  but if you are blending tea types, steep according to the leaves chosen (i.e. if you are trying a green and a rooibos together, steep as though steeping for green alone).

Jasmine Oolong - combine a few tbsp Iron Goddess Oolong with a tsp of Jasmine Dragon Pearls

White Blueberry - combine a few tbsp Pai Mu Tan and Bluest Blueberry

Strawberry Vanilla - combine Strawberry Shortcake with Vanilla Dream

Orange Chai - combine Masala Chai and Orange Burst

Berry Mint - combine Berry Mania and Peppy Peppermint

Lemon Ginger - combine Lemon Drop and Spicy Ginger

Chamomile Citrus - combine Egyptian chamomile with Lemon Drop and Orange Burst

Blueberry Lemon - combine Bluest Blueberry with Lemon Drop

Lavender Mint - combine small amounts of French Lavender and Peppy Peppermint with Black tea

Licorice Mint - combine Amsterdam Licorice with small amount of Peppy Peppermint

Cranberry Orange - combine Cranagranate with Orange Burst

Lemon Almond - combine Lemon Drop with Amaretto rooibos (try adding a little sprite or soda to give it some sparkle; add black tea if you like a little more body)

We're sure there's lots more great flavour combinations. Leave us a comment if you've created a great flavoured iced tea - we'd love to hear about it!

Flavoured Ice Tea Tips

These ideas were originally found on an American tea company's blog and we wanted to be sure our Canadian iced tea drinkers knew about them!

Flavoured Iced Tea
Flavoured iced tea can be both plain tea with additions or a flavoured tea as a based mixed with other ingredients to bring out their natural character. Here are some ideas for excellent add-ins:

• Sweeteners: Sugar, honey, agave nectar all make for good sweeteners. If you opt to make a Southern-Style Sweet Tea, add sugar while the tea is steeping. If using honey or agave nectar, it also helps to add them to the hot tea first and then stir until dissolved. If you prefer to add sweetener once the tea has been poured over ice, a quick recipe of Simple Syrup can make it easier- Boil one cup of water with one cup of sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can then add the syrup to the iced tea, or serve it in a squirt bottle so each person can sweeten at their own discretion.
  
  
• Fresh or Frozen Fruit: Fruit can definitely jazz up any iced tea. If using a flavored fruit tea base, try a different kind of fruit to make a blend. Think of other fruits other than the usual lemon garnish. If using frozen fruit, they can also act as cooling agents for your iced tea. Chop up fruit into smaller pieces and add to tea after pouring over ice.
  
  
• Herbs and Spices: Add by the teaspoon various spices to add flavor to your teas while your tea is still hot, so it will incorporate properly. Try steeping star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger along with the tea to get the full flavor affect. Fresh herbs added to the tea once over ice will also help bring a certain complexity to your brew. Clean and trim fresh herbs such as mint, sage, lemongrass, lavender, basil, verbena, and lemon balm and add to your pitcher of iced tea. They'll add flavor and make for a nice garnish.
  
  
• Other Additions: Try sweetening your iced tea with 1/2 Cup of fruit juice or fruit puree. Pomegranate juice adds healthy components (to an already healthy drink!) and it's flavor is not too strong to overpower the tea flavor. Garnishes can also make for a winning iced tea: citrus flowers and herbs like mentioned earlier, but also edible flowers can make a darling decorative touch if you float them on top. Try also freezing juice or tea in ice cube trays and adding to the tea for both flavor, color, and to keep the tea cold. Rim your serving glasses with sugar to add a little flair!

Pineapple Mint Iced Tea

Make up a pitcher of your favourite black tea. Make up a pitcher of iced peppermint tea. Mix the iced peppermint tea 50-50 with pineapple juice and then add combine 50-50 with iced black tea. Refreshing on a hot day!

Iced Tea Lemonade

Celebrate National Iced Tea month. Experiment with  different iced tea recipes and see what new favourites you discover. Feel free to leave your favourite recipes by leaving a comment.

Iced Tea Lemonade

Place 2 tbsp of your favourite loose black tea in infuser. Add 1/2 c sugar to pitcher and fill with boiling water. Let steep at room temperature for 2 hours. Remove the tea. Stir in 1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade mix. Refrigerate until cool and serve.

Iced Tea Video

June is National Iced Tea month in the US, and why wouldn't we join our neighbours in celebrating this refreshing drink? We started sharing iced tea tips and recipes in May in anticipation, and will continue to post some great iced tea recipes this month, too.

Today, we're sharing a fun little video about making iced tea. The character in this video is Chris, a tea sommelier for an American tea company and it's evident that although he knows a lot about tea, he is not at all snobbish about it. He doesn't seem to take himself too seriously, but likes to have fun. Enjoy the video. Oh, and by the way, if you like the teapot he uses for brewing tea, it works just like the Brewt - once the tea is brewed, just set it over your mug for the tea to be released. You can purchase the Brewt from your Steeped Tea consultant.

Iced is Nice

June is National Iced Tea Month, so to have you all set, we'll be popping several iced tea recipes up on the blog this month and next. You'll definitely be ready for cool sipping in warm weather!

Making iced tea is SO easy with the Bodum Iced Tea Jug, available from your local Steeped Tea Consultant.

The pitcher has a built-in infuser for steeping your favourite loose teas. Simply place 2 perfect pot spoons of tea in the infuser, slide the infuser into the jug, and add hot water (this acrylic is designed to handle hot temperatures, so no concerns with BPAs). Steep to desired strength - try 5 minutes with a black tea and more with herbals. Remove the infuser, add the sweetener of you choice if desired, and chill your tea. When you are done steeping, why not try adding fresh herbs like mint or lavender, or fresh citrus slices? It's really neat because it holds these items in place and keeps them out of your drink while still extracting flavor from them. The slender shape of the jug slides into the refrigerator without being bulky.

It comes in two sizes (50 oz. and 102 oz.) so you can take your pick. If you want to retain the health benefits of your tea, it's best to drink the iced tea within about 2-3 days. After that, many of the antioxidants have disappeared. 

When making iced tea is THIS EASY, there's no reason to buy those cans of powdered mix, filled with chemicals and sweeteners, or bottles of ready-to-drink concoctions, which are mostly high-fructose corn syrup. Save your money. A pitcher of iced tea made the way we described here will cost you less than a dollar to make. You control the sweetness, so you control your family's sugar intake, and you always have something on hand to offer visitors!

And, this year, Steeped introduced a glass iced tea pitcher with built-in infuser, so if you prefer something with a little bit more elegance, it works the very same way. Making iced tea in it is just as easy as with the acrylic jug. The pitcher holds 32 oz of iced tea. The plastic infuser holds the loose leaf tea for brewing and then can be removed.

Now that you've got a great pitcher for your iced tea, stay tuned for some great iced tea recipes to inspire you!