How do you make your iced tea?

[happi]

I have been making mine in a tea maker, but it just doesn't taste very good anymore. I been thinking of making it in the microwave, but not really sure how to make it. Just wondered how others make theirs!
thanks
Happi

[Indianamom2]

I make mine by boiling water on the stove, then once it's come to a boil, I remove it from the heat, stick in the tea bags and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Then I pour it into the pitcher, add cold water, sugar and lemon and stir.

[stinkyfeet]

I use a glass pitcher, fill it with cold water, and put 4 tea bags (I like green tea or flavored white teas). I only like my iced tea a little sweet (like Honest Tea), so I put a little bit of rock sugar, agave, or honey in the mix. I cover the top with saran wrap and put it outside in the sun for several hours. It comes out delicious!

I think that if you make the water too hot the tea will turn bitter. The gentle warmth of the sun makes the tea taste really smooth. :)

[elbenn]

I boil water in an electric tea kettle and then when it's hot, I pour the hot water in a stainless steel pitcher with some tea bags. After it has steeped, I remove the tea bags and after it has cooled somewhat, put the tea in a large mason jar and put it in the fridge. I have different mason jars for different flavors of iced tea. The jars are linked to below, but they aren't integral to the tea--they just make it easier to store different varieties.


http://www.amazon.com/Half-Gallon-Wide-Mouth-Canning/dp/B0000BYE26/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339788036&sr=8-1&keywords=large+mason+jars

[kristenk]

I don't typically make it, but my sister does at least once a day.

She has a very large (quart or half-gallon, depending on how many people are around) glass measuring cup that she uses. She'll put water in the measuring cup and then put that in the microwave to heat up. When the water is hot, she'll add tea bags and let them steep. After steeping, she'll remove the tea bags and add water and sugar if she feels like it.

[twowhat?]

I heat water JUST to a boil in a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup. Then I put the tea bags in and let them steep - I make the tea pretty concentrated so that it takes up less room to store in the fridge and then when we want to make iced tea we just mix some of the concentrate with cold water from the fridge and ice. We don't add sugar, though you can do it this way too with sweet tea.

[Momit]

I just had the best iced tea over the weekend.

Green tea (boiled on stovetop and steeped)
Ginger (actual ginger pieces cut up)
Lemon slices
Mint leaves
a little honey

Similar to this recipe but less honey, and other proportions adjusted for taste:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/iced-green-tea-ginger-mint-10000000633431/index.html

[Philly Mom]

I make black ice tea every day at work. I have a large insulated starbucks cup that works for both hot and cold. I put in my favorite tea bag (it is a british brand english breakfast). I then let it steep. I then add ice, take a sip, add more ice.

[lele]

Pitcher of water with 4 lipton tea bags and 2 twinings peppermint bags and put it in the back yard for a couple of hours. Delicious!!

[Melaine]

I boil a teapot of water on the stove and then pour it over 5 lipton tea bags. Let it steep for 10 minutes, then add a cup of water (I'm Southern, we drink it sweet!). Fill it up with ice water (I think our pitcher is 2.5 quarts). Sometimes I put in fresh mint.

[wellyes]

Powdered mix :P So bad but so good.

[LMPC]

I make mine by boiling water on the stove, then once it's come to a boil, I remove it from the heat, stick in the tea bags and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Then I pour it into the pitcher, add cold water, sugar and lemon and stir.

:yeahthat: My "recipe" as well!

[m448]

Whenever I can I cold brew all teas lately. I just chuck the tea bags if I'm using them in the water pitcher and stick it in the fridge. A couple of hours later it's perfect and never bitter.

[scrooks]

I make mine by boiling water on the stove, then once it's come to a boil, I remove it from the heat, stick in the tea bags and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Then I pour it into the pitcher, add cold water, sugar and lemon and stir.

Similar but I put the tea bags in as the water boils.

[Melaine]

I boil a teapot of water on the stove and then pour it over 5 lipton tea bags. Let it steep for 10 minutes, then add a cup of water (I'm Southern, we drink it sweet!). Fill it up with ice water (I think our pitcher is 2.5 quarts). Sometimes I put in fresh mint.

[AnnieW625]

Put fill up a largish beverage dispenser with a lot of water, maybe 2/3rds full, stick about 5-7 decaf tea bags (usually Lipton) and sit it out in the sun for about 4 hrs or until it is dark. We do not sweeten the big canister, but DH might sweeten his a bit. I don't sweeten mine, and I usually don't sweeten DD1's either.

We do decaf because DD1 likes to drink it as well.

[kijip]

I have been making iced herbal teas often because I am not eating or drinking sugar and it is my replacement for juice/sodas etc.

I have an electric kettle and I heat the water in there, pour in into a big container, let the tea seep and then pour the brewed tea over a pitcher of ice that has a lid. I may or may not throw in lemon. That stays in the fridge and if I feel like drinking something besides water, I pour a glass.

Now that the sun may actually stay shining here, I will do some sun tea. I have a big sun tea container like this (http://www.amazon.com/Jarden-Watermelon-Glass-Pitcher/dp/B002I4CWGG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1339796885&sr=8-4&keywords=sun+tea+jar). Love not having to boil the water and heat up the kitchen.

[queenmama]

I make mine by boiling water on the stove, then once it's come to a boil, I remove it from the heat, stick in the tea bags and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Then I pour it into the pitcher, add cold water, sugar and lemon and stir.

This is almost my method!

I boil water in a vintage Pyrex teapot, take it off the heat and add teabags. We like our tea STRONG so I use 5 family size bags and steep for a super long time, 30 minutes at least. Pour this into a glass gallon jug, and add 1c (slightly less) sugar BEFORE cold water so the sugar dissolves really well.

Sent from the HTC Vivid 4G LTE via Tapatalk 2

[pastrygirl]

We use loose tea and brew it double strength (2-4 cups of water, with 4-8 teaspoons of tea leaves) , then pour into a pitcher full of ice. We both really like Stevia to sweeten tea, so we sweeten it a little in the pitcher.

[JBaxter]

I make mine by boiling water on the stove, then once it's come to a boil, I remove it from the heat, stick in the tea bags and let it steep for at least 10 minutes. Then I pour it into the pitcher, add cold water, sugar and lemon and stir.

This is my method < minus the sugar and lemon> 10 tea bags / gallon is the standard here.

[Melaine]

I am going to confess we have been making our tea in a plastic pitcher....it's like the only plastic left in my kitchen and even worse that I pour hot water into it!.....ever since I cracked my beautiful glass one by pouring boiling water in. Does anyone have a glass pitcher or container of any kind that can stand up to boiling water (ours took it like a champ for 4 or 5 years then one day just cracked).

[elbenn]

Melaine, it's not a pitcher, but I store mine in half gallon mason jars. Cheap and durable.

[lmwbasye]

We have a regular glass pitcher. I boil water in my electric kettle and pour in the pitcher over sugar or Splenda. Then toss 8 tea bags in and let it steep till cool. Then take out tea bag and top off the pitcher with filtered water.

[fauve01]

i used to make it by boiling water in my big glass pyrex measuring cup/bowl, then adding tea bags (i bag per every 8 oz) then steep for 4 minutes. then cool and pour over ice. but it never tasted good and it was always cloudy. now i use an iced tea maker and the tea always tastes great and isn't cloudy.

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Iced-Tea-Maker/dp/B000HTPSBU/ref=sr_1_3?s=appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1339952731&sr=1-3&keywords=iced+tea+maker

i make a pitcher just about every day.

(i never put ice in the pitcher as the directions direct; i just cool in the fridge.)

[DrSally]

Whenever I can I cold brew all teas lately. I just chuck the tea bags if I'm using them in the water pitcher and stick it in the fridge. A couple of hours later it's perfect and never bitter.

I do this too. I use Lipton cold brew if I want it faster.