How to make an Iced Tea

How to make an iced tea

Brew the perfect ice-cold refreshment in just four simple steps.

Master the art of DIY iced tea

Hydrating, thirst-quenching and refreshing – it's hard to deny the allure of a perfectly-chilled glass of iced tea. While making your own at home can seem like a big undertaking, we’re here to assure you that it’s actually super quick and easy to whip up. So quick, in fact, you’ll wind up back in the kitchen to brew a few more cups throughout the day. What’s more, every tea can be enjoyed iced – from crisp senchas and floral whites to spicy rich chais and juicy herbals.

How do you achieve the best-tasting iced tea ever? It all comes down to three factors:

• The amount of tea you use

• The temperature of the water

• The time you let your tea steep

Make the perfect iced tea at home, every time, thanks our simple step-by-step guide.

What you’ll need:

2 Perfect Spoons of loose leaf tea

10 oz (295 ml) hot water

16 oz ice

Steeper

16 oz mug

Step 1: Measure your tea

Measure your favourite iced tea tea like a pro by using the DavidsTea Perfect Spoon – a stainless steel spoon designed to help measure your loose leaf tea correctly. Just scoop 1-2 Perfect Spoons (approx. 5 teaspoons) of your loose leaf tea into the DavidsTea 16 oz Steeper with the lid open. We generally recommend to use double the amount of loose leaf you use for hot tea, since you'll be diluting it with ice.

When it comes to making iced tea, getting a flavourful cup is everything.

• Brew it extra-strong = full-flavoured & aromatic iced tea

• Brew it too weak = watery & bland-tasting iced tea

Step 2: Pour in hot water

With your loose leaf ready to go, it’s now time to fill your Steeper with 10 oz of hot water from a kettle. Water temperature is one of the most important variables in steeping a consistently delicious cup of tea. Steep it too hot, and you risk burning the leaves. Steep it too cold, and you’ll be left with a mild tasting cup. So how hot should your water be? To make sure you get the best results, follow this simple steeping guide.

Step 3: Let it steep

This is where the magic happens.
Here’s where you want to set a timer to give your tea the time it needs to release all of its wonderful flavours and aromas.

Hot tip: Fruit infusions are the most forgiving teas to use since they can’t be oversteeped.
Most fruit & herbal teas can infuse all day long without turning bitter or astringent since they don't contain Camellia sinensis leaves, which, when oversteeped,can sometimes leave you with that dry and puckery feeling in your mouth.

Don’t forget to give it a little stir.
Make sure all of the leaves in your Steeper are either submerged or at least wet (we don’t want any dry floating tea leaves on the top). This will ensure that each tea leaf has enough heat to help extract it’s amazing flavours, so you get a great tasting cup, every time.

Step 4: Dispense tea over ice

Fill your favourite 16 oz mug with ice, rest the Steeper right on top and watch as your infused tea pours out like magic through the easy-release valve. The filter will strain your tea directly into your ice-filled cup while keeping the tea leaves in the infuser. And when you’re done, the valve closes automatically.