The Cultured Cup's Recipe for ½ Gallon of Iced Tea
Low-Tannin, Low-Caffeine Iced Tea Method
Iced Tea Tips
Iced Tea Facts

The Cultured Cup's Recipe for Making ½ Gallon of Iced Tea

1. Use bottled spring water or filtered tap water.
2. Bring 2 quarts (1/2 gallon) of water to a boil in a non-aluminum stockpot.
3. Turn the burner of the stove off.
4. Add 5 tablespoons of loose tea or 15 teabags to the stockpot.
5. If you are using loose tea, stir the tea with a spoon. If you are using teabags, do not stir.
6. Cover the pot.
7. If you are using loose tea, steep the tea for 3-5 minutes. If you are using teabags, steep no longer than 2-3 minutes.
8. Using a finely meshed large strainer, carefully strain the tea into a pitcher or another stockpot.
9. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator. Note: This prevents the tea from becoming cloudy.
10. Pour tea over ice in a tall glass.  

Low-Tannin, Low-Caffeine Iced Tea Method
Cold-Brewed Iced Tea

1. Add 5 tablespoons of loose tea to 1 gallon (4 quarts) of cold water.
2. Place overnight in refrigerator.
3. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain into a clean pitcher.
4. Serve over ice.

Iced Tea Tips

1. Don't put hot tea in a cold refrigerator - this produces cloudy tea. Allow hot tea to come to room temperature before cooling the tea.
2. When serving iced tea, offer super-fine sugar instead of regular granulated sugar. Super-fine sugar dissolves easily.
3. To clear up the cloudiness of iced tea, try adding a small amount of boiling water.
4. When using loose tea for making iced tea, steep the tea between 3 to 5 minutes.
5. When using teabags for making iced tea, steep the tea no longer than 2 minutes. In most tea bags, the tea is finely powdered and steeping the tea over 2 minutes will produce too much tannin (bitterness).
6. When making iced tea, use twice as much tea as you would for making hot tea. The cold temperature dampens the flavor of the tea.
7. To reduce the amount of caffeine in your iced tea by half, use either the solar or cold-brewed tea method.
8. Instead of using sliced lemons for an iced tea garnish, use sliced orange, pineapple, or a whole bing cherry with the stem.
9. Since iced tea consists mostly of water, use filtered or spring water. Also, if your water is too hard, this can cause cloudy iced tea. Good water brews good tea!
10. Iced tea lasts up to 3 days in your refrigerator.
11. If you need to use a non-sugar substitute in your iced tea, try Splenda . It easily dissolves and has a natural taste.
12. If you want to increase the amount of anti-oxidants in your diet, drink iced green or iced white tea. Green tea is high in anti-oxidants and white tea contains more anti-oxidants than any other tea beverage.
13. Health reports indicate that drinking iced tea is just as healthy as drinking hot tea.
14. To reduce the bitterness (tannins) in iced tea, add a pinch of baking soda to a pitcher of iced tea.

Iced Tea Facts

• Did you know that iced tea was invented in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair?
• 80% of the tea consumed in the U.S. is iced.
• Tea is the second most consumed beverage on the planet - the first is water.
• Around the world, 500 billion cups of tea are consumed in a year.
• In the South, one says "ice tea" instead of "iced tea."
• Loose black tea, if stored properly, lasts over 2 years. Green tea lasts about 1 year.
• Green tea is high in anti-oxidants, but white tea from China contains the highest levels of anti-oxidants in any tea beverage.