Last Thursday, Jonathan and I made three different kinds of iced tea! The first one I made used four bags of orange pekoe tea and four cups boiling water. I allowed the tea to steep for five minutes, chilled it and added ice, frozen cranberries and fresh mint leaves.
This regular steeping method left it tasting a bit bitter, so Jonathan did a quick search of the internet and found the sun-brewed method. This method was a great deal better. There was no bitter taste at the end. We also sweetened this round with agave nectar instead of sugar. We made a special trip to Longo’s to find it. It gave a subtle sweet flavour without being overpowering. As an added bonus the agave nectar was fair trade and organic.
The only other ingredient for this recipe is a nice sunny day! It was great to sit outside and enjoy such a wonderful summer day with the family out on the patio. I will definitely make this iced tea again. It was far more satisfying than other name brand iced teas. The agave nectar was a nice alternative to refined sugars. I used organic lemon slices, which made the iced tea flavour over the top and delicious.
Instructions:
1. Add 4 tea bags to 4 cups of cold water into a glass mason jar with a lid. This can be green tea or black tea or both (like we did).
2. Close the jars, and let sit in a sunny area outside for two hours.
3. Add agave syrup to taste.
4. Add ice and lemon slices.
5. Enjoy!
Leslie the Foodie 