How to Make Simple Iced Tea
How to Make Simple Iced Tea
I told myself when I uploaded this blog a few weeks ago that today would be my first post of a food and drink pairing. Well, unfortunately, shopping took over my day and at 4:00 when I got home, I knew I wouldn't be prepared to create an entire meal in time.
However, guess who needed to make Iced Tea for the boyfriend? And who needs to practice taking photos of food? So...here's my first take on professional food photos...
I just learned how to make Iced Tea this spring...this will be my first batch. And it dawned on me today that when you search "Iced Tea" on Pinterest, there's really not a lot of options on how to make the simplest of teas. Maybe I'm too dependent on recipes to figure out how to do anything simple, but I'd like to provide a little guide for those aspiring cooks like me who don't know where to start either. And this was great practice for taking pictures for my first post :)
How to Make Simple Iced Tea
1. Find a tea suitable for making iced tea. I have a huge box of Orange Pekoe Black tea that is great. But there are many others to use, like Oolong or Earl Grey.
2. Steep 4 bags of Tea (or 3-4 tbsp of loose leaf tea, depending on how strong you want it) into 2 cups of freshly boiled water. Honestly, I always just put my 2-cup measuring cup right into the microwave and heat for two minutes. Its very easy.
3. Let the bags steep in the hot water for about 15 minutes, more if you'd like the tea to be stronger. 15-20 minutes is my ideal time. Just make sure you don't steep for two long, otherwise your tea might develop astringent (bitter, mouth-coating) flavors.
4. If you'd like to make your tea a little sweeter, this is the time to add sugar or simple syrup (you want the sugar to dissolve in the tea, and it can't do that if you add it when its already cold). I added about a cup to this batch, and the tea isn't too sweet, which my boyfriend likes.
4. Let your tea cool down to room temperature, then pour into a 2 quart pitcher and fill the rest with water.
5. Fill a glass with Ice Cubes, garnish with a lemon wedge, and enjoy!