The Iced Tea Topic

[zoe b]

how about a green tea for one of the iced teas--I think it is delicious plain, but lends itself to many added flavers, too.

I just buy it in teabags from the Asian grocer--I'm sure there are Asian suppliers that would supply in bulk in Canada.

Z

Edited June 10, 2009 by zoe b (log)

[Naftal]

I think both will be "plain" because I'm happy to add my own flavours with whatever is interesting at the market.

I'm thinking one strong-dark-smoked etc. type tea and one with no caffeine, that way people have that option.

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Hello-Regarding "strong-dark-smoked"teas: I think your best bet might be a lapsang souchong/ russian caravan type or perhaps an english breakfast tea,which is "strong and dark" but not really "smokey".At least that is my opinion.

[Richard Kilgore]

What are you all doing for iced tea this summer?

For me it's been everything from decafe no name grocery store tea bags to barley tea (mugicha) to to Korean roasted corn tea to Mariage Frères Marco Polo from The Cultured Cup to a fresh 2009 tgy from norbutea.com to Hibiscus tea.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Someone gave us a tin of 50 bags of Republic of Tea Vanilla Almond tea, which is a bit excessively flavored for my taste to make a good cup of hot tea, but its not so bad as iced tea.

[lovebenton0]

jasmine jazz (republic of tea).

marco polo.

hibiscus.

an all time favorite for many years... tx passion fruit tea.

a nice assam.

fresh mint from the garden with a bit of assam.

chamomile, light and refreshing with summer honey and lots of ice.

i do like a bit of sweet in my iced tea. straight tea, herbal, fruity, all depends on my taste at the moment and what i'm eating with it (if anything).

[jsmeeker]

Technically, it's still summer. I just used up the last of my Republic of Tea Ginger Peach Tea that I was using to make iced tea. I actually DO like certain "fruity" teas, so suggest some more to me. FWIW, I do have hibiscus (jamaica) flowers and do make a "tea" from that. It's great. Love it. Had not thought of mixing it with black tea. If iced tea + lemonade is an Arnold Palmer, what do you call black tea + hibiscus tea?

[Richard Kilgore]

Jeff, check out The Cultured Cup's flavored black teas, both their large selection of Mariage Frères teas and others they have sourced recently. I have had the Fruits Rouges and Fruits Noirs, separately and blended, and the Ying Yang Tea Blend featured in a current Tea Tasting Discussion is worth checking out.

My creation, so I am taking the liberty of dubbing the black tea + hibiscus tea the Byron Nelson.

[Shamanjoe]

So which teas did you end up choosing? I'm personally a fan of iced green tea in any restaurant, except for Panera. Their iced green tea tasted more like a sugar syrup with some macha mixed into it than anything close to a green tea. Let us know how it turned out!

[weinoo]

I realize that there are a lot of different ways to make iced tea (aren't there?). And there are certainly hundreds of different teas to use to make your iced tea...that's the beauty of it, after all.

So the other day I brewed some hot tea, using loose leaf English Earl Grey tea. I simply heated the water to almost a boil, poured it over the tea leaves in a large pyrex measuring cup (using a good tsp. of tea per cup of water + 1 for the pot), set a timer for 3 minutes, stirred it a number of times, and then decanted it into a pitcher through a cheesecloth lined strainer. I waited for it to cool all the way down before putting it in the fridge.

And you know what? It is some of the best iced tea I've ever made. Crystal clear (at least on day 2), tasty and delicious.

I've made sun tea, cold brewed my tea, brewed double-strength tea and added it to cold water, yada, yada, yada. None were/are as good as this is, in my opinion.

How do you all make your iced tea? And what are your favorite teas when doing so?

[heidih]

I posted my method here in my recent eGullet food blog.

[mbhank]

I have been using a cold brewed method lately and I find the result kind of weak. I used to use your method of boiling water and I am going to go back to it. I like the fruit blend teas for iced tea.

[natasha1270]

I like the Harney & Sons Fruity Ice Tea blends (although also I'm not opposed to some Luzianne) and follow their instructions: 2 cups boiling water to 1 tea bag, long steep (15 minutes) and then fill with 6 cups cold water. If I'm just making it for my family (we drink it sweet), I also dissolve some sugar in the concentrate before adding the cold water.

[Lisa Shock]

I really like Darjeeling iced.

[weinoo]

I like the Harney & Sons Fruity Ice Tea blends (although also I'm not opposed to some Luzianne) and follow their instructions: 2 cups boiling water to 1 tea bag, long steep (15 minutes) and then fill with 6 cups cold water. If I'm just making it for my family (we drink it sweet), I also dissolve some sugar in the concentrate before adding the cold water.

15 Minutes?! Doesn't that extract all sorts of bitter stuff. Or is it not really tea, just some fruit things?

[mkayahara]

I fell in love with iced oolong on my trip to Japan last year, but it never seems to be tasty at home. In particular, there seems to be nothing I can do to make my tea clear.

[pastameshugana]

When we were still in India and could buy it fresh and cheap: 5 teaspoons each darjeeling and assam black, steeped 5 minutes. Into 1 gallon of water with 1/2 cup sugar, 1tsp local honey and a dash of salt. It was the best I've ever had.

[weinoo]

I fell in love with iced oolong on my trip to Japan last year, but it never seems to be tasty at home. In particular, there seems to be nothing I can do to make my tea clear.

Do you let it cool all the way down before refrigerating? I find this to be possibly the most important step.

[natasha1270]

15 minutes does sound long but I haven't noticed any bitterness. Their instruction even say to squeeze the bag and I sometimes do, sometimes don't. With Luzianne, I probably steep around 10 minutes and definitely don't squeeze. Also, we aren't usually drinking it right away. Maybe while we are waiting for it to chill, any bitterness/tannins mellow out? I did see somewhere that you can add a touch of baking soda to soften any bitterness/tannins but I've never experimented with it.

[Richard Kilgore]

I'll have to try the method you and pastameshugana favor, Mitch. I have made a wide variety of black teas with various fruits in the blend (from The Cultured Cup) and liked many of them. I'll have to dig out some of the names. The past year, however, I have been using a plain black tea bag that has some citrus flavor built in, introduced to me by a friend.

[weinoo]

I'll have to try the method you and pastameshugana favor, Mitch. I have made a wide variety of black teas with various fruits in the blend (from The Cultured Cup) and liked many of them. I'll have to dig out some of the names. The past year, however, I have been using a plain black tea bag that has some citrus flavor built in, introduced to me by a friend.

Richard - by built in, do you mean added or that the taste of the tea is actually citrusy?

[GlorifiedRice]

Im very sad that the US FDA has banned my beloved Kirin Gogo No Kocha Royal Milk Tea from Japan

due to the milk...

[sparrowgrass]

I bought a small (4 cup) coffee maker for tea--I use about a third of a cup of Earl Grey and mix the hot tea about half and half with cold water as soon as it is done. It is still a little warm when I put it in the fridge, but it remains clear, never cloudy.

[Richard Kilgore]

I'll have to try the method you and pastameshugana favor, Mitch. I have made a wide variety of black teas with various fruits in the blend (from The Cultured Cup) and liked many of them. I'll have to dig out some of the names. The past year, however, I have been using a plain black tea bag that has some citrus flavor built in, introduced to me by a friend.

Richard - by built in, do you mean added or that the taste of the tea is actually citrusy?

As I recall, the box says "citrus flavor", so presumably it's added. Natural or artificial? Don't know. But it works. The citrus is way in the background. This is Tazo Shaken Black Tea that Starbucks sells by the glass, but not the bags. The bags are available on Amazon and from other sellers.

[baroness]

There was a tasting of iced tea candidates last year; if you haven't seen this thread, click here!

[heidih]

In response to the clarity issues I am posting a picture of the tea I just made. It is a cup of tap water heated in the microwave for a minute and a half. Tossed in 4 bags of Tieh Kuan Yin (a light fragrant tea) and some pineapple sage leaves. Steeped for 5 minutes. Poured into pitcher and topped off with tap water. It will not get cloudy after refrigeration. Perhaps the low temp of the steeping water is the crucial factor.

Note: I googled the name on the box of tea and it sounds much more sophisticated than what this box of 80 bags for 99 cents is, so who knows. It is light and lovely.