Iced Tea

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Skookum

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Dec 19, 2018
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I enjoy Iced Tea as of late. A long time ago, someone bought me an iced tea -maker. I've used it over the years, but, sadly, it's done! How are you all brewing or making your iced tea on the road? Any good suggestions for a new iced tea brewing machine?
 
I have a dedicated tea pot that I fill with water and heat on the stove. When it starts to boil, I take if off stove and toss in a few tea bags, and let it steep for a while. I use a lot of plastic water bottles, so I just fill those halfway with the strong, mostly cooled tea and have 4-5 bottles of tea to put in refrigerator. I add sugar to some and not to others. Add ice when ready to drink.

The reason for the dedicated tea pot is that it is hard to get all the tea smells out of the tea pot, so I just use this cheap one over and over. Easy to wash out and store, does not need an electric outlet.
 
My least favorite is "ice tea" bags, they're bland and taste like cardboard. ~1Q saucepan, boil water, turn off heat and toss in 4-6 teabags of various types - sometimes a mix of black and herbal. Just one earl grey, chai, berry, mint or lemon tea in the group adds a unique subtle flavor or just all of one kind like english breakfast or constant comment. Let steep until cool, pour into an empty plastic beverage container like an orange juice jug and top off with cold water. I usually add sugar to the jug, so can just dump & go into an insulated mug with some ice.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
We have a kettle, place 3 family size tea bags in a 1/2 gallon pitcher w/ sugar ( we use 2/3 cup Truvia Cane Sugar Blend), pour hot water over this and let it steep. Remove the tea bags and add cold water while stirring. Back growing up in what is technically N. Florida but is really just S. Alabama, they put so much sugar in the tea it was like drinking tea flavored syrup.
 
Tea is a hard pass for me. I re-visit once in awhile but just can't say I like it. I can drink raspberry ice tea but that's not the same.
 
I believe the one we use is a Mr. Coffee unit and we use it a lot. Once you have iced tea using one of these units or a tea kettle with tea bags the powdered stuff does not cut it anymore.
 
Our friends gave us a Mason jar cold brew tea maker. I like to use green tea. I might a small amount of honey for some sweetness.
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We used to do sun tea at the house. Nowadays, since it's just me, I buy Arizona brand premade tea in either Raspberry flavor or the Arnold Palmer flavor (1/2 lemonade, 1/2 tea).
 
Lived in NC for 14 years and acquired a taste for it, have tried to make it myself to no avail. I did find some in Wally, brand name Milo's that was quite good.
 
Our friends gave us a Mason jar cold brew tea maker. I like to use green tea. I might a small amount of honey for some sweetness.
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My husband used one of these for years until he just kind of fell out of the habit of drinking it. He preferred 4-5 bags of Peach Ginger tea of some brand I can’t remember. They were the ones with round tea bags and no strings. It did make a fabulous iced tea. He sometimes experimented with using a fruit tea along with some black teas.
 
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This year I have pretty much de-soda'd and I am lazy so I drink a lot of the Crystalite stuff - Peach/mango green tea, peach tea, raspberry tea. Of course no tea, just chemicals - LOL...

I do keep tea bags on hand for the odd brew up. The problem with that is they go stale. I might have to experiment making real iced tea. I like Judy's method.
 
My daughter uses Luzianne brand "Cold Brew" tea bags. There's a gallon of sweet iced tea in the refrigerator right now. We think Luzianne makes the best tea for iced tea.

I use Great Value brand Raspberry Tea Drink Enhancer and Great Value Peach Tea Drink Enhancer. These are liquids that you add to water. I make up tea in a 44 OZ thermal cup filled with ice and water. Usually 4 or more glasses per day. I keep a bottle in my purse for tea-on-the-go. All I need is a bottle of cold water and the drink enhancer.

It's hitting over 100F. That's too hot to mess with heating water. For hot tea, we use a wide range of teas. Currently there are at least 14 various "hot" teas in the pantry. That's not counting the Earl Grey tea which we use as a tincture for sunburns (although my daughter drinks the nasty stuff as well).
 
Lived in NC for 14 years and acquired a taste for it, have tried to make it myself to no avail. I did find some in Wally, brand name Milo's that was quite good.
Milo's tastes like they use Luzianne tea for their premade tea. It's one of the few bottled teas we drink. The brand makes a big difference. Most folks who make a good iced tea use Luzianne. It's a milder tea and not bitter. Lipton's makes the worst tea for iced tea. If you start with a sucky tea leaf, then you end up with a sucky ice tea. I'm a Southerner and iced tea is a big deal to me, just like barbecue and good biscuits.
 
I do keep tea bags on hand for the odd brew up. The problem with that is they go stale.
You might want to try keeping your teabags in a sealed glass jar and put the jar in your freezer. The alternative is make more tea or replace your teabags. Try Luzianne brand of tea. Their tea is blended for making iced tea. The water makes a big difference. The water we had in NC mountains made really good tea. It was nice when we went back to actually drink water again from the tap for a change. My Mom has a good well on her place. Currently I use RO water for all drinking or cooking. The water in NM tastes nasty at best and is loaded with arsenic at worst. It makes a nasty tea.
 
You might want to try keeping your teabags in a sealed glass jar and put the jar in your freezer. The alternative is make more tea or replace your teabags.
I do store the bags in gasketed mason jars but even a small qty of bags lasts me years. I also recently tossed all my old tea and have a couple of different new ones.

I think the key is as you said, Make more tea so the stock rotates.

Because I have de-soda-d I have 4 X 2 quarts jugs with different flavors of crystalite. I do like flavored teas so I may start making tea and using those flavor juices.
 
Awesome information, all....thanks for sharing. I may try the boil method, as it's kind of silly to keep a separate appliance just for making iced tea.

I'm also on an anti-soda kick! Iced Tea is my consolation prize for something flavored and cold, although it's better than soda in so many ways.
 
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