Home-made ice tea – various ways of preparation

The most popular method to prepare home-made Ice Tea is to brew it traditionally and cool it down in the fridge or by adding ice cubes. This beverage tastes great with various additions, such as fresh mint leaves, honey, raspberry, orange or lemon juice, or pieces of fruit such as strawberries or pineapple.

Another idea to consider is preparing a strong infusion, a tea essence, and dilute it as needed with cold water or ice. The essence may also be frozen in an ice tray to form tea cubes which are perfect as an addition to beverages with juice, mint or water. Experimenting with various types of classic teas, fruit or herbal teas will produce cubes with various colours and aromas.

It is worth remembering the rules for brewing tea: the time of brewing determines whether the infusion is stimulating or relaxing. Long storage of the infusion should be avoided, with the obvious exclusion of ice tea cubes which may stay frozen longer.

An interesting technique is used by the Japanese: they put twice the amount of the high-quality green tea they would normally use into a teapot and then add ice cubes. The beverage is then covered and they wait for the ice to slowly melt. Those who lack patience may sip the tea even during this process. This way of “brewing” tea allows a delicate and mild infusion to be obtained which has a unique flavour. In order to speed up the process, the ice may be earlier crushed.

As it is already known, green tea may be brewed repeatedly. An interesting effect can be achieved if, after the traditional brewing, cold water is poured over the remaining leaves and left in a container for a couple of hours in a cool shaded place. After this, a delicate cool beverage with a calming effect is obtained. As the tea is consumed, water can be gradually added to get subsequent “infusions.”

The easiest way is to place the dried tea in a teapot and pour cold water over it. After a couple of hours a refreshing tea with a mild flavour that is less bitter, has lower caffeine and tannin content than traditional infusions is obtained. With this method, one may prepare virtually all kinds of teas: classic, herbal or fruit tea. Delicate teas, like white or green tea, should be soaked for about 4 hours. Black or fermented teas (or herbal teas) even up to 10 hours. The dried tea to water ratio should be at least the same as for hot brewing. In order to obtain a more intense taste, twice the amount should be used.

Finally, some important tips:

– Home-made Ice Tea contains the same nutrients as the hot-brewed tea: theanine, anti-oxidants and tannins.

– Strong tea is not suitable for children, adults should also consume it with moderation.

– For children it is best to serve a weak infusion that is diluted with water.

– The best choice for children would be cold fruit teas, e.g. apple, strawberry, rhubarb or raspberry tea.

– The infusion should be consumed as quickly as possible after preparation: storing it for a long time is not recommended.