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After having recommended our favorite refreshing teas for the summer, we are taking another look at this drink that we normally associate with winter, but which can also be perfect for those hotter days.
Some people continue to drink hot tea even in the summer months, as is the tradition in the desert countries, and then there are those who prefer to drink their tea tepid or cold.
We would like to give you a few suggestions on how to make iced tea starting from your favorite blends.
How to make iced tea
There are different ways of preparing iced tea: there is cold infusion, hot infusion where the drink is then left to cool, the Kōridashi typical of the Japanese culture and a specific technique for flavoring black tea with lemon or peach.
The important thing to remember is that fruit tea and infusions should never be prepared using cold infusion and that cold tea prepared at home should be consumed within the same day, if possible following the instructions of the producer.
Hot infusion
So, let’s start with the simplest and most commonly used technique, that of hot infusion.
The method for preparing iced tea is identical to that used for preparing the hot version: you heat the required amount of water on the stove and once it reaches the right temperature, you place the chosen tea in the water to infuse and, when the necessary time has passed, you pour the liquid directly into a caraffe.
Here you can leave the drink to cool naturally, drink it tepid, or speed up the cooling process by adding water from the fridge or ice cubes according to preference.
Generally, cold tea prepared at home is not sweetened with sugar; that said, if you really can’t drink it without, add one or two spoonfuls of sugar to the tea before pouring it into the caraffe, stirring well to dissolve.
Cold infusion
The cold infusion method is suitable for herbal teas and infusions.
The method is basically very simple: you pour water, at room temperature, into a bottle with a lid and one or two doses of the infusion.
Once you have closed it, the bottle should be left in the fridge for at least six hours, during which the water will become flavored according to the infusion you have chosen. Before serving the drink, we recommend filtering it and pouring the tea into a caraffe.
Cold infusion is often used for preparing ginger based drinks, or also with mint or even cucumber, which are very thirst-quenching and perfect for the hottest season.
Preparing cold peach or lemon flavored tea
To prepare lemon or peach tea, first you must heat the water and, when it reaches the correct temperature, add the tea to infuse for the time indicated, adding some lemon peel or a couple of slices of peach and, if you want, some sugar.
Once the infusion time indicted by the producer has passed, filter the tea and transfer to a caraffe and leave to cool in the fridge, or cool by adding ice.
If you choose this second option, be careful with the proportions: too much ice will dilute the cold tea too much.
In this case it is better to prepare a more concentrated hot drink and then leave the ice to melt in it gradually.
Kōridashi: the japanese technique
The tradition of tea is an important part of Japanese culture, so it comes as no surprise that this population has even introduced a particular way of preparing it in its cold version.
In this case, you need a kyusu, or rather a Japanese teapot in which you need to place the green tea leaves and the ice, then leave until the ice melts completely.
At this point the tea is ready to be enjoyed. Our advice is to try this technique with quality Japanese teas such as the precious Gyokuro, a highly refined green tea known also as “Jade dew”.
It has a unique and unmistakable flavor, both hot and cold: it has a herbal note to it and sweet overtones.
Which of these techniques do you prefer?
Try them out and let us know which one suits you best!