Why loose tea?
We prefer to make our own iced tea and of course preferably from loose tea. Loose tea consists of whole tea leaves. These tea leaves fully unfold when they come into contact with water, releasing essential oils and aromas. This provides an intense smell and taste and makes loose tea perfect for a tasty homemade iced tea that can be on the table in no time. Another advantage, because loose tea consists of whole tea leaves, it is ideal for multiple use.
Different ways.
There are several ways to make your iced tea. Below I will explain the different ways so that you can quickly get started making your favorite iced tea yourself.
Shock Brew
This is a quick way to make iced tea. You simply brew the tea with hot water but let it cool immediately on ice cubes. The ratio is simple: you replace half the water for ice cubes. For example: You want to make 1 liter of tea. Then you use 500 ml of water and 500 grams of ice cubes. This way quickly gives you a delicious iced tea. For the shock brew method I like to use rooibos, a fruity mix or black tea.
Why pour it on ice cubes and not just let it cool? This is especially important for white, green and black tea. Due to the shock effect of the tea due to the ice cubes, the bitters (tannins) of, for example, green tea are not released and an iced tea made from green tea will be tastier and softer.
Necessary:
- 12-16 grams of tea of your choice
- 500 ml hot water (just off the boil)
- 500 grams of ice cubes
- 1 liter can
- A tea strainer
- Fruit to garnish
To work:
- Let the tea steep with 500ml of hot water
- Place the ice cubes in the jug together with the fruit
- Pour the hot tea over the ice cubes
- And enjoy
Sweet tooth?
Do you have a sweet tooth and want your iced tea sweeter? Then add syrup, sugar or honey to the tea while it is still steeping.
Cold Brew Method
The name actually gives it away. You are going to prepare the iced tea cold. If we translate it directly into Dutch, you get ‘cold brewed’. But is that possible, making tea with cold water? The answer may already be clear to you…. So yes! Here at the Tea Brewery it is the favorite way to make iced tea.
I would like to take you back to the basics of tea. What is tea? Tea is nothing more than a glass of water (preferably filtered or with spring water) in which the tea leaves have released their flavor. If the water is 100 degrees, the flavor will be released quickly. If the water is 50 degrees, this will happen a lot slower. With ice-cold water, the flavor is released very slowly and evenly. This allows all the flavor nuances to come into their own and there is no overpowering taste such as bitters. The other advantage is that you can use products that change with hot water, but retain their flavor with cold water.
How does it work?
- 12-16 grams of tea of your choice
- One liter of water (preferably filtered water or spring water)
- Place the tea and water in a container that can be closed and place it in the refrigerator. You can also put the tea in tea filters
- The optimal temperature is 4°C
- The tastiest cold brew is after 8 to 12 hours.
- Pour the iced tea through a sieve so that the flavor does not become too strong (or remove the tea filters).
- Et Voila! You have a healthy, cold cup of iced tea! Enjoy!
You can use different types of tea for the cold brew method, such as green tea, black tea, but also rooibos and pure fruit blends.
Hot Brew Method
Here too, the name is self-explanatory: you brew the iced tea with hot (boiling) water and let it cool. We use approximately 12 grams of loose tea for one liter of tea (hyperlink), brew the tea the same as you would brew hot tea. Let it steep for a few minutes, then remove the tea and let it cool to room temperature. Then place the jug in the refrigerator for a few hours
The disadvantage of the Hot Brew method is that the refined taste can be lost and green tea can quickly develop a bitter aftertaste.
To give your iced tea extra depth, you can add fresh fruit. Or use frozen fruit, so it also serves as an ice cube and you can enjoy really cold iced tea for longer.
How to make a sugar syrup to sweeten iced tea?
I previously shared the recipe for a basic sugar syrup here . You can of course also play with this and, for example, also cook herbs such as vanilla or cinnamon. The ratio that persists in your iced tea is approximately 1 to 10.
Need inspiration?
Among our blogs you will find the recipe for a delicious mojito ice tea , a delicious mocktail with rooibos, gingerale and orange or a refreshing lemon ginger iced tea