Iced black tea is a delicious and simple drink. Making it at home is not only convenient and affordable, but it’s also the best way to beat the summer heat. Every shop has its own recipe and ratio for iced black tea, and you can easily adjust the tea’s strength to your preference when making it at home. Here is how to make iced black tea:
Ingredients: Two commercially available 65g tea bags, preferably Assam black tea. If you’re particular about quality, you can also use Taiwanese Assam or Honey Black Tea for an even better flavor. You will also need 400g of brown sugar and 4,000g of crushed ice.
Brewing the Tea: Bring 3,000 cc of water to a boil, add two 65g tea bags (or 130g of loose-leaf tea), cover, and steep for about 10 minutes. Then, strain out the tea leaves. Separately, dissolve the brown sugar in water to make simple syrup and set aside. Finally, combine the brewed tea and the syrup.
Mixing the Tea and Crushed Ice: Pour the crushed ice into the tea. Be sure not to dump all the ice in at once; the ideal ratio for iced black tea is having about 1/3 of the crushed ice unmelted. This ensures a great texture and keeps the drink cold much longer. If it’s not sweet enough for you, you can adjust the syrup ratio next time or add fructose to taste.
Aside from the quality of the tea, the most important factor in iced black tea is the amount of crushed ice. Remember to use crushed ice rather than ice cubes, as crushed ice gives a better mouthfeel. You can also add cassia seeds or roasted barley tea for a traditional nostalgic flavor.
▲ Simple to make and delicious, iced black tea is the ultimate homemade summer refreshment.