Iced Tea
 

Hello
I remember seeing a tread about iced tea. I've looked for the tread and I can't find it . My husband say I'm an iced tea snob.So I want to make iced tea that I can use the next day without the old tea taste. Does any one have a recipe for unsweetened Iced tea? I would appreciate any help. Thanks

I've only just always boiled water, add about 6 tea bags and let steep for about 20-30 min. I do transfer to an empty water jug or such after. I've never noticed an 'old' taste to my tea. I use no sugar/sweeteners/lemon, etc. when either making or drinking so it's just plain old tea. All that said, for the last x number of years I've been purchasing commercially made unsweetened tea as DH does not like the 'strength' I make tea. He'll water that down as well.

try sun tea. put water in a big jug and add 6 tea bags, nice flavor and energy wise, no waste. no aftertaste. maybe it's the tea bags you're using. good luck.

Only iced tea I make is using my Mr. Coffee tea brewer. We have
been using the brewers since they came out, we even bought one
for the cabin.

I make a gallon of sun tea with 8 Lipton tea bags and two Good Earth tea bags. I got to figure out some way of making less. I never notice any day old taste.

I heat 2 cups of the water with the tea bags in it in the micowave for about 5 minuter then let it sit for a few minutes then add that to the rest of the gallon of water. I use kroger pitcher size bags ,put two for a gallon. That is what I drink all the time out of the frige.

Since I have the Keurig I have been using it to brew my tea. So far I have found that I like English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast best for my iced tea. This past week I found the China Mist Passion Fruit tea at Walmart and it makes wonderful iced tea too. I let the tea brew then cool. I found if I pour it over the ice when it is hot it loses the tea flavor.

I dislike sun tea, taste like old tea because it is after being left out in warm/hot for several hours. Bacteria is rampant in sun tea thus the old tea taste. I have sent many glasses of tea back at restaurants for the old taste. Many keep the tea in the maker over night. Not very smart. Fresh brewed tea has to be kept cold to keep. After room temp for several hours it's starting to turn. I use two pints of almost boiling water, add four family size tea bags, let steep for about 30 minutes, add water to make a gallon pitcher full, no sugar or sugar to taste. Put in fridge. At my house this lasts about a day and a half.

I used to make sun tea in the 80's; however, stopped when I discovered that it harbors bacteria:

The 130°F or so that the water reaches is an ideal temperature for harboring (and growing) the bacteria commonly found in tap water. Without a boiling session to kill off this bacteria, there is the chance that they will grow in the sun tea. The caffeine in black tea does inhibit bacterial growth somewhat. (Herbal tea should never be used to make sun tea.)

Tea has to kept in a glass container. IMHO if you keep it in plastic it developes an odd taste.

For me the water I use makes a difference. Some cities' tap water has minerals that taint the taste. I use bottled spring water when I want "Snobby" tea. Even if I just use the bottled water to boil & soak the bags then top it off with tap water. I saw a post one day from a restaurant employee and it said they put 1/4 tsp of baking soda in a gallon of iced tea while brewing & they said it is the best.

I am a tea snob, so welcome to the club. I use only tea that comes from England. Ahmad tea company, expensive but worth the cost. And it is available on Amazon now.

I bought a coffee pot for tea only. Not hard to do, just 1 bag per cup.

I have found that as long as I keep my tea in a covered container it does not get that old tea taste but it does in an open pitcher

Tesspug is correct that using a plastic pitcher will make the tea taste old (and even rank). Tea without sugar tastes bad quicker, tea should go into the fridge and in a glass pitcher. If you use a plastic pitcher you have to soak it in Clorox every couple of weeks. Being raised in the south means drinking sweet tea starting in your baby bottle:o We joke that tea without sugar is just colored water!

My friend was born and raised in CA - she married a man in the Navy and was sent to North Carolina. Mary had an afternoon tea at her home and one of the things she had was iced tea. Being from So Cal she was not familiar with Sweet Tea, and she heard one of the other ladies whisper, "Poor dear she forgot to add the sugar, should be tell her?" Mary had no idea what they were talking about because she never heard of making it with sugar, it was something you added to your personal taste. She did learn to make it after that day.

Another thing I would never want to make for the folks in the south is my peach pie. One of those items best to leave for the locals. :D

Pinch of baking soda in boiling water (add sugar at this point if you use it and stir, while boiling, until melted)
steep in glass jar, pouring boiling water over tea (I use a huge Mason jar.)
remove tea bags after 10 minutes or so, do not squeeze them
let cool quite a bit on the kitchen counter, then
refrigerate, covered with lid.
I drink mine into the 3rd day without noticing an off flavor. But I also use sugar AND lemon.

Jan in VA

i'd drink tea at your house anytime!

Several years ago I worked at a nursing home where the kitchen staff made iced tea by the same method as sun tea but the jar was placed in the refrigerator the night before and by noon the next day the tea was made and ice cold. It was a very pure taste. Nowadays I heat the water containing a tea bag in the microwave, fill a large cup with ice and then pour the microwaved "concentrate" over the ice. Works for the immediate consumption and for just myself.

OMG! I never thought of sun tea turning rancid while sun brewing! How many yrs have I been doing that! Well, this year a new method.....sun tea jar goes in fridge overnite with those Cold Brew tea bags and mint from my garden, and simple syrup for sweetening......it will just sit in there along with my cucumber water!

I fill a gallon pitcher with water filtered thru the fridge, add 9 teabags, and put it on the shelf in the fridge. Make it as strong as you like. 4-5 hours of steeping is right for us. We like plain tea, so sweet at all. This will keep for several days with no "old" taste.

If you are in the south all tea is served sweet unless you ask for unsweet. Most servers will ask sweet, unsweet or half and half. I grew up on sweet ice tea. 1 cup of sugar per gallon is sweet, more sugar and it it's called real sweet tea. for example McDonalds sweet tea is real sweet tea, not sweet tea.

We made sun tea years ago. With five people in the family it didn't last long. If there were bacteria in it, it sure never affected any of us.
I only have tea at restaurants, half and half about 4-5 times a year. Not much for tea.

I've been making sun tea in a plastic container for years. I take the bags out soon as I'm ready to put it in the fridge. Guess I drink it up too fast as no bad taste. The thing that I'm surprised at is I did not know about the bacteria info. Hmmmm I'll get a glass container and brew it in the fridge.

Unsweetened ice tea - what monstrosity are you speaking of?? Who would make such a horrendous beverage?? LOL, Just kidding!! Can you tell, I am originally from the South?

I only do sun iced tea. I put 1 teabag in a quart mason jar & set outside for a couple hours. I have a couple jars, so tea is always fresh. I would not make sun tea or any tea in a plastic container. They even warn about water bottles in the sun.

Iced tea sounds like it should be so simple. I tried to make the sun tea (put tea bags in a container, set outside, let it steep) but it turned out too strong. I didn't remove the tea bags right away, and I think it just brewed too long. I can get a iced tea (large) from McD's for $1...works for me.

I might your proportions next.. I love tea, hot or iced. Always like trying different flavors. I get sample from Republic of Tea (pricey) and the last one they sent was super immunity green tea. It was delicious...It has a hint of orange.

I do mine the old fashioned was as I can't stand tea made with tea bags. I bring about 6 cups of water on the verge of a rolling boil and add a generous 1/2 cup loose leaf tea. Let mixture roll over once, remove from heat, place a tight fitting lid on it and let set 1 hour. If cool enough to handle, strain through a very fine sieve, puit in glass container and store concentrate in frig. For a 10 oz glass of iced tea I put the water and ice in glass and add 2 - 3 TBLS concentrate (to taste) A full glass pitcher takes about 1/2 cup concentrate. Adjust amounts according to your taste. Concentrate keeps in fridg a week to 10 days

love ice tea, i would think if i made ice tea in a plastic container and it turned rancid, i would be dead by now, done this for many many years and im still here to talk about it, thanks for all the info

I have gone through at least 3 Mr. Coffee iced tea makers---all pictures eventually leak. I really want to use glass vs. plastic for my tea. At this point I use a 3 quart saucepan, boil it and then add 2 Lipton DECAF iced tea bags and let it steep until I can get back to it. Then add water, lemon, and however much sugar we want.
I have not had caffeine in over 30 years except for a pepsi here and there! Much better for our health!

tesspug, I agree. Tea, juice, or anything else tends to taste different in plastic. I try to steep just enough tea to last about a day and a half. I use a glass jar to steep/store.

My husband would agree with you. I always say he's drinking pancake syrup in tea flavoring. LOL

I have a pitcher in my fridge at all times! I make it cold brewed (basically sun tea) but you can make it on the counter without having to put it outside in the sun. I like to use about 3/4 green tea and 1/4 'regular' tea. My daughter gave me a box of a 'fancy Tazo' tea (ginger) and I throw one of those bags in it. The very large pitcher usually lasts three days and never gets the old tea taste that I get with hot brewed tea or full strength black tea.

I make sun-tea all the time. Long before it be came the "in" thing. I never let my tea sit out for hours. I start with 1 gallon cold water, and add 8 Lipton tea bags. Mine is always ready in about an hour after setting in the direct sun.
I remove the bags, and store in my refrigerator. It is always fresh tasting on the third day, if it lasts that long!

Marion

I made a Mason jar (half full or so) of tea, doing what is suggested. Put in the refrigerator overnight. Very tasty.

Sweet Southern Iced Tea
Makes 1 Gallon
Southerners take "sweet tea" seriously–Very seriously

4 quart-size tea bags, preferably black tea
2 cups sugar

Bring 2 quarts cold water to a boil in a pot over high heat, then add tea bags. Immediately remove pot from heat and allow tea to steep for 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine 2 quarts cold water with sugar in a 1-gallon jug. Remove tea bags from pot, pour hot tea into jug, and stir well.
(Adding the hot tea to the cold sugared water, rather than the other way around, helps keep the tea clear and preserves its flavor.) Fill the biggest glasses you can find with ice and pour tea into them.

Speaking of plastic vs glass......I have switched from milk in plastic to glass bottles...even get $$$ back when returned...it is a "local" dairy, supplying area stores. I must say, the milk seems to taste richer. It may be just my imagination. Granted it's a bit higher priced, but I feel better tasting.