There is nothing quite like a refreshing cup of iced tea on a hot summer day. In fact, it is so perfect and refreshing that iced tea takes up 84 percent of all tea consumption in the United States. But, not all iced tea is created equal. There are many different ways to make this delicious tea drink and each way results in a little different flavor profile. The three most popular ways to make iced tea are:

1. Over ice
2. Cold brewing
3. Sun tea

Over Ice

The most common way that people know how to make iced is to brew it using the traditional hot water method to brew your tea and then pour it over ice. This is an excellent method if you get a sudden urge for some iced tea as it can be ready in a few minutes. One of the downsides of this method is that when you pour your hot tea over ice, it instantly waters down your tea. To combat this, we recommend using twice the amount of tea you would typically use when brewing a cup. That way, when brewing, you create more of a tea concentrate that will keep its delicious flavor even with a little watering down. Matcha is a great tea to use when making iced tea using this method as it is already a very strong tea. Another way to combat the inevitable watering down of this method is to use frozen fruit. I personally love making Forzare!, which is a delicious tea full of wonderful fruit flavor, and playing up one of the flavors by using frozen fruit chunks, like frozen raspberries, in place of ice cubes. It’s a Psych Thing is also a great option that you can substitute frozen pineapple pieces in place of ice.

Cold Brew

These days, cold brew is a really popular method of brewing coffee, but did you know that you can cold brew tea? Actually, cold brewing tea offers different benefits than traditional hot water brewing. Very similar to coffee, when you cold brew tea you get less of the bitter notes and the tea ends up having a sweeter, fruitier profile. Additionally, cold-brewed tea can have less caffeine and less acid. Cold brewing tea takes minimal effort and can yield a lot of tea. To make cold brew tea you are going to need a large, glass container–I like using a 64 oz mason jar–any tea of your choosing (my favorite to cold brew is South Side Blossom), and filtered water. Similar to over-ice tea, you will need a little more tea than normal brewing. For example, if an 8 oz cup of tea calls for 1 tsp of tea, you will want to use 1.5 tsp of tea. For regular tea bags, I usually double the amount I would normally use. Now, there are a few different ways to add your tea. First, you can just toss the tea in the jar and strain it after it is done brewing. Another option is to put the tea into disposable filter bags. Happy Turtle Tea also has a mason jar infuser that works with all regular size lids that is a great option for cold brewing. Once you have chosen your steeping method, add in your filtered water and pop it into the fridge. Ideally, you want it to steep for 8-12 hours. I make it at night before I go to bed and when I wake up I have delicious cold-brew tea to start my day.

Sun Tea

Brewing tea in the sun is a long-standing southern tradition and it is personally my favorite way to make iced tea in the summer. Much like cold brewing, sun tea takes very little prep work to get a lot of tea. Though, recently there have been concerns raised about the safety of sun tea. While it is true that there is a risk of bacteria growing while sun tea is brewing, there are also measures that can be taken to make it safer. The first thing to do to ensure that you have good sun tea is to use filtered water. Using filtered water is important in all tea brewing to guarantee that you are getting the best flavor out of the tea, it is especially important to have filtered water for sun tea. This alone reduces the risk of bacteria. Secondly, it is recommended to only use straight black tea when making sun tea because the caffeine levels help prevent bacterial growth. But, just because you have to use black tea, doesn’t mean you can’t add things like citrus or a simple syrup after it is brewed. I like to make a simple syrup using Happy Turtle Tea flavored sugars and add it to my sun tea. Lastly, if you are concerned about bacteria in your sun tea, after brewing it you can bring it to a quick boil to kill anything off. Personally, I have been making sun tea for years and have never had any issues. To make sun tea, I take the same 64 oz mason jar used for cold brewing and make sure it is thoroughly cleaned. Then I fill it with filtered water and use either 6 tea bags or 6 to 8 teaspoons of loose-leaf black tea, seal the jar, and set it outside for 8+ hours. Finally, take out the tea bags or strain the loose leaf tea, add any flavor you want, and refrigerate or add ice to chill. To flavor, I will either add fruit, like lemons, or one of the flavored Happy Turtle Tea sugars. I find the way to get the best flavor is to make the sugar into a simple syrup by simmering equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved and then adding that to the sun tea.

Make Some Great Iced Tea

While there is no right or wrong way to make iced tea, there are ways to make your iced tea great. Whether you are brewing it normally and putting it over ice, cold brewing it in the fridge, or setting it out on a hot summer day to steep, iced tea is one of the best ways to enjoy the tea you love when it is too warm outside for a hot beverage. What is your favorite way to make and enjoy iced tea?