Once you learn how easy it is to make the 0 SmartPoints iced tea of your dreams you’ll have a pitcher handy at all times this summer. If you struggle to get enough water throughout the day these iced teas will help to keep you hydrated and are so delicious you’ll find yourself drinking them without the need for a reminder (a total plus during the hot days of summer!).
Choosing the right tea for your iced tea
You can use either bagged or loose tea when making iced tea, the most important factor is that the tea is fresh (so don’t use the box of tea that’s been sitting in the back of your pantry for the last 2 years, throw it out!). Use black, green or white tea if you prefer a caffeinated iced tea and herbal or fruit teas if you’d like a beverage you can sip on anytime of day. Herbal teas that work well for iced tea include mint, raspberry leaf, lemon verbena, chamomile, and ginger. Fruit teas (or tisanes, as they’re technically called) such as peach, raspberry, pomegranate, and apple all work well and have a natural sweetness to them without having to add any extra sweetener.
Naturally sweetening iced tea
If you normally don’t take any sugar in your tea or have grown used to sugar-free iced you won’t need to add any natural sweetener to your homemade iced tea. If you like a touch of sweetness in your iced tea or you’re serving the iced tea to a crowd you can easily make a honey-based simple syrup at home. To make honey simple syrup, stir together ½ cup of honey and ½ cup of water in a small saucepan. Gently heat until simmering and allow the honey to completely dissolve before removing from the heat. Let the simple syrup come to room temperature before storing in the fridge for up to 1 month. To use, mix 1 liquid ounce per pitcher (750 ml) of iced tea.
How to make 0 SmartPoints iced tea
There are two easy ways to make iced tea: The cold brew method and the concentrate method (the faster of the two techniques). To make iced tea using the cold brew method simply add 3-4 teabags (or the equivalent in loose tea) to a large pitchers and cover with cold water. Let steep in the fridge for 12-24 hours before removing the tea bags and serving. To make iced tea using the concentrate method, add 4 teabags (or the equivalent in loose tea) to a teapot (which can be any size) and fill with boiling water. Let steep for 1 hour before carefully pouring the water into a pitcher that contains at least 2 cups of cold water (in order to prevent damaging the pitcher with residual hot water). Top the pitcher with cold water and serve the tea over ice.
Fun iced tea add-ins
For a non-alcoholic riff on sangria add freshly sliced fruit or whole berries to a pitcher of iced tea and let steep overnight. Frozen fruit can also be used to completely replace ice cubes or it can be frozen inside regular water-based ice cubes. Fresh herbs such as mint, basil and lemon verbena can also be added with great success, experiment with different tea and fresh herb combinations to find your favourite pairing.