No recipe....put 4 cup measure of water in a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup, into the microwave, zap until it boils....about 3 minutes for mine, add 4 tea bags...I like lousianne...but liptons works or generic or whatever....let it sit about 5 minutes....and pour over a glass full of ice.
For large amounts...I Boil a quart of water....add about 8 teabags....let it steep for about an hour and then dilute to the strength I like and pour over ice.
Restaurant tea is often stale and "skunky"...or perhaps made from instant tea....
Maybe you just don't like iced tea?
Linda C

Could it be your water? You might want to try bottled water to see if that makes a difference.

Nancy

I agree with Linda about stale and ''skunky'' tea!

What is it exactly that doesn't work for you about your ice tea?

I have problems with acid when drinking coffee and tea. The way to smooth that out is to cold brew it. Try putting your tea bags in cold water and letting it steep overnight in the fridge. The tannins aren't released in cold water the way they are when brewing it in hot, which results in a smoother, less bitter taste. You might just prefer a different brewing method.

Another thing I love to do is add a stem of lemon verbena when making tea. It adds another delicious layer of flavor that's very refreshing to me.

Nancy could also be right! Purified water is the only way to go.

I like using the cold-brew tea bags. Have used Lipton in the past but found Twinnings English Breakfast Cold-Brew tea bags and use them now. I always add either fresh lemon slices or lemon verbena and spearmint from the garden. I sometimes mix it up with a different mint like the orange mint that is taking over one corner of my garden!
The tea doesn't turn cloudy in the fridge and is usually gone long before it can get that old taste. What helps too is that I live in town and our water is great.
Kat

I've started using Liptons cold brew bags...I don't like iced tea much..but hubby loves his "sweet tea"...and he commented on how good it was the first time I used them.

Even though I've cut his sugar content down in it too..LOL

If I'm doing the "pre boil" method like Linda describes I use filtered water for that..and then fill the pitcher with tap water after that.

I do it just like Lindac, but it only turns out right for me with filtered (or I presume bottled) water. Tap water makes cloudy and skunky iced tea for me.

Filtered water makes clear, fresh tasting iced tea. As a former southerner, I darn well know what it should taste like.

I use the microwave method that Cooks Illustrated did as one of the tests....

Put the teabags into cold water. Microwave til bubbles begin to form along the sides of the container. (NOT to a boil). Let steep for 3 minutes (they were real fussy about only 3 min. and then let cool.

I usually do a big 6 cup full with about 3-4 family sized bags. The time varies depending on how much water I use and how cold my tap is. But it's usually around 7-8 minutes for me. With my old microwave, an 8 cup batch could take up to 12 minutes though.

Grace

My go-to summer iced tea (same method as Linda) is 'Moroccan' - green tea and mint. Two bags of each, from Trader Joes.

I was told to never squeeze the teabags, because it releases a bad flavor -- tannin? I'm not sure if that's true, but I never do it.

Hmm...I always squeeze the bags....and I don;t like the cold brew stuff...
Perhaps it's a bit of the tannin that makes the tea good for me.

I like Luzianne best and I never squeeze the tea bags. I also -usaully - don't boil the water, just get it real hot.

boil a qt. of water in the microwave,
remove and toss in 10-12 green tea bags which makes about 3 qts.
let sit for awhile
add sugar or Splenda to a gallon jug and some water
shake jug to mix
add tea water
add more water to taste
you get a smoother tasting tea when you add tea water to water that's been sweetened first

I like to make my iced tea with a couple of family sized tea bags and a couple of jasmine tea bags. It really makes a nice tasting tea.

Stacie

If you don't mind the troubles, you may want to consider the following:

1. Get one of this tea strainers:
http://www.megamilliontraffic.com/teasite/PICT0124.jpg

2. Go to a Chinese store and buy tea leaves. There are hundreds of flavors to pick from.

3. Use filtered water if you don't have good tap water in your area. Infuse tea leaves in hot water before water boils. Do not use boiling water.

The Chinese invented tea drinking. They know what they are doing. To make great iced tea, you have to start with great tea.

dcarch

Tea, water, sweetener. Any combination of things can make tea taste other then what you want. It may or may not be "bad".

I like black tea but don't care for Orange Pekoe much. Sometimes I can go for a cup of OP... it is not bad. Ceylon is so much better in my book. I'm also a fan of Assam but mostly prefer that warm. Green is a favorite and White tea good when I need it to hydrate. Sometimes I mix them... a bag of green and a bag of Assam.

As for water that certainly has much to do. I like my tap water. Some wells around here are salty and others have high sulfer concentrations. Mine happens to run fairly soft and is mild tasting. My well water does have a taste distinct to any other water I've tasted. City water is almost certain to have clorine... I think letting it sit overnight gets the clorine out.

I'm a fan of honey in my tea. It seems to blend so well with the tea flavor to me. If no honey I will drink it without sweetener or sometimes white sugar. Sipping tea I like very sweet and hydration tea I like just a faint touch of sweet.

Anyways... lots to play with.

I make iced tea for work on a regular basis. As of late that has been ceylon black tea with honey. Last year it was almost always a bag of green and a bag of black. Two tea bags into a coffee cup and nuke it on the "hot drink" setting of my microwave. Pretty hot but I don't think it boils it... almost. I let it sit a few minutes... about 5. I pick out the tea bags... no squeeze or just enough so they don't drip. Funnel it into a quart bottle and fill with cold water. My half gallon jug of honey has a squirt top and I just give it "some". Shake until the honey is dissolved and into the fridge until cold. I'm very exact about this.

I work in a hot factory and a quart of iced tea only lasts a couple hours. Because I drink for the fluids I keep my tea fairly weak with very mild sweetness. Not unusual this time of year to drink 3 quarts of tea, gatoraid, and water in an 8 hour shift. For home I make my tea stronger and sweeter as it is a drink to sip on.

I really don't think there's any special way to make tea. I've always used one large family sized tea bag to make an entire gallon of tea. Tastes fine to me and my husband. I boil the pot of water, put in tea bag and let it sit covered off the burner for a long time probably an hour or more. Just basically forget about it until I felt like making the tea. Used 5 sweet n low packets to a gallon. Then use sliced lemons in my glass. Don't serve until it's cold pouring over ice. I've always squeezed my tea bags.

I think maybe you just don't like tea. That's what it sounds like to me. I hate unsweetened tea and sweet tea without lemon. I only like a sweet tea with lemon.

My family and friends always say I make the best tea. When my DM and DB would come to my house they always wanted a glass of my iced tea. One of my secrets is to never used Lipton tea. When I had to use Lipton it was awful. I've used tap water and bottled water and it makes no difference. I've boiled the water and not boiled the water and it made no difference. It's stronger if I boil the water so that's what I do. Then I let it sit for quiet a while, just not until it's cold. The second secret is to sweeten it while it is still hot/warm.

I put the sugar right in the boiling or simmering water, it desolves better.

I've made iced tea many ways. I think the best was to steep it in a strainer.

The easiest way is to wait for my daughter to come up and

bring some " Crystal Light " small containers of Peach Tea.

Otherwise I drink Root Beer soda or Float.
Lou

Put 3 family size ice tea blend (not cold brew), I use Lipton or Luziann decaf tea bags in a pitcher, cover with very hot (not boiling) water; let steep 5 minutes. Remove bags and add cold water to make 2 quarts.

People love mine ...I hate tea by the way.I use powder...yep Lipton then add sliced lemons and limes.Thats it,I had people ask for my recipe..

I use Fancy Keemun tea leaves and put them in a strainer, and I use hot (almost boiling) water, and steep for three minutes. I go to a special coffee & tea shop for the leaves and buy enough to last for a few months. You can probably order Fancy Keemun on line.

At work, all we have is Lipton tea bags, and I drink half a cup of hot tea in the morning and then add ice and a bit more Splenda in the afternoon. I think iced tea needs to be sweeter than hot tea.

Lars

Am I the only one to put milk in iced tea once in a while?

dcarch

I just put teabags or loose tea into a gallon jug of cold filtered water (our refrigerator has a filter for water) put it into the sun for the day, and it makes tea that people love. I think sun tea doesn't get bitter. I add lemon peel when its ready to serve. If people want to--they add sweetner. California isn't sweetened tea country for the most part altho McDonald's is pushing it.

See? There are as many ways to make iced tea as there are people who like to drink it. FWIW, here is my take on making iced tea:

~ let water come just to the boil, do not let it keep boiling away, tea needs some oxygen in the water to have a good flavor

~ pour over family sized tea bags, Lipton or Luzianne are favorites around here

~ steep the tea bags for no more than 5 minutes, lift them out and discard w/o squeezing them

~ add pure cane sugar to taste to the hot tea, but not too much; really sweet tea is not refreshing; stir continuously until all the sugar has melted

~ add cold water to bring the tea to the strength that you prefer; remember, you will be pouring the tea (after it has cooled to room temp) over ice which will dilute it somewhat

~ serve over lots of ice with lemon wedges and mint if you have it.

Teresa

I wonder if pink warm mama is overwhelmed by how many ways there are to make tea!

When we were a farm family, my husband and I could go through a gallon of tea a day. My mom in law taught me the 'correct' method for making good iced tea when I was a newlywed. ;0)

Boil water in a small pan. Remove from heat, pour in about a quarter cup of loose tea leaves (these days I use a couple of family sized tea bags) Allow to steep for 5-10 minutes. Longer seems to make the tea bitter.

Pour the tea water through a strainer into a gallon jar 3/4 full of water. Rinse the tea leaves and pour that water into the jar as well. Add water to make a full gallon. Add sugar to taste. Serve over ice.

I also love sun tea. Two family sized tea bags, a gallon jar of water, and three hours in the sun. Sweeten to taste and refridgerate.

OK I cheat once in a while and buy "Sweet Leaf" brand. Made with cane sugar, not HFCS.

Woman: "Doctor, I don't know what to do. Every time my husband comes home drunk he beats me to a pulp.

Doctor: "I have a real good medicine for that. When your husband comes home drunk, just take a glass of sweet tea and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish but don't swallow until he goes to bed and is asleep.

Two weeks later the woman comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn.

Woman: "Doctor that was a brilliant idea! Every time my husband came home drunk, I swished with sweet tea. I swished and swished, and he didn't touch me!"

Doctor: "You see how much keeping your mouth shut helps?"

LOL! Brilliant!
I wondered why this thread was suddenly re surfacing!

Oh, I know it's supposed to be funny but that joke just seems misogynistic to me. Sorry, Cathy. :(

Im not a tea person hot or cold,but my family is, I just used the lipton dry mix added lemon and lime slices,I used bottled water. quite a few people asked me for my recipe ooops...

There is nothing even remotely funny about that stupid joke! UGH!

It's a joke.
Thanks for the laugh Cathy.

Ann

just seems misogynistic to me. A guy I dated in HS just emailed it to me. I guess that's one of the reasons I didn't go forward with the relationship.

I just thought the guys who get bashed occasionally would appreciate it.