Did you know that 61% of Australian hot black tea drinkers also enjoy an iced version during the Summer months?
As we contemplate the last weeks of Summer, there’s still time to turn your favourite brew into a cooling and refreshing drink – we have the top tips from Yorkshire Tea’s leading expert and senior buyer, Suzy Garraghan, on how to make the perfect iced tea.
"On a hot Summer’s day, there’s nothing like a refreshing jug of iced tea to cool you down,” Suzy says. "Whether you’re by the pool, at the beach or on a picnic, these are my top tips to make a deliciously sweet, iced tea.”
•Fresh is best – the most important thing to remember when brewing any tea is to use freshly boiled water from a freshly drawn tap.
•You can’t make good quality iced tea without good quality tea bags, such as Yorkshire Tea, which is blended from teas grown across Eastern Africa and India to create a refreshing black tea with a sweet, malty character.
•Brew stronger, but not for longer. An iced-tea rule of thumb is to use twice as many tea bags as you normally would when making hot tea. While the amount of tea doubles, the brew time remains the time.
•If you’re going to add a sweetener, add it when the water is hot as soon as the tea has finished brewing. You could try sugar, honey or lemon – or a combo of all three!
•No time for cooling – it is a common misconception you have to chill iced tea before you serve it. You don’t! If you fill half a jug with ice and then pour the tea in, it will automatically cool down, so it is ready to serve straight away.
•Something different? Why not make an iced tea latte? Fill half your jug with tea and the remaining half with your milk of choice for a mouth-watering latte.
•Get creative – if you are not a fan of milk, experiment with fruit and herbs to create unique flavour combinations. Think oranges, strawberries, a sprig of thyme, watermelon, cucumber and basil leaves.
•Be careful with storage – a glass container is the best way to store your iced tea. Plastics absorb and release flavours and metal will give the drink a metallic taste.
Let’s get this part-tea started…remember a brew will see you through!
