Welcome back sun!
As George Harrison sang, “it feels like years since it’s been here”.
With a booming thunderstorm last Thursday night, our weather finally turned from cool and drizzly to hot and sunny. Summer’s finally here. And with the warmth, it’s time to make some iced tea!
I make iced tea with the “cold brew” method. It’s so easy to make iced tea this way. Gather up your supplies either in the morning before work or in the evening before bedtime. This will give the leaves sufficient time to steep either all day or all night.
You’ll need a container, a tablespoon and some tea leaves. For my iced tea, I use a glass pitcher I purchased at Target and some organic green South African Rooibos. I’ve written about this herbal before here and here.
Spoon your tea leaves into your pitcher, using one tablespoon for every 6-8 ounces of water. Next, pour your water into your pitcher. I recommend either bottled spring water or filtered tap water. Hard water can definitely affect the taste of your tea.
Now all you have to do is place your container in the fridge. That night or the next day, strain the tea into another container to remove the leaves. I use a large Pyrex measuring cup to strain my tea into. Then I clean the leaves out of my pitcher and pour the tea back into it. You can also use an infuser or tea filter papers to put your loose leaves into, making cleanup easier.
There are so many variations with iced tea creation. You can put lemon or orange slices in either while the tea is steeping or after you strain it. Or, you can fill your glass halfway with iced tea and then pour some flavored seltzer water in for a fizzy iced tea. The possibilities are endless!
I’m enjoying my iced tea plain with ice and a bowl of fresh blueberries on plain yogurt. Mmmmm…. I’ve been exploring ways in which I can remove sugar from my diet because I believe there is just way too much of it in the food we buy. Even my Stonyfield Farm yogurt cup, while it’s very delicious and organic, has sugar added to it. So, I’m now buying plain yogurt and mixing it with fresh fruit, depending on what’s in season.
I’d love to hear your ideas on how to reduce sugar intake!
Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it’s all right
~George Harrison
Art and Tea 
your iced tea sounds wonderful! And about sugar. I think the best way to avoid it is to avoid processed foods. But I must admit that i worry about other things more than i worry about sugar. i do worry about corn syrup though. Best wishes to you.
You make tea and everything about it an art form. Incidently, I would like cool, rainy weather right now! I use stevia to lessen my sugar intake. There are different kinds, and it’s completely natural. I try to keep processed/refined foods away, which is very hard to do in this world.
Awesome post, Karen! That tea is positively beautiful. We simply don’t use sugar in anything . . .
Thanks for the lovely comments you left on my blog!
Kathy V in NM
Thanks Lynn! Yes, avoiding processed foods is a really good idea. The simpler the ingredients, the better I feel.
Thanks Autumn! I’m assuming that it’s blazingly hot by you. I hope that you get some cool relief soon in your part of the world. Iced tea can help for cool refreshment! Thanks for the idea about the stevia. I’ll have to give that a try.
Thanks Kathy! I’m with you on that. Don’t use sugar in anything, for sure.
MMMMM! I’m going blueberry picking on Th. Can’t wait.
Your tea photos are always marvelous, Karen, although I must admit I am a coffee person. My hubby loves ice tea, and mixes up a pitcher for himself every day. He is using Lipton Cold Brew Ice Tea, which is a whole lot better than the instant tea he used to drink, yuk !
I am trying hard to eat healthier, more fruits and vegetables, less sugar and processed foods. My main problem is I hate grocery shopping and making salads, chopping veggies, etc…If I had a personal chef, my problems would be solved, LOL!
Thanks Dora! I agree with you about the instant tea. Not sure exactly what’s in that beyond a WHOLE bunch of sugar. lol
I know what you mean about grocery shopping. It can be SUCH a chore! I fool myself by saying that I don’t really grocery shop which to me means an hour or more spent in the grocery store. I say that I stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things because I am only there 10-15 minutes at a time. I go armed with a specific list, always bring my own bags and go through the self checkout. It is my way of coping with the whole grocery shopping experience. 🙂
[…] to do that. This particular selection is an herbal which I have shared with you before, however, in iced tea form. Today I’m enjoying it prepared […]