According to the U.S. Tea Association, 85% of tea consumed in the US is iced. Unfortunately, the bulk of the iced tea consumed is made of low quality tea, such as the iced “tea” you find in fast food establishments. Their tea is often made of tea-flavored syrup. Many people also use low quality tea bags to make iced tea. However, you can make delicious, healthy, and original iced tea using whole leaf gourmet teas.

Iced tea is cold and refreshing on a hot summer day but it can also be a delicious, thirst-quenching way to enjoy your gourmet teas throughout the year. After all, it can get old drinking your gourmet teas hot all the time. Why not change it up on occasion by drinking your gourmet teas on ice? Not only is preparing iced gourmet tea fun, it is also a lot more flavorful and healthy for you.

The Benefits of Using Loose Gourmet Teas Instead of Tea Bags
Tea bags are full of tiny pieces of tea leaves known as tea dust. Tea dust goes stale a lot faster than the whole leaves found in loose gourmet teas. Furthermore, the flavor and health benefits can’t be compared to what whole leaf loose tea offers. To put it simply, tea bags create inferior tea. You’ll be able to enjoy a much tastier and healthier glass of ice tea by starting with loose, whole leaf tea.

Don’t be afraid to get creative! Blend gourmet teas of different flavors to your liking in order to create an original flavor of iced tea or simply pour your favorite ready-made tea blend over ice. There are several ways you can create delicious and unique iced tea using gourmet tea</a>.. Here are some ideas you can use to make iced teas that would serve as the perfect beverage for a tea party, weekend get-together, or picnic.
The Basics
Making iced tea is very similar to making hot tea but there are a few differences. For one, you should double the amount of tea you use when you make hot tea. In order to create sweet iced tea, add sugar while the tea is steeping rather than at the end when the tea is consumed. The flavor turns out a lot better that way. After the tea is done brewing, pour it into a glass filled with ice. It is best to cool the tea immediately because the scent and flavor of the tea is preserved that way. Add some lemon or mint to the glass for tea that is refreshing and delicious.
If you need to prepare iced tea for a large group, you can also make refrigerator iced tea, which can be prepared far before the party. In fact, it takes twelve hours to brew refrigerator tea. To make it, use one heaping teaspoon of tea per cup of water. Place the water and tea in a glass pitcher and let it sit in the fridge overnight or for twelve hours. Before serving, sieve out the leaves, pour the tea into glasses, and serve.
Fresh tea tastes the best so only make as much as you are going to drink. Drink it immediately for the best flavor. Use ice cubes instead of chips or crushed ice to prevent the tea from getting too watered down.
Use six heaping tea spoons of loose tea for each quart of tea you would like to prepare. If you are using quality gourmet teas, you should be able to use it two more times to brew iced tea. The water you use should also be of high quality to make the best tasting iced tea. Don’t use tap water. You should also make sure to use good water to make ice cubes for your iced tea.
Ice Cube Tips
To prevent your iced tea from getting watered down, consider using juice or freshly brewed tea instead of water to make ice cubes. Orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, or any other fruit juice you enjoy can add a fruity kick to your iced tea. You can also try adding mint leaves to the ice cube tray before you make ice cubes so when the ice cubes melt, there are mint leaves floating in your glass.
Sangria Iced Tea
To make a refreshing, fruity iced tea, pour chilled tea over chopped up fruits like strawberries, plums, mangoes, blueberries, and other fruits you enjoy. Let the tea sit for at least thirty minutes so the flavors of the tea and fruit blend. When serving the sangria iced tea, garnish each glass with sliced fruit.
Milky Iced Tea
To create a sweet and delicious milky ice tea, blend your favorite non-fruity black tea of choice with ice, milk, and chocolate or vanilla syrup. You can also create simple vanilla-flavored ice tea by just adding some vanilla syrup to your usual glass of iced tea.