For those who make iced tea ...

Today, I made 'sun tea' in a clear pitcher with green tea then added fresh mint, a bit of lemon juice and some agave nectar. It was really nice.

Today, I made 'sun tea' in a clear pitcher with green tea then added fresh mint, a bit of lemon juice and some agave nectar. It was really nice.

YUM! 

When I talk to my sister, I will ask for her method.  I know she does it in a pan on the stove and sweetens it while it's brewing, then dilutes it after.

This is how I make mine - I made the first batch of the season this weekend and it was loooooovely. I prefer mine with just a hint of agave nectar and definitely NO LEMON, ick.

I had an iced tea maker back in the states, but I can't say I really miss it...

I had a pitcher that had a special sleeve at the side that held the tea bags and had holes.  You poured half of it full of boiling water, waited five minutes, filled the rest with cold water and then put it in the fridge. 

I never had cloudy tea, but I often used the flavoured black teas from Whittard.  The summer pudding tea was so good iced, I wish they still made it.

what's this 'agave nectar' you're all talking about?

what's this 'agave nectar' you're all talking about?

Mexican thing ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup

this thread makes me really miss cracker barrel--best iced tea ever!

This has inspired me to put a jug of tea in my kitchen window to brew. My mom is a big (nay, HUGE) big lots shopper and always brings me stuff I think is crap, but turns out to be great. She has brought me this amazing tea that makes superb iced tea, Good Earth in Orange and Lemon Flavours.


I just put some ice cubes in the freezer too...bring on the Iced Tea.
I have Tonsillitis so it should feel soooo good going down!!

this thread makes me really miss cracker barrel--best iced tea ever!

Me too

what's this 'agave nectar' you're all talking about?

It's really, really sweet syrup. It's pretty widely available now - I saw it in Sainsburys the other day in the "free-from" aisle. It has a sort of similar taste to honey. I bought some trying to get dh off of artificial sweetners in his coffee but it doesn't work as a coffee sweetner AT ALL. So I've been using it in place of honey....

I make it on the stove too, just made a big pitcher the other day! Sweet and lemony. 

It's really, really sweet syrup. It's pretty widely available now - I saw it in Sainsburys the other day in the "free-from" aisle. It has a sort of similar taste to honey. I bought some trying to get dh off of artificial sweetners in his coffee but it doesn't work as a coffee sweetner AT ALL. So I've been using it in place of honey....

Agave is great for baking, too.  It's definitely an acquired taste on its own.

what's this 'agave nectar' you're all talking about?

It's a natural sweetener which tastes a bit like honey, but is really low on the GI scale so you don't get sugar highs and then crashes (which I'm REALLY susceptible to). I'm trying to remove sugar from my diet entirely because it makes me really cranky and lethargic so agave nectar (and fruit!) is one of the few ways I can make things a little bit sweeter.

They stock it at Holland and Barrett and some Tesco stores, usually in squeezy bottles so it's really easy to measure into a spoon or measuring cup.

(I don't use any of those chemical sweeteners like Splenda or Nutrasweet just on principle!)

From my sister:

If you can't get the gallon tea bags, use regular Lipton (so orange pekoe) bags.  She thinks you'd need about 8 tea bags, but you can adjust this as you experiment.  Get a big saucepan and fill it with about a third of a gallon of water.  Put the teabags in it and bring it to a boil.  While it's coming to a boil, take a gallon jug put 3-4 cups of sugar (note from me: OMIGAWD) in it.  Once the tea is boiled, take a spoon and hold the teabags back as you pour the tea into the pitcher with the sugar in it.  Stir it up to dissolve the sugar.  Add ice (you can let it sit and cool next time if it gets cloudy, but my sister swears by the ice at this step).  Fill the rest of the pitcher with water.  You can multiply this or divide it as needed.  She usually makes more than one gallon at a time.

It's really, really sweet syrup. It's pretty widely available now - I saw it in Sainsburys the other day in the "free-from" aisle. It has a sort of similar taste to honey. I bought some trying to get dh off of artificial sweetners in his coffee but it doesn't work as a coffee sweetner AT ALL. So I've been using it in place of honey....

Try cinnamon.