I’ve been a fan of steeped iced tea for decades. I’ve used many methods to make it, usually starting with hot water. Turns out, that isn’t necessary.

I have my trusty Iced Tea Maker (so old the brand no longer exists) and I have contemplated upgrading to a new model with new pitchers. NOTE: If you are looking at something like this be mindful that the plastic pitchers can often get stress cracks over time which cause leaking. Not really an issue if you have another pitcher to serve the tea. Glass sounds great but weight can be an issue, too.

I recently got a gallon sized plastic pitcher that will serve my tea. Rather than load it with ice to start, I simply added my tea bags to the pitcher and then filled it with cold water. I wasn’t particular about the temperature of the water, I just wasn’t interested in using warm or hot water at it would take longer to cool. I also added the amount of sweetener (sugar) I wanted. I stirred it all together and set it on the counter to steep.

That was it. It sat on the counter for about an hour to an hour and a half, not in any sun, and just steeped. Once it got to a color I thought was about right for the strength of the brew I wanted, I removed the tea bags, squeezed them dry and put the pitcher of tea into the fridge.

A word about tea bags – There are loads on the market. I prefer family sized tea bags simply because I require fewer of them for my use. I have also used the standard size. It is up to you.

The end result was a brew I was happy with, not too sweet, and no need for appliances or a stash of ice just to make the tea. The ice was used to serve it.

Why go this route? In my area it is so hot outside that plastic melts and glass will get hot enough to burn. Not good. While I can still use my old trusty electric tea maker, if the power should go out, I now have a method that I know will work to make tea.

If you like steeped iced tea why not give this method a try?

Enjoy!