How to Make Iced Tea with Loose Leaf Tea (2024)

Learn how to make the best homemade iced tea with loose-leaf tea using one of these easy methods – hot water brewing or cold brewing.

Who doesn’t love a tall glass of refreshing iced tea when it’s almost 100 degrees outside? Iced tea is a classic drink loved by almost everyone and it is one of the most simple, flavorful, and economical drinks to prepare.

Today, I’m sharing how to make iced tea with loose leaves and including a few tips and tricks to make a flavorful pitcher every time!

Making iced tea with loose-leaf tea is a simple and easy way to enjoy tea. All you need is some loose-leaf tea, water, ice cubes, and any additional ingredients of your choice like sugar or honey for sweetness. With just a few steps you can have delicious iced tea in no time whether it’s an herbal blend or a black tea variety.

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Ingredients

• High-Quality Loose Leaf Tea – When it comes to making iced tea with loose-leaf tea, there are a variety of options available. For the best results, choose a high-quality tea that has a good flavor. Some of the most popular teas for iced tea are black tea and green tea. For caffeine-free herbal teas, I love making mint iced tea and chamomile iced tea.
• Water – If possible use filtered water.When it comes to making iced tea with loose leaves, water quality is especially important. Use spring or filtered water for the best flavor.
• Ice Cubes – for that extra cold iced tea serve chilled tea over ice.
• Additional ingredients – Add extra flavor by adding your own twist to iced tea. Lemon and sugar are classic additions for zest and sweeteners. If you like more flavor try this tamarind iced tea or classic peach iced tea!

How to Make Iced Tea with Loose Leaf Tea

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• Mason Jars are a versatile and convenient way to make iced tea with loose-leaf tea. Not only can they be used for storage but they are also useful for making cold brew tea.
• Tea Strainer makes it easy to separate the loose-leaf tea from the brewed liquid so you don’t have any bits of tea floating around in your cup.
• Pitcher serve your iced tea in a pretty clear glass pitcher!

Iced Tea with Loose Leaf Recipe (Hot Water Steeping and Cold Brew)

Hot Water Steeping Method

Find a clean jar, large enough for the amount of tea you wish to make. I like using a 2-quart mason jar.

Add the loose leaf to the jar.

Pour hot water over the tea.

Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

After the tea has finished steeping, use a tea strainer and pour the tea through the strainer into a fresh jar or pitcher.

After the tea has had time to cool, move it to the refrigerator to chill.

Serve over ice or as desired!

How to Make Iced Tea with Loose Leaf by Cold Brewing Tea

Wondering how to make cold-brew loose-leaf tea? Start with a jar large enough for the amount of tea you are making (it should be refrigerator safe with a fitted lid.) I like using these 2-quart mason jars with plastic lids.

• Add the loose leaf to the jar.
• Pour cold water over the tea.
• Cover and put in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.
• After the tea has had enough time to steep remove it from the fridge.
• Use a tea strainer and pour the tea through the strainer into a fresh jar or pitcher.
• The tea is now ready to enjoy – serve over ice or as desired!

How to Make Sun Tea with Loose Leaf

Sun tea is a simple and effective way to make iced tea with loose-leaf tea. It involves placing your desired amount of loose-leaf tea in a jar or pitcher, adding cold water, and allowing it to steep in the sun for several hours until it reaches your desired flavor. Sun tea is an easy way to create an aromatic and delicious iced tea with minimal effort.

Tips for Making the Best Iced Tea with Loose Leaf

• For the best taste, use filtered water.
• To prevent the tea from being diluted with to much melting ice, only add ice to serving cups.
• Sweeten the tea with liquid sugar
• Flavor tea with raspberry, blueberry, or blackberries.
• Put a fun spin on the classic sweet iced tea with tamarind.

Getting the Ratios Right: How Much Loose Leaf Tea for Iced Tea?

When it comes to making iced tea with loose leaves, getting the ratios right is important.

How much loose leaf for iced tea? Generally speaking, you should use one teaspoon of loose-leaf tea per cup of water. If you’re using a standard kitchen measuring spoon, this would be equivalent to about 2 grams of loose-leaf tea per cup.

For some teas especially loose herbal teas use 1 tablespoon of unpacked tea.

How Much Loose Leaf Tea for 2 Quarts?

For two quarts of iced tea, you should use 8 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea. The amount of tea can be increased or decreased depending on your desired strength, but this ratio should provide a good starting point.

How Much Loose Leaf Tea for a Pitcher?

When it comes to making iced tea with loose-leaf tea for a pitcher, the amount of loose leaf required will depend on the size of the pitcher. Generally speaking, you should use one teaspoon of loose-leaf tea per cup of water.For large-size herbal tea leaves, use 1 tablespoon of unpacked tea.

For a standard 64-ounce (1.9-liter) pitcher, this translates to approximately 8 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea.

You can adjust the amount of tea to your desired flavor preference, but this should give you a good starting point!

My preference is to make my tea in a separate jar or in a pot on the stovetop and transfer the prepared tea to a serving pitcher.

How to Make a Gallon of Iced Tea with Loose Leaf Tea

To make a gallon of iced tea, you will need 16 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea, 16 cups of cold filtered water, and a large gallon pitcher or jar.

Loose Leaf Tea Brewing Temperatures

Tea brewing temperatures play an important role in the flavor of the tea. When brewing iced tea with loose-leaf tea, it is important to keep that in mind.

Pro Tip: Be sure to let your tea cool down before adding ice or refrigerating!

For cold brewing tea, you will only need cold water. No heating is required!

• Depending on the type of tea, the ideal temperature for brewing can vary from 160°F to 212°F.

• Black Tea– 190°-212° F
• Oolong Tea– 180°-200°F
• Green Tea– 170°-180°F
• Yellow Tea– 170°-180°F
• White Tea– 160°-170° F
• Herbal Tea– 212°F

Storage and Shelf Life

Iced tea with loose-leaf tea is best enjoyed fresh, but if you make a large batch it can last several days in the refrigerator. To ensure your iced tea stays fresh, it should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For optimal flavor and aroma, iced tea with loose-leaf tea should only be stored for a few days.

Cloudy Iced Tea? Try this.

Cloudy iced tea can be a result of a number of reasons. The most common reason for cloudy tea I find is because of hard water. Try filtered water for clear unclouded tea.

Another common reason for cloudy tea could be the result of not allowing the tea to cool down completely before pouring it over ice.

What does Loose Leaf Iced Tea taste Like?

Loose-leaf iced tea is known for its flavorful taste. It can have notes of fruit, flowers, herbs, or spices depending on the type of tea used. Loose-leaf iced tea also may be a more flavorful tea compared to tea made with tea bags.

Caffeine? It depends!

Most iced tea is made with black tea which contains caffeine. However iced tea can be made with pretty much any type of tea including herbal tea. All true tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant and includes black, green, white, and oolong teas.

Herbal teas are not true teas at all but are considered a tisane. Herbal teas in general are all caffeine free with a few exceptions like Yerba Mate.

FAQs

Can you Make Iced Tea with Loose Leaf?

Yes! You can make iced tea with loose-leaf tea almost as easily as with tea bags.

Loose Leaf or Tea Bags?

Learning how to make tea with loose leaf can open up more teas to try. Loose-leaf tea may often be fresher and more flavorful than tea bags.

Best Tea for Iced Tea?

The best tea for iced tea depends on your personal preference. Black tea is probably the most common tea used for iced tea and is a delicious and refreshing drink. Green tea and herbal tea are also delicious teas to use to make iced tea.

More Iced Tea Recipes You Will Love!

• Iced Matcha Lemonade
• Thai Iced Tea
• Iced Matcha Latte
• Iced Dirty Matcha Latte
• Iced Chai Latte
• Iced London Fog
• Iced Roselle Tea
• Sweet Iced Tea

I hope you enjoy this tea recipe. Leave a comment below and let’s connect!

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