The AVANTCHA Guide to Iced Tea

 

Iced tea - tea made with hot water, cooled, poured over ice 

Brew your tea at the standard temperature for its type, with 1.5 to 2 times the usual leaf quantity and for up to 10 minutes. Prepare a glass or jug with a generous amount of ice before you start. Once the brew is ready, allow to cool if you have the time, or strain directly over the ice. The rapid chilling stops the brew developing further and locks in the flavour at its peak.

 

 

Cold brew tea - tea made with cold water, refrigerated, poured without ice 

Cold brew starts with cold water and no heat at all. Use 1g per 100ml to cold water and place in the fridge for several hours to overnight. No boiling, no straining over ice. When ready, pour straight from the fridge into a glass. The result is smoother and more subtly sweet than a hot-brewed version of the same tea: cold water extracts differently, drawing out less astringency and allowing more delicate flavours to come forward.

These are two distinct drinks. Iced tea is bold, immediate, and well suited to fruit, herbal, and flavoured teas where you want colour, impact, and brightness. Cold brew rewards patience and suits single origin teas where the character of the leaf itself is the point.

 

 

Iced tea: which teas work best

The teas that excel over ice are the ones with enough fruit, acid,  structure or flavour intensity to carry through dilution.

 

Fruit and herbal teas for iced tea

Rush Hour Berry (hibiscus, roasted apple, blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, strawberries, cranberries) is the place to start. Hot-brewed over ice it produces a vivid red drink with dominant strawberry and blueberry up front and a cranberry brightness at the end. Add twirls of cucumber, whole raspberries and strawberries, and a sprig of fresh mint. 

Prickly Cactus Fig (cactus fig, papaya, pear, apple, rosebuds) is sweet and succulent with a long tropical finish, the rosebuds giving a calming floral note that carries well cold. Serve with apple slices as a garnish. 

Apple Elderflower Cocktail (fruits, hibiscus, elderflower) delivers particular clarity when chilled, the elderflower coming through cleanly. If elderflower is in season or available where you are, use this as a garnish. 

Organic Mint Duo (North African nana mint and peppermint) is the natural choice for something cooling and crisp. Enjoy straight, or 1/2 tsp of brown sugar when the tea is hot, stirring to dissolve, and garnish with fresh mint. 

Organic Chamomile Blossoms produces a mellow, golden drink that is lovely by itself, though pairs well with a touch of honey and slices of pear as a garnish. 

 

 

Flavoured black teas for iced tea

Black tea gives iced tea structure. The tannins and body hold up through dilution, making flavoured black teas some of the most satisfying options over ice. Mango Royale (black tea, natural mango pieces) is malty and tropical with enough backbone to stay interesting in a tall glass. Wild Strawberry (black tea, strawberry, raspberry, elderberry, raspberry leaf) produces an amber infusion with notes of vanilla, lilac and malt: warmer and more complex than a straightforward fruit tea. Lychee Black (Chinese black tea, lychee essence) is floral, juicy and sweet, and particularly good cold with a slice of lime, or garnished with a stick of maraschino cherries. 

Flavoured white teas for iced tea 

White tea brings delicacy and natural sweetness to iced tea. Peach and Pear (Bai Mu Dan, peach, pear, sunflower petals, white rose buds) is smooth and floral over ice. Bamboo Snow White (white tea, bamboo, cranberry) gives a pale pink drink with a refreshingly sweet cranberry note that can be enhanced with a splash of pomegranate juice. Hibiscus and White (Bai Mu Dan, hibiscus, orange peel, star anise, cranberry) is more vivid: comforting and uplifting at once, with a sweet spicy finish, 

Flavoured green teas for iced tea

A green tea such as Cherry Sencha (Japanese sencha, sour cherry) is bright over ice, especially when made with whole cherries in the height of the season. Tropical Green (green tea, strawberry, pineapple, peach) is also great with a wedge of pineapple as a garnish that you can dunk into the tea. We love to make our Moroccan Mint tea and add a splash of Giffard passionfruit syrup. 

For ten tried and tested iced tea recipes using AVANTCHA teas and Giffard syrups, see our Top 10 Iced Teas.

 

 

Cold brew tea: which teas work best

Cold brew tea belongs to single origin teas. Without heat, the subtleties of a well-grown leaf come forward in a way they rarely do hot: the muscatel of a Darjeeling, the florality of a Silver Needle, the caramel depth of a Wuyi Oolong. These are teas worth waiting for. 

Organic Darjeeling Summer Singell, grown at 1,500 metres on the Singell Tea Estate in the eastern Himalayas, cold brews into a pale amber drink with muscatel notes and a warmth of baked fruit that softens and lengthens without heat. The second flush quality grade (FTGFOP1) means the leaf has enough character to give generously even in cold water.

Jasmine Silver Needle, handpicked in Guangxi Province and scented up to five times with fresh jasmine blossoms, produces something extraordinarily delicate cold-brewed. The jasmine comes through clean and persistent. The white tea base stays juicy and mild. Brewed overnight and poured straight from the fridge, it is lovely on hot mornings.

Organic Wuyi Oolong from the mountains of Fujian cold brews into a smooth, amber drink with caramel sweetness, just-ripe plum, and a long finish. The silky mouthfeel that characterises this tea in the cup holds well cold, and the floral note reminiscent of an unopened rosebud lifts the whole thing.

For a deeper guide to cold brew and ten single origin teas worth exploring, see the Ultimate Guide to Cold Brew Tea and our Top 10 Cold Brew Teas.

 

 

Making iced tea more interesting

The brew is the foundation. What you add to the glass is where things get personal.

Fresh fruit dropped into the glass just before serving continues to flavour the drink as it sits. Fresh strawberries and raspberries work with Rush Hour Berry, Wild Strawberry, and Prickly Cactus Fig. Sliced peach or mango alongside Mango Royale or Peach and Pear. A wedge of lime with Lychee Black.

Fresh herbs add a layer of aroma that no amount of brewing achieves. A sprig of mint works in almost anything. Fresh basil with strawberry or tropical blends. A small sprig of lavender with Peach and Pear or Hibiscus and White, where the floral notes already point in that direction.

 

 

For sweetness, add to the hot brew before chilling rather than to the finished cold drink: sugar and honey dissolve properly in hot liquid and integrate fully as the drink cools. A light honey works well with floral teas. For something more precise, Giffard naturally flavoured syrups pair directly with specific teas: rose with Rush Hour Berry, lemongrass with Peach and Pear, peach with Majestic Earl Grey, cherry with Cherry Sencha.

 

The ratio is 20ml of syrup per 120ml of tea.

 

 

Vessels for iced tea 

The three AVANTCHA teapots suited to iced tea are the Solo Teapot (420ml), the Twin Teapot (700ml), and the Grande Teapot (1,400ml). All are made from heat-resistant borosilicate glass with a filter in the lid: the leaves move freely through the water during steeping, and you pour cleanly through the filter when serving over ice. We like to keep two Grande Teapots on hand so that one can brew and be decanted into the other before serving, and then kept in the door of the fridge if there's any iced tea leftover so it can keep chilled. 

The Solo is the right choice for a single serving brewed fresh. The Twin suits two people, or one person who wants a jug to keep in the fridge through the day. The Grande, at 1,400ml, is the entertaining option: brew a full batch, pour over ice in a large glass or serving jug, and it keeps well refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

 

 

Frequently asked questions about iced tea

What is the difference between iced tea and cold brew tea?

Iced tea is brewed hot at double strength and strained directly over ice. Cold brew is steeped in cold water from the start, no heat involved, and poured straight from the fridge. Iced tea is bolder and more immediate. Cold brew is smoother, more delicate, and better suited to single origin teas where the character of the leaf itself is the point.

Why does my iced tea taste weak?

Increase your leaf quantity to 1.5 to 2 times the usual amount. The ice dilutes the brew as it melts, so accounting for that from the start makes the difference.

How long should I cold brew for?

Several hours to overnight in the fridge. The longer the steep, the more the flavour develops. Start with two hours and adjust to taste from there.

Can I sweeten iced tea?

Yes. Add sweetener to the hot brew before chilling: sugar and honey dissolve properly in hot liquid and integrate fully as the drink cools. Giffard naturally flavoured syrups give well-calibrated sweetness and pair precisely with specific teas: 20ml per 120ml of tea is the starting point.

How long does cold brew keep?

Up to 48 hours in the fridge, covered.

How long does iced tea keep?

Iced tea is best drunk the same day. Once brewed and chilled, store it in the fridge without ice and add fresh ice when serving. Fruit and herbal blends hold their flavour and colour well for up to 24 hours. Green teas are best made fresh.

Is cold brew less caffeinated?

Cold water extracts caffeine more slowly than hot, so cold brew tends to be slightly lower in caffeine for the same leaf quantity and steep time. For a fully caffeine-free iced tea, any herbal or fruit blend works well: Rush Hour Berry, Prickly Cactus Fig, Apple Elderflower Cocktail, Organic Mint Duo, and Organic Chamomile Blossoms all contain no caffeine.

Can I make iced tea in advance for a party?

Yes. The Grande Teapot brews 1,400ml at a time. Brew a batch, chill, and pour over ice to serve. Fruit and herbal blends hold their flavour and colour well over several hours; green teas are best made the same day.