Iced tea is simplicity itself.
After all, it requires only two ingredients, one of which is fresh water. The other, tea, could be black, green, white or herbal.
But even though it's a minimalist drink, it does have a spot in the pantheon of cold beverages and requires a bit of practice to achieve top quality.
Good, fresh tea leaves and water are paramount for a perfect iced tea.
Cynthia Gold, tea sommelier and manager of L'Espalier in Boston, notes that just any water won't do. "Don't use water that has a chemical or chlorine taste," Gold says. "If your local water tastes off, consider using filtered or spring water."
Also, Gold says, if the same water is reboiled often, you will be de-oxygenating the water. "This can lead to a flatter tasting tea."
It is best to use fresh, cold water because it contains more oxygen than hot water from the faucet. Tea meisters say more oxygen is important because it enhances the flavor of the tea. When the water comes to a rolling boil, pour it over loose tea leaves or a tea bag, and the burst of hot water will open the tea leaves and maximize the flavor.
Typically, crisp teas are good cold, and rich teas are used in hot beverages.
Although iced tea is extremely popular during the summer months, in many places it is the beverage of choice year-round.
Bret Thorn, senior food editor at Nation's Restaurant News, says iced teas are getting more popular as "consumers are getting increasingly wary of carbonated drinks and their sugar and artificial sweeteners." They want something cold and refreshing, and so turn to iced tea, he said.
Peter Goggi, president of Tea Association of the USA, says 85 percent of tea consumed in America is iced.
Consumption has been driven up by baby boomers and millennials. In fact, 87 percent of millennials drink tea, according to the Tea Association. Goggi says that's because millennials grew up hearing "the tea and health story" and they grew up in the ready-to-drink era that accepted tea as a good substitute beverage to soda.
Although its popularity has risen in the last two decades, iced tea has been around for a long time.
Richard Blechynden is credited with making the first iced tea in 1904, when he purportedly poured tea over ice at the World's Fair in St. Louis because sales for his hot tea were plummeting when temperatures were soaring that summer.
However, there are earlier written accounts of iced tea, according to Goggi. One is as early as 1879, and the recipe credited to Housekeeping in Old Virginia author Marion Cabell Tyree, used green tea. Later, in 1884, a recipe from Boston Cooking School called for tea to be poured over ice, he said.
When making iced tea, it's best to use a lot of tea in a batch, says Nathaniel Pantalone, owner and manager of Dobra Tea in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill. "We often see people using too little tea. We recommend eight to 14 teaspoons of tea per gallon depending on the tea," he says.
The tea also should have room to expand during the infusion process because if it doesn't the tea won't properly release flavor to the water, he says.
Generally, the tea is steeped in hot water from six to 15 minutes before additives such as fruits or herbs are added. "Anything longer than 15 usually ends up being a waste of time," says Pantalone says. "But, if the leaves are compacted in some way, like with pearl tea or rolled teas, then longer is better."
If planned ahead, tea could also be steeped in cold water. "It's marvelous. You simply put your leaves into fresh cold water and place them in the refrigerator overnight," Gold says. "Taste your tea and remove the bags at that point, or give it up to 24 hours."
The optimal time for steeping will depend on the tea leaf variety and size. "I like to use a larger amount of tea leaves for a cold steep than you would for a hot steep. Perhaps one-third more," Gold says.
If you want to sweeten the tea, add the sweetener after brewing tea in hot water. If the sweetener is added earlier, it will change the osmotic pressure of the water on the tea leaves, which will result in a slower infusion, Pantalone says. However, he adds that you don't have to wait for the water to completely cool down because sugar will dissolve in tea more quickly at higher temperatures.
Don't be put off if the iced tea looks cloudy, which in the industry is called "creaming."
"It does not mean that there is anything wrong with the tea. In fact, some of the finest quality leaves will cloud; it is just that it is throwing off a precipitate that is clouding the tea," Gold says. "If you hot steep your tea very strongly and then rush cool it, you are more likely to cause it to cream."
"Cloudiness in iced tea, especially iced black tea, is actually a good thing," Pantalone adds.
Classic Iced Tea
2 1/4 cups water
6 regular-size tea bags OR 2 family-size tea bags
6 cups cold water
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Mint sprigs, for garnish
In a small saucepan, bring the 2 1/4 cups water to a gentle boil. Add the tea bags, remove the saucepan from the heat, and cover. Steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the tea bags without squeezing them (which would add bitterness) and pour the steeped tea into a 21/2-quart pitcher. Add the 6 cups cold water and mix. Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate until cold. Serve over ice, garnished with lemon wedges or mint, if desired.
Makes about 8 cups.
Blueberry Iced Tea
2 cups boiling water
4 regular-size tea bags
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1/2 lime
Pour boiling water over tea bags; let steep for about 10 minutes. Remove tea bags.
In a saucepan, bring to boil blueberries, sugar and 1 cup of water. Let cool and then blend them. Strain the syrup. Add juice from lime and stir to combine. Combine tea and blueberry syrup in pitcher. Serve over ice.
Makes about 3 cups.
Peach Iced Tea
4 cups water, divided use
3 family-size tea bags
3 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. Pour over tea bags; cover and steep for 5 to 8 minutes. Blend peaches and remaining 1 cup water until smooth. Strain peach juice. Pour peach juice, tea and sugar into pitcher. Stir well. Add more water if needed. Serve over ice.
Makes about 4 cups.
Boston Iced Tea
1 gallon water
15 small tea bags
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 (12-ounce) can frozen cranberry juice concentrate
Heat water until it comes to a rolling boil. Pour over teabags and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove bags. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Stir in cranberry juice concentrate, and mix well. Serve over ice.
Makes about 1 gallon.
Iced Green Tea
4 cups water, divided use
4 green tea bags
4 dried rose petals (optional)
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
2 tablespoons honey
Bring water to a boil, pour over tea bags. Add rose petals (if using) and coriander seeds and let steep for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove tea bags but leave rose petals and coriander seeds in tea for another hour. Strain petals and coriander seeds. Add honey; stir well. Serve over ice.
Makes about 4 cups.
Lemon Iced Tea
1 cup granulated sugar
5 cups water, divided use
7 black tea bags
Juice from 5 Meyer lemons or regular lemons
Ice
Add sugar to 1 cup of water and let it simmer until sugar dissolves to make a simple syrup. Separately, bring remaining 4 cups of water to boil, pour over tea bags and let them steep for 10 minutes.
In serving pitcher, add lemon juice, ice, simple syrup and tea. Stir well.
Makes about 5 cups.
Food on 09/09/2015