1. Using Hot Water (Quick brewing time, but needs to cool down)
2. Using Cold Water (Cold brewing tea takes longer, but develops more delicate flavours that make a beautiful iced tea) 
3. Fizzy Iced Tea with Soda Water (The most refreshing version you will ever try – perfect for summer)

How to make iced tea using hot water?

1. Add a litre of freshly boiled water to 1 to 2 heaped tablespoons of loose leaf tea and let it rest for around 5-30 minutes, depending on how full bodied you prefer the flavour. Note: Watch out with blends containing green or black tea, as these might release bitters when steeped for too long or when too many leaves are used. Give it a taste to see how well developed the aroma is every couple minutes.
2. Allow to cool down naturally or enjoy directly served over ice cubes for instant iced tea.
3. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How to speed up the cooling process? 

You can speed up the cooling process by stirring in some ice cubes until melted or putting your homemade iced tea in your fridge or freezer for a while. But watch out to not store the hot beverage in there directly as it might heat up the fridge. We recommend to let it reach room temperature before storing it. Organic Merchant homemade iced teas are fantastic as a cocktail mixer or non alcoholic mocktail base.Serve in an iced tea jug with freshly cut lemon slices or a couple of mint leafs to give it the final touch to your liking. Jazz it up however you like to create your own version for the next pitcher.

How to cold brew tea?

Cold brewed tea is our personal favourite type of iced tea, as we find the flavours to come out more delicate. Follow the steps below to infuse tea in cold water.

1. Add 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons of your favourite loose leaf tea to a litre of room temperature water.
2. Leave to infuse for a minimum of 1-2 hours and occasionally stir. Taste test every 30 minutes until flavour is developed enough and to your liking. Sometimes we leave everything sitting for 6 or even 12 hours, depending on the blend we choose to make. Black and green tea blends usually infuse quicker than herbal or fruit teas. 
3. When the taste is to your liking, strain the beverage through a fine mesh and serve with ice and a squeeze of lemon.

​Optional

Depending on the loose leaf iced tea blend you choose, it might not be sweet enough for your liking. In that case we recommend dissolving a teaspoon of maple syrup in 20 ml of hot water, and adding it to the iced tea, after it has been strained. If brewed correctly, cold brewed tea has a very smooth mouth feel and delicate soft notes, compared to making it hot. In case the tea tastes bitter, try using less leaves and infusing it for a shorter time. 

How to make iced tea with soda water – a fizzy version?

1. Use 4-6 heaped tablespoons of loose leaf tea per litre of (normal) water to brew a strong infusion, the basis for sparkling iced tea. Let it infuse for a minimum of 1-2 hours before straining. Note: Be careful to not let it sit too long with black, green or white tea blends. For those kind of teas you might prefer following our cold-brewing method.
2. After straining you can either let it cool down a bit more, or just straight up mix it with soda water. The ratio we recommend is 1 to 1, but depends on your personal preferences.
3. Serve the fizzy iced tea over ice cubes and with some fresh mint.