How to Make SUN TEA | Beautifully Refreshing LIPTON Iced Tea in the Summ...

Summer is quickly approaching and with the warming temperatures comes the cravings for pure refreshment.

Iced tea is my favorite beverage...anyone who knows me knows my love for the tea. Sun tea is a quick and delicious way to brew teas at home with very little effort but huge payoff.

We've been brewing sun tea in my family as long as I can remember. Large glass decanters were always brought out at the end of spring along with plenty of black and orange pekoe teas, ready for their basque in the sun. The fact that you don't need to actually brew the tea, or even boil water, makes this one of the most effortless treats for the season.

To make sun tea, all you'll need is a glass decanter or canister - if you have a sun tea jug, even better. Those are usually large and will allow you to make tea for a crowd. I would avoid using the trendier plastic sun tea jugs you can find cheaply at big discount stores. Nothing good or healthy can come from any plastic - BPA free or not - baking in the afternoon sun.

I had a large Mason jar at the ready so I used that to "brew" my first sun tea of the year. I typically use 6-8 small (individual) tea bags for a quart of tea. This allows the tea to fully develop its flavor through the slowly warming brewing process.

Place your tea bags into the pitcher or decanter and fill with cold water. If you have filtered or softened water, that will work best. The more pure the water, the more pure your tea will taste. Cover the decanter or canister with a lid - make sure to cover your tea to ensure the warming process, and to avoid any bugs that may fly by.

Place canister in a warm, sunny spot outside. This process will not work as well in the shade. The sun will do its magic, warming the tea from the inside out. The very evidence that summer is here...or at least on its way. Leave tea in its sunny bath for 2-3 hours. This will allow the tea to fully steep into the water without creating bitterness. The longer you leave the tea in the sunlight, the more full-bodied the flavor will be. Three hours seems to be my magic number...the tea turns out clear, flavorful and the color is perfection.

Once finished, bring the tea indoors and pour into a pitcher filled with a generous amount of ice. Ice is key - too little and it will melt quickly, diluting the tea. No good. If your ice is too big, it won't melt evenly and will float awkwardly. Use small, whole pieces of ice and plenty of it. If you prefer traditional Southern Sweet Tea, make a simple syrup by bringing sugar and water to a boil then reducing heat until a syrupy consistency forms. Add that to your pitcher of tea for a delicate sweet bliss that requires no "melting or dissolving" of sugar. If you don't use real sugar, you can add artificial sweetener, honey, a touch of maple syrup, stevia, splenda, etc. You can also add freshly sliced citrus for added flavor and contrast.

If you'd like to watch my full video on how I made our first Sun Tea of the year, please click below...and please subscribe to my channel!

Happy Tea Making - and Drinking! Enjoy!