Good Morning Iced Tea (Black & Mint tea)

This Good Morning Iced Tea is made with black tea, mint tea and some fresh lemon slices. It is the perfect drink to have in the morning to wake you up and help you get trough your day!

This iced tea totally deserves its name. When I was working at the office I was looking for something refreshing during the summer that would keep me energized. Those long office days on a hot summer day are exhausting!

Coffee was not working for me anymore and was not really helping against the heat either. At that time I loved drinking lemon infused water. Then it hit me! I am a huuuuge tea addict, I am serious I have several big drawers packed with tea lmao! I just love sipping on a good hot tea. Plus it is less addictive than coffee, woot! So why not combine my addiction for tea with my summer favorite, lemon water and make a delicious, refreshing iced tea out of it!

The Good Morning Iced Tea was born, the perfect iced tea when you need some quick caffeine on hand throughout the day. Trust me you’ll love this iced tea recipe! On top of being super delicious it is also healthy. My recipe does not use any sweeteners, is full of antioxidants and helps you drink enough water trough the day.

So, today I want to share this recipe with you.

How a simple Iced Tea is made:

There are a ton of different ways of making a classic iced tea. Here are three ways I have personally tested myself. Of course there are many other ways.

The concentrate way:

This is the quickest way to make your iced tea at home. You simply fill one cup with hot water and let the tea steep for 5-10 minutes depending on what kind of tea you use. You definitely do not want to let black or green tea steep for to long. Next you remove the tea bags and fill up the pitcher with cold water. Let the pitcher sit in the fridge for a bit and your iced tea is ready to enjoy.

The hot way:

Here you simply make a normal tea and put the pitcher into the fridge. You let everything sit in the fridge till cooled down. This method needs much longer than the concentrate version.

The cold way:

Pour cold water over the tea bags and set it into the fridge. Let this mixture sit for at least 6h. It is best to do that over night.

Ingredients for the good morning iced tea:

• Black tea: Black tea has lots of caffeine which is why this iced tea keeps you awake. It does not matter what black tea you use, just choose your favorite. I always switch between English Breakfast and Earl Grey. Make sure you use a tea with no sweetener in it.

• Mint tea: The mint is nice and refreshing and gives a little crisp kick to the drink.

• Water: Needed to brew the tea concentrate and prepare the iced tea.

• Lemon: The lemon slices are for some extra flavor

How to make this Good Morning Iced Tea:

As I needed the iced tea to be ready quick so I do not have to wait for it to cool down for a long time at the office, I decided to go with the tea concentrate method.

Brew the tea and make the tea concentrate

Boil about 3dl / 1¼ cups of the water. Pour it into a heatproof cup and add the tea bags. Remove the black tea bag after about 5 minutes and the mint tea bag after 10 minutes. Let the mixture sit while you cut your lemon.

Prepare the iced tea

Cut the lemon into 0.5cm / ¼inch slices and cut them in half. Add the lemons to a large pitcher.

Next remove the tea bags from the concentrate. Pour the tea concentrate into the pitcher. Then fill up the pitcher with cold water. Let the iced tea sit in the fridge for at least half an hour or until chilled. Then enjoy!

Some tips and tricks to make the best iced tea at home:

• Steeping time: Make sure you set a timer and do not let the tea steep for to long. Especially when using black and green tea you have to be very careful to not let tea bags steep for to long as they turn bitter really quick. Trust me, that happened to me way to often when still sleepy in the morning lol^^

• Measure your water: Make sure you do measure the water amount. If you use to much or not enough water the iced tea could turn out to strong or to watery.

• Fresh loose tea: Use loose-leave tea instead of tea bags to get an even better flavor. The better the quality of your tea leaves the better your iced tea will be. Use a tea strainer or tea bag (you can buy only the bag at the store) in order to easily remove the tea leaves from the water again.

• Pro serving tip: Serve the iced tea over some ice and add some fresh mint leaves to give it the extra kick.

• Sweetener: I personally do not like any sweetener in my tea. However, I do know many people do. So, if you are one of those people add your favorite sweetener. You can use anything from honey, over honey to stevia. Make sure you add the sweetener to the hot concentrate so it melts. Adding sweetener will make this drink less healthy tough depending on which one you use.

Can you make it overnight? / Can iced tea go bad?

No, after leaving my tea in the fridge over night several times I came to the conclusion that my iced tea was not enjoyable anymore the next day. the mint tea seemed to get really bad taste wise when standing around for to long.

If you ask yourself how to store your iced tea then I recommend keeping the pitcher in the fridge and having a lid on. This will keep it cold and fresh. You can easily keep it out all day tough and serve it over ice. Make sure your pitcher has a lid you can close.

Other drink recipes you might like:

Baileys Iced Latte Recipe – Oh Sweet Cultureshock

Best Cherry Smash Cocktail Recipe – Oh Sweet Cultureshock