basic iced tea questions

[go green]

With warm weather around the corner (hopefully) I would like to start brewing iced tea. I have never brewed iced tea from loose tea, so I am looking for some basic pointers-

Such as: amount of leaves to water (is it the same amount as hot tea?)
how much do you brew at a time (one cup, or can you do a pitcher?)
if you do brew a pitcher, how long will it last in the fridge?
what is the best kind of tea for iced (is green as good as black?)

I like green tea the best when drinking hot, if that helps any and I really don't like flavored iced tea-I usually drink mine plain, no sugar or lemon.

Thanks!

[witches brew]

I use twice as much tea for iced tea that I do for hot. I make it by the pitcher-full, usually enough to last no more than two days. After that, it loses too much flavor.

[olivierco]

Some information (bottom of the page) for Iced Gyokuro, Sencha, Matcha and Houjicha here

[frazier193]

I also am new to brewing iced tea, and hot tea (besides tea bags). Would I use the same loose tea I use for hot tea to brew iced tea? Is the only difference just using cold water? Also, I am planning on getting an ingenuiTEA for hot tea. Will this smaller size (than the iced ingenuiTEA) be overly burdensome?

[witches brew]

I don't use cold water. I make hot tea using twice as much tea, let it cool, and then pour it over ice. The cold water method sounds like it takes too long.

[Mary R]

I'll go to my grave swearing that the best iced tea is Sun Tea.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

[JM]

If I use cold water I toss the tea bags in [I know, you asked about loose] the water the night before and remove them in the morning. I boil a cup of water and add it to the sugar/honey I want to use to sweeten it and pour it into the cold water after I remove the bags. The wife and kids like sweet tea but I like it without, just cold tea. It works well with Earl Grey and Rooibos [with Rooibos I also add a little vanilla extract or cinnamon].

[xine]

I usually use double the amount of leaves (so 2 tsp per 8oz) and make about 4-5 cups at a time, letting is also oversteep. Then I water it down with equal amounts of cold water and ice (or sometimes I mix in fruit puree or juice to make it sweet).

Mary, I haven't tried sun tea yet, but I think I will. I think I like the idea of brewing it in old jam jars (well, at least that's what I've seen in certain recipes...ala Martha S. ) What is your way of making sun tea?

[Mary R]

1 old glass juice bottle filled with cold water
5-10 teabags
1 driveway
1 hot, sunny day

Basically, we just put several (never counted 'em, sorry) teabags in an old glass bottle. We used to use old apple juice gallon bottles when I was younger, but I don't know if anyone makes them out of glass any more. Jam jars might be the only way to go. Anyway, we'd fill up the bottle with water, put the cap on, then park the bottle in the dead center of our driveway until it 'looked like tea.'

The driveway placement is optional...we were just ornery, redneck children.