Summertime delights
Sep. 3rd, 2009 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deborahjrossFor a couple of years now, I've been making my own iced tea. I don't usually care for carbonated beverages and our water, although pleasant in taste, gets boring. I'd tried different methods: sun tea (brewed in a big glass jar for several hours in the sun), a pot of water with tea bags, crystallized commercial iced tea or artificially sweetened mixes. Bottles/cans alway struck me as wasteful for use at home, although I will buy Arizona Green Tea with Honey for an occasional away-from-home treat (like dessert, as it's so sweet).
I've finally hit on a method I love. I use a quart canning jar in the microwave (mine takes 5 minutes). I'll add a bag of black tea to the cold water, but green tea gets bitter, so I heat the water for 3 minutes, then add 2 bags and go for another 2 minutes. Sweeten to taste, let cool. I like fruit-flavored teas like mango green tea.
For late in the day, I steer clear of even green tea. Some of the fruit herbal teas (raspberry or lemon zinger, chamomile, some of the blends from Mighty Leaf or London Herb & Tea) make marvelous cold drinks. Sort of like organic Kool-Aid, only tasting much fresher.
It's been so hot, I've been drinking -- and appreciating -- the teas a lot. Usually have 2 jars going, 1 cold, 1 cooling. I started doing this for taste, as commercial iced teas are too sweet for me, but it just occurred to me how much money I'm saving as well.
I've finally hit on a method I love. I use a quart canning jar in the microwave (mine takes 5 minutes). I'll add a bag of black tea to the cold water, but green tea gets bitter, so I heat the water for 3 minutes, then add 2 bags and go for another 2 minutes. Sweeten to taste, let cool. I like fruit-flavored teas like mango green tea.
For late in the day, I steer clear of even green tea. Some of the fruit herbal teas (raspberry or lemon zinger, chamomile, some of the blends from Mighty Leaf or London Herb & Tea) make marvelous cold drinks. Sort of like organic Kool-Aid, only tasting much fresher.
It's been so hot, I've been drinking -- and appreciating -- the teas a lot. Usually have 2 jars going, 1 cold, 1 cooling. I started doing this for taste, as commercial iced teas are too sweet for me, but it just occurred to me how much money I'm saving as well.
