We’re sure you’ll agree that on a hot summer’s day, there’s nothing better than iced tea: vibrant in flavor and color, flavored with your favorite ingredients, refreshing, and tonic. Iced tea can be a healthier alternative to the soft drinks in the shops. But do you know how to prepare iced tea with fewer calories but a more expressive taste? Here are some iced tea benefits, tricks, suggestions, and three exotic recipes that will take you back to warm countries!
How Do You Make Iced Tea Benefits Work?
When making iced tea, we often tend to underestimate the importance of the ingredients in it. We might think that one inappropriate ingredient or another makes our tea tasteless and aesthetically unappealing to the eye. Nutritionists suggest several ways to incorporate the benefits of iced tea into a healthier drink.
- Choose quality tea. Use high-quality tea leaves or bagged tea to make chilled tea. If possible, choose organic teas to avoid pesticides or other harmful chemicals.
- Limit the amount of added sugar. Avoid too much sugar when making iced tea. Use natural sweeteners such as honey, agave syrup, or stevia instead of refined sugar. For natural sweetness, you can flavor cold tea with fresh fruit.
- Portion size is essential. Nutritionist K. Shah suggests choosing fewer portion sizes while drinking tea with ice. Drinking large quantities of any beverage, even if it is healthy, can lead to excessive calorie and sugar intake.
- Prepare strong tea. Make iced tea more potent than regular hot tea, as the melting ice added will naturally dilute the tea.
- Supplement iced tea with flavor but not calories. Add natural flavors to the drink, like lemon, lime, mint, ginger, or other fruits and herbs. This will help you avoid extra calories and add flavor to the tea.
Iced Tea for… Every Day?
Iced tea can be your daily companion on hot summer days, especially if you choose unsweetened or low-sweetened varieties and consume them in moderation. But even so, it’s worth remembering a few things:
Caffeine content. If you are sensitive to caffeine, drinking large amounts of iced tea can cause problems such as sleep disturbances, nervousness, or an increased heart rate. It is essential to monitor your caffeine intake, so you need to consider drinking decaffeinated iced tea or occasionally choosing herbal tea.
Iced tea should not replace water. Although this tea can contribute to your daily fluid intake, it should not be the only source of liquid. Drink an adequate amount of water, especially in the summer, to prevent the body from hydrating.
Take into account your health needs. If you have any specific health conditions or diseases, such as kidney stones or acid reflux, you may need to limit your consumption of certain types of tea, including iced tea.
We suggest 3 exotic iced tea recipes: ‘Agua de Jamaica,’ classic peach tea, and spicy cold rooibos tea.
Exotic Iced Agua de Jamaica Tea
Iced Agua de Jamaica is a sweet Mexican tea that will refresh you on a hot summer day.
To make this tea, you will need:
- ½ or ¾ cup of hibiscus tea (the amount depends on the size of the petals)
- 1 lime
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- 5 cups of boiled, hot water
- mint or rosemary sprigs (if you like)
Directions:
Pour 4 cups of hot water over the hibiscus tea, then leave it for 15-20 minutes until the liquid turns rich red. Prepare the syrup: put ½ cup granulated sugar in a separate bowl, add 1 cup of hot water, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then, squeeze the lime juice into the mug and pour in the prepared syrup, the strained hibiscus tea, and the ice cubes. Stir everything and enjoy!
If you want more sweetness, you can make an extra portion of sugar syrup to flavor the iced tea. Serve this tea in a glass with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.
A Classic: Peach Iced Tea
Iced tea with peaches is a summer tea classic, which has refreshing properties, with a subtle peach flavor and aroma. This peach tea appeals to people who are discovering iced tea varieties.
You need:
- 4 cups of water
- 4 bags of black tea
- 1 peach (pitted, sliced)
- ice cubes
- sweetener of your choice (optional)
Preparation:
Bring water to a boil, pour boiled water over the black tea herbs and the sliced peach, and simmer this mixture for 5-7 minutes. After that, remove the black tea bags and peach slices from the water and let it cool to room temperature. Place the ice cubes in a pitcher, pour in the prepared tea, flavor it with a sweetener of your choice, if necessary, then put it back in the fridge for a few hours and serve it in a glass with a few ice cubes. Enjoy!
Savoury Rooibos Tea
Seasoned with honey, anise, cinnamon, and black pepper, this spicy red tea makes your taste buds dance. This is an embarked journey for those who have discovered iced teas and are ready to explore new flavors.
To make this tea, you will need:
- 2 liters of water
- 20 rooibos tea bags
- 65 g honey
- 5 aniseed stars
- 2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- ½ cup of sugar
- 250 ml of apple juice
Preparation:
Put all the ingredients except the apple juice in a saucepan, cover with 2 liters of water, and boil for 1 hour. Once boiled, let the tea cool down, strain it, pour in the apple juice, and keep this savory red tea in the fridge until you decide to serve it.
Sources:
- https://www.oatandsesame.com/hibiscus-lime-iced-tea
- https://www.healthshots.com/healthy-eating/recipes/chia-seeds-drink-recipes
Associative photos from © Canva.
