Mastering the loose-leaf iced tea at home (+free cheat sheet)

There’s nothing quite like a refreshing glass of iced tea to beat the heat on a hot summer day. Wondering how to make it? Which loose-leaf tea should you pick? And how do you season, sweeten, and blend it just right to create that perfect summer cooler? With this article, we’ll cover all those things and more. Remember to download my free How to Make Tea Cheat Sheet to make the best teas and iced teas!

Homemade iced tea collection: Rooibos iced tea, mint iced tea, and blueberry-hibiscus iced tea side by side photos.

Homemade iced teas – naturally

Iced teas are simple beverages to make at home once you get the hang of it. I got my interest in iced teas through my love of teas as part of a more natural lifestyle. I just can’t drink hot tea when it is hot – the only exception is sweet Moroccan mint tea, thanks to my Moroccan husband, but I figured out how to make an iced Moroccan mint tea to enjoy a cold tea – however, he insists that you cannot drink it cold – well, what do you think?

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If you love natural living as I do, you might have noticed as I did when doing my discovery, that iced teas have plenty of artificial additives, lot’s of E-codes, colorants and sweeteners that I was not ok to put in my body – so making iced tea at home started to make more and more sense. Here are a few more things why homemade iced tea is so cool:

Why making iced tea from scratch is awesome

Better flavor: Adapt your tea to your liking effortlessly.
So affordable: Making your iced tea is so cost-effective, for you need only a fraction of the flavouring ingredients and plenty of water and ice cubes.
Higher quality: Pick the best quality tea and freshest ingredients on hand.
Wider selection: Choose what teas, tea blends, or herbal teas you have and want. Not just the regular peach iced tea from the shelf of the grocery store.
Healthier: Decide on your sweetener, how much or how little is perfect for your diet.

Here are my quick guides on how to do cold-brewed iced tea and hot-brewed iced tea, with the amount of tea needed in both methods. The ratio of tea to water is higher in the hot brew method because the brewing time is short, and we want the most flavor out of the loose leaf teas.

Choose the method that best suits your day.

Pro tips for making loose-leaf iced tea before you start

If you are afraid of bitter flavors in tea and temperatures (don’t be, but if you are), choose the cold brewing method, and you will have perfect iced tea every single time.

Brew the tea leaves correct time and use the correct amount of tea leaves (download my Tea Steeping Cheat Sheets to make perfect tea every single time.)

Season it slightly stranger than regular hot tea. The ice cubes will melt and dilute your iced tea, and cold flavors are harder to taste than hot ones.

Loose leaf iced tea: cold brew method

The cheat shheet for making an iced tea with the cold brew method with action steps and images.

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Measure 1 tablespoon of loose-leaf tea per 200ml of water.
Pour cold water over the tea leaves, add sweetener if you prefer, and let it sit in the fridge to cold brew overnight (about 8 to 12 hours).
Strain the tea leaves off, discard them, and save the hot tea.
Add lemon juice for balance.
Serve with ice cubes.

Loose leaf iced tea: hot brew method

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The cheat shheet for making an iced tea with the hot brew method, with action steps and images.

A good rule of thumb is to use double the loose-leaf tea in a hot brew tea than in a cold brew tea.

Measure 1 tablespoon of loose-leaf tea per 100ml of water.
Pour hot water over the tea leaves, let it steep.
Strain the tea leaves off.
Sweeten with sugar or honey and add lemon juice to balance.
Pour a 1:1 ratio of cold water over the steeped tea.
Serve your homemade iced tea with ice cubes.

Key ingredients for homemade iced tea

There are not many things you need to make a perfect iced tea, but there are some key ingredients and things that you can add to make more complex flavors.

Loose tea leaves: What to choose

Select the type of tea that best suits the result you’re aiming for, taking into account the other ingredients you’re choosing. This way, you can create a delicious iced tea.

Loose-leaf white tea or loose-leaf green tea for fresh flavours with plenty of the acidity of lime or lemon, or herbs like mint and thyme.

For more earthy flavours to combine with fruits, for example, pick some black tea, oolong tea, or tea blends such as Earl Grey, or jasmine tea for example, or try out with your favourite tea! You can get some nice flavours in iced tea with rooibos or hibiscus too!

Tea brewing times

Each tea has its suggested steep time and water temperature depending on the tea type. And to avoid any bitter flavors in tea, and for the best results, I strongly suggest following them when choosing the hot brewing method. Download my Tea Steeping Cheat Sheets to easily have on hand the times and amounts when steeping your iced tea!

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Water

Use fresh water for making your iced tea. Some teas benefit from distilled water, but if you are a beginner, go with the tap water; it will be just ok.

Natural sweeteners to sweeten your iced tea

Use what you find from your pantry: caster sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, simple syrup, stevia… Leave out completely if you prefer an unsweetened iced tea.

Acid for balance

The best ingredient to add to balance your homemade iced tea is a citrus juice. Try out with different citrus. You’ll get a different vibe with lemon juice than lime juice, and don’t be afraid to play around with the flavours of grapefruit juice or orange juice.

Additional flavors to season your iced tea

When thinking about the additional flavors, try to combine them with the flavors of the loose-leaf tea you have already chosen. One good thing to remember, too, is to season the iced tea bit stronger than you would do when making a hot tea, for the flavours are easier to taste when ingredients are hot and vice versa: when drinking cold iced tea, it might taste mild if you do not season it enough!

Fresh fruit and berries for more fuller flavor

Though peach and lemon are the fruits that are most associated with iced tea, try out other fruits or berries like wild blueberries, black currants, raspberries, or strawberries.Add them in as juice or some chunks into the already infused iced tea.

Spices for more kick

Spiced tea blends are the easiest to start with. Chai tea or cinnamon cardamom with rooibos tea are things to try out! Infuse the spices with the tea in hot brew or cold brew. Increase the cold brewing time with solid spices like cinnamon bark or use powdered cinnamon instead to get more flavor infused into your iced tea.

Herbal addition from the garden

Pick up some of your favourite herbs from your garden or use a herbal blend you have in your tea collection. I personally love homemade iced Moroccan mint tea that combines Moroccan mint and loose gunpowder green tea with lime. Other good mixes are also thyme and lemon, or white tea with lemon balm. I mean it – the sky is the limit!

Cool and decorate with ice cubes

Tiny ice cubes melt quicker than bigger blocks, so choose accordingly to your needs. Have fun and mix different sizes or make more decorative versions:

Decorate ice cubes with flowers, fruits, herbs, or berries.
Make tea ice cubes! No more watery iced tea lacking flavor!

Tools you may need to make iced tea at home

Brewing vessel: Tea pot, pitcher, jar, cup, mug…
Strainer or infuser: Kitchen strainer, tea strainer, tea infuser, infuser ball…
Ice cube tray
Iced tea pitcher or a jug for serving
Glasses to serve
Stainless steel straws for sipping

Iced tea recipes to try out

Different ways to make iced tea

There are several methods for making iced tea. Above, I showed the quick versions of hot brew and cold brew options. Let me

How to make iced tea with a French press or a tea press

Measure 1 tablespoon of loose-leaf tea per 100 ml of water into the base of the French press.
Pour hot water over the tea leaves, add the plunger but do not yet press it down, just let it stay intact with water to capture any volatile flavours and to keep the leaves moist.
Let the tea steep.
Press the plunger and pour the hot tea into a pitcher. Discard the tea leaves and wash the French press for next use.
When still hot, sweeten with sugar or honey.
Add lemon juice to balance.
Pour a 1:1 ratio of cold water over the steeped, sweetened, and seasoned tea.
Serve your homemade iced tea with plenty of ice cubes.

How to make iced tea using a tea strainer or an infuser basket

Choose a cup or teapot with a removable infuser or a separate tea strainer. Because of the hot water, it is best to steep the tea in a different vessel that absorbs some heat, and then, after steeping, pour the hot tea into a pitcher or another room-temperature vessel to help the tea cool for iced tea and to use fewer ice cubes.

Measure 1 tablespoon of loose-leaf tea per 100 ml of water into a tea strainer.
Pour hot water over the tea leaves, let it steep covered with a lid or a saucer.
Lift the tea strainer and discard the tea leaves.
Sweeten the hot tea with sugar or honey and add lemon juice to balance.
Pour a 1:1 ratio of cold water and tea into a glass or an iced tea pitcher.
Serve your homemade iced tea with plenty of ice cubes.

How to make iced tea using a tea ball

A tea ball is handy when making tea for one person. It fits nicely one tablespoon of loose leaf tea in it to leave enough space for the tea leaves to expand and give flavor in the infusion process.