Iced Lemon Tea ~ A substitute for hot tea for this boiling summer !

The temperature hit 120 F over this weekend. Oh boy, it is so hot and they say the summer has just begun :(. I could literally feel being placed in an oven. Lots of buttermilk, cool drinks, chilled desserts is all what we want to have.

Evening tea time is never spared without a cup of hot coffee, at our home. But with the heat here, we loved sipping this iced tea. Every gulp of it felt heavenly :). Would you like to try some?

Well, you might be imagining it is not a recipe. But for beginners, it might be helpful. Because I have heard it from someone how she had trouble preparing tea for the first time. She indeed asked, "How many bubbles should I wait for the hot water to release before I drop in the tea leaves?" We couldn't stop laughing at that question untill we realized she was serious. But now she makes perfect tea :).

So hoping that this post would help someone out there, here is how I made it.

Ingredients

1. 2 glasses of water
2. 1/2 tbsp of tea leaves
3. 3 tbsp of sugar
4. 5-6 drops of lemon juice
5. Sliced lemon for garnishing
6. Mint leaves for garnishing
7. Ice cubes as required

Method

• In a saucepan, pour in the water and add sugar. Heat it.
• Once its about to boil, drop in the tea leaves and let it boil.
• Remove it from heat and add the lemon juice to it.
• Drain out the tea on to a pitcher and let it cool.
• Once cool, adjust the sweetness accordingly and pop it into the fridge and let it chill. 
• Serve it with ice cubes and garnished with sliced lemon and mint.

Tips

1. Do not drop the leaves as soon as you place the pan on heat. It makes the tea very strong. We like the iced tea to be mild and so I do not tend to boil it for long either.
2. I used just few drops of lemon to get a flavor. Too much of lemon juice would make it taste bitter.
3. You could also crush the mint leaves with your hand and drop it in the pitcher before you chill it.