How to Make Really Great Iced Tea?!
Answers:
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I brew tea with loose leaf in a beaker (any good sized glass container will work) and pour it through a strainer into room-temperature water. If you cool it too quickly, it will precipitate leaving a lot of residue on the bottom of the container. That's why I don't add ice until after it cools in the fridge.
As to the sweetening: sugar doesn't dissolve properly in cold water, so I use simple syrup. All you do is put equal amounts sugar and water in a pot, bring it to a boil for about 3 minutes and let cool. The best part of simple syrup is that you can put it in a squeeze bottle so people can add it to taste.
You can put a galleon of water in a clear container with 4 tea bags and leave it outside for a couple of hours (about 4-6). Then after you just put it in the fridge and add sugar if you wish to.
experience
Don't use instant or tea bags. Look for whole or loose leaf tea and make in a coffee pot and then pour it in a pitcher half full of ice.
They use fannings (lowest grade particle of tea) to put in tea bags, and instant is, well instant.
