Lavender-Mint Iced Tea
Tea with a floral twist
Ingredients
- 8 cups water divided
- 4 English Breakfast tea bags see Notes
- 1 mint tea bag see Notes
- 2 teaspoons culinary lavender buds
- 1 tablespoon simple syrup or 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, optional see Notes
- Garnish with a lemon slice and/or fresh mint sprig
Instructions
- Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Remove from the heat.
- Add 4 cups of boiling water to an 8-cup (1/2-gallon) Mason jar or large pitcher.
- If your tea bags have strings, tie the 4 English Breakfast tea bags and mint tea bag together.
- Add the 4 English Breakfast tea bags and steep for 2 minutes. (The mint tea bag can stay on the outside of the container.)
- Add the mint tea bag and steep for an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove all of the tea bags after they have steeped for 4 minutes. I prefer not to squeeze the tea bags but if you like your tea stronger, squeeze the remaining liquid from them.
- Meanwhile, add the remaining 1 cup of boiling water to a heat-proof measuring cup. Add the culinary lavender, and steep for 4 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into the Mason jar or pitcher.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of cold water and stir.
- If using, add the simple syrup or granulated sugar, and stir. (Since the tea is still warm, the granulated sugar will easily dissolve.)
- Refrigerate until well chilled, then serve over plenty of ice.
- Garnish with a lemon slice and/or fresh mint sprig
Notes
- I used decaffeinated Twinings English Breakfast tea (Darjeeling, Ceylon or a traditional black tea blend—your choice if it’s caffeinated or decaffeinated) and Bigelow Mint Medley, a blend of peppermint and spearmint and naturally decaffeinated.
- SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup (8 ounces) water
1 cup granulated sugar
Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and stir until it completely dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the syrup into a clean 1-pint bottle, cap it and refrigerate it until needed. Makes 1-½ cups and keeps two months or longer in the refrigerator.
