Homemade iced tea

In summer I love to drink buckets of ice tea to break the monotony of
all the water.

I also attempt to avoid sugar in beverages, so by making
my own ice tea, I control this. It also makes it so affordable and so
very, very tasty.

This combination of flavours is one which a friend of mine introduced me to and it works out perfectly.

What is Rooibos tea?

Rooibos/Redbush is a tea that has its origin in South Africa, in the Western
Cape to be precise (where I live).

Its packed
with antioxidants and is 100% caffeine free, so its a herbal tea that
can be consumed in a similar way to black tea.

I love to make iced tea using Rooibos/Redbush tea rather than black
tea which I find quite bitter, but you can use whatever tea you prefer.

I sometimes blend in about 25% green tea with the Rooibos, which adds extra health properties and I have acquired the taste for it (it is quite bitter).

How to make it

To make a liter of strong iced tea.
– 4 Rooibos tea bags and a liter of water
– about 5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
– the peel from 1 lemon
– a small handful of mint leaves
– 2 T of honey (or sweetener of your choice)
– juice of one lemon
– extra slices of lemon and mint to serve (optional)

Method:

Fill a heat proof jug with boiling water and add tea bags.
While
it is hot, add all the ingredients except the lemon juice and the honey
and allow it to infuse.
I normally leave it in until the water is luke
warm and then I remove the tea bags.
Stir through the honey and add the
lemon juice.
Store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

If you leave the mint, lemon rind and ginger in the tea, the
flavour will strengthen over time.
If you want to keep it quite mild, strain it
out when you remove the tea bags.
Either way works well.
Pour the tea over ice blocks to make it even colder and serve.

Nothing quite beats a refreshing glass of icy cold iced tea in summer.

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