Summer Sips: Iced Tea, 3 Ways

When the weather heats up, it helps to have a few refreshing beverage recipes in your arsenal. A few weeks back, Lauren shared her favorite fancy iced coffee recipes here on the blog (Cacao Mocha with Coconut Cream, anyone? Yum.) But since I know I’m not the only tea drinker out there, today I wanted to share my own list of thirst-quenching iced drinks to get you through the summer season. From my go-to matcha latte to an iced black tea inspired by sangria, these three iced teas will give you something delicious to sip on when you need to beat the heat. Check them out below…

Iced Matcha Coconut Cream Latte

If you’re not already familiar with matcha, it’s a finely ground specially grown green tea powder. It’s caffeine content is 2-3 times higher than green tea leaves, and it has a smooth, creamy taste that makes for an especially delicious latte.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
• ½ cup hot water, almost boiling
• ice
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp honey
  
  

Instructions:

1. Add the matcha powder to the bottom of your glass (use a glass that holds at least 16 oz.). Then, pour the hot water on top of the powder.


2. Using a matcha whisk if you have one, stir the hot liquid until all of the matcha powder dissolves into the water. (If you do not have a matcha whisk, using a fork will work in a pinch. But I really do recommend investing in a bamboo tea whisk if you drink matcha frequently!)


3. Add the honey and stir well to dissolve into the hot liquid.


4. Fill your cup with ice cubes, and then pour the coconut milk over the ice.


5. Give your glass one last good stir using a long spoon or butter knife. Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Sangria Black Iced Tea

This fruity black iced tea is inspired by the same kinds of fruit that you would find in fresh fruit sangria. It has just the right amount of sweetness and is guaranteed to keep you cool.

Ingredients:

• 3 black tea bags
• 1 cup hot water, almost boiling
• ice
• ½ cup fresh fruit, diced (try apple, pear, orange, grapes, or mango)
• orange wedge, for garnish
• ½ tsp sugar (optional)
  
  

Instructions:

1. Place all three teabags and fruit in a teacup and pour the hot water over them. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes, and then remove the tea bags.
(Tip: Using multiple tea bags makes for a stronger brew to compensate for when the melting ice in Step 3 waters it down.)


2. Add in the sugar (optional) and stir to dissolve).


3. Fill a 12 or 16 oz. glass with ice, and then pour the hot tea over the ice. Garnish with an orange wedge.


4. Drink immediately, or let sit in the fridge overnight to infuse the tea with even more of the fruit flavor.

Cool as a Cucumber Iced Green Tea

Think of this as iced tea meets spa water. With a mix of green tea, cucumber, lemon, and mint, this drink is the definition of refreshing.

Ingredients:

• 2 green tea bags
• 1 mint tea bag
• 1 cup hot water, almost boiling
• ice
• 2 cucumber slices
• 2 lemon slices
• 1 sprig of mint
• ½ tsp sugar (optional)
  
  

Instructions:

1. Place all three teabags in a teacup and pour the hot water over them. Allow the tea to steep for 3 minutes, and then remove the tea bags. (Tip: Using multiple tea bags makes for a stronger brew to compensate for when the melting ice in Step 3 waters it down.)


2. Add in the sugar (optional) and stir to dissolve).


3. Fill a 12 or 16 oz. glass with ice, cucumber, and lemon, and then pour the hot tea over the ice. (You can also squeeze a little lemon juice in the glass if you would like a stronger lemon flavor.) Garnish with a sprig of mint.


4. Drink immediately, or let sit in the fridge overnight to infuse the tea with even more of the cucumber, lemon, and mint flavor.

They look pretty delicious, don’t they? All the recipes above are single serving, but with the black and green iced teas, you can easily triple or quadruple the recipe to make a whole pitcher. (Matcha is best made by the glassful.)

Which one of these three drinks is your cup of tea?

Let me know below, and make sure to pin your favorite on Pinterest!

Xx
Ilana

P.S. For anyone asking, the cute floral top in the second to last photo is from Paper Crown.

Photos: Stephanie Todaro Photography for LaurenConrad.com