The hottest drink out there? That, of course, is tea. Ice tea for example!

You can easily make iced tea yourself. There are different methods of making tea: with hot water, with cold water (cold brew), or with a mix of the two (shockbrew). This serves as the basis for your home made iced tea. Are you thirsty yet? We explain below how to go about it and share our tea top tips. Making iced tea is really a breeze, promise. 

Making cold brew iced tea

We prefer to make iced tea according to the 'cold-brew' method. The name says it all, for this way of making tea you use cold water. Here's why we love cold brew:

• In general, tea made with cold water is softer and slightly sweeter in taste than when you use hot water. This is partly due to tannin. That substance is released when the lose tea comes into contact with boiling water and can cause a bitter taste. 
• Another taste benefit is that cold water helps to bring out the sweet flavors of the tea. As a result, you don't have to add sweetness to a cold brew, or hardly at all. 

How to make cold-brew iced tea:

For 1 liter

• 1 liter of cold water
• 2-6 tablespoons loose frank tea
• seasonings, such as fresh fruit or herbs (optional)
• ice cubes, to taste

1. Put the water in a carafe with the loose tea in it (you can filter that out later). 
2. Add seasonings if you like and let it steep in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours. The longer you leave the tea, the stronger the taste. 
3. Pour the tea through a filter and serve with extra ice cubes if desired.  

Making iced tea with hot water

You can also make iced tea with hot water. A few tips:

• For this method, make tea as you always do, taking into account the temperature of the water. For example, you use water at 100°C for herbal infusions, but that is much too hot for white and green tea. In that case, use boiled water that you let cool slightly, or use a fancy kettle whose temperature can be set. 
• Tea made with hot water allows you to steep much less than a cold brew: keep the time indicated on the package. Then let it cool down to room temperature before putting the iced tea in the fridge; better for your fridge and the planet. Once cold, you can serve the iced tea with extra ice if you feel like it. 

How to make iced tea with hot water:

For 1 liter

• 1 liter of hot water
• 2-6 tablespoons loose frank tea
• seasonings, such as fresh fruit or herbs (optional)
• ice cubes, to taste

1. Put the water in a carafe with the loose tea in it (you filter that out later) and let it steep for 10 minutes. 
2. Pour the tea through a filter, add seasonings if necessary, let it cool to room temperature and then put it in the fridge. The longer, the better the flavors you add will be absorbed. 
3. Serve the cold tea with extra ice if you like, and a seasoning for decoration if you want to impress. 

Shock brew

For anyone without patience, with a craving for iced tea, there is the 'shockbrew' method. You let the tea steep in about 250 ml of hot water, which you then mix with cold water. Maybe add some seasonings, a handful of ice cubes, and you're good to go. 

How to make a shock brew:

for 1 liter 

• 500ml hot water
• 2-6 tablespoons loose frank tea
• seasonings, such as fresh fruit or herbs (optional)
• 750ml cold water
• ice cubes, to taste

1. Put the hot water in a carafe with the loose tea in it (you can filter that out later).
2. Add seasonings if you like and let steep according to the recommended time on the package. 
3. Pour the tea through a filter and add enough ice cubes to make 1 liter. Add flavors, cheers!

Choose your tea base

We think the biggest advantage of homemade iced tea is that you can adjust it completely to your own taste. It all starts with the basics: the tea. Are you a green tea-fan? Then that's a perfect start. Prefer something a little firmer? Then you can try making iced tea from earl grey. One of our personal favorites: iced Jasmin tea. Refreshing, slightly sweet and exactly what you want on sultry summer days. After brewing the tea, you can further flavor it with your favorite herbs, fruit or other seasonings and something sweet. Then put the iced tea in the fridge, or serve it immediately with a handful of ice cubes. 

Make the taste

You can add the flavors you like to that tea base. Our favourites:

• Slices of fresh ginger
• (Frozen) fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries or mango
• Strawberries (or just the crowns, they give a lot of flavor. No waste!)
• Slices of fresh turmeric
• Edible flowers
• Slices or ribbons of rhubarb
• Slices of citrus, such as lemon, grapefruit, or orange

Making your own iced tea is mainly a matter of trying and tasting, because nothing is as personal as taste. In all cases, you can sweeten the drink with sugar, sugar syrup, agave syrup or honey. Try it without first, because often it is just a matter of getting used to. Without added sweetener you can taste the taste of the tea much better. Different from the ones from a factory, at least as tasty.