Just wondering if someone can please give me a recipe for iced tea - low cal of course. I love the stuff and it has to be cheaper and probably better for you to make your own rather than buy it.

TIA

i will have a glass every now/then - but my husband drinks it by the gallon each day.

i make sun tea.

i have a really old glass decanter (was dh's grandmothers) - can only use Luzianne Tea Bags (3 of them) with one lemon cut in slices (not squeezed). i let that sit 6/7hrs in the sun and depending on how strong you like it you can use more/less bags and more/less sun time.....this is hubby's recp, took me a while to get it down right:blink:

for sweetner we've gone to truvia lately vs splenda. i actually like this natural sweetner, and will drink more tea on a hot day than i have in the past.

Um... tea bags and Water?

Lipton has a Cold Brew teabag that brews up quickly in cold water. That's what I use when I want to make a quantity of iced tea. If desired, sweeten to taste with the artificial sweetener of your choice.

I fill a dutch over pot full with Water and bring it just to a boil - where you can see it starting to bubble. I turn off the heat and add 3 luzianne teabags for about 15 minutes then take them out ( you dont want the tea to be bitter) then I add a 1/2 cup of sweet n low and poor into a gallon sized pitcher -- feel the rest up with ice or water - I like my tea fairly weak but hate it when it gets BITTER.

Hope this helps - I had to ask my friends from Alabama how to make GOOD TEA!

Thanks for the idea's so far. Most of the commercial types are flavoured - peach, lemon etc and this is what I am really after.

LOL. I am sure I can manage PLAIN iced(cold tea)!

If you like more generic teas than brewed teas you can just use crystal light (its caffeine and sugar free). Thats what most of the folks that I know who are banded use. And it comes in all of the usual flavors (plain, lemon, berries, etc.). There is also the crystal light lemonades which are good too.

I'm a tea fanatic. Most teas should never be brewed longer than 5 minutes. But I know people have different recipes and tolerance levels.

The only "recipe" I know for Iced Tea, unfortunately, is an old "Southern Sweet Tea" recipe. Trust me, it will make your teeth hurt!

My step-mother, a grand old dam of The South, taught it to me.

Bring 3 cups of Water to a boil.

Add 1 cup of sugar.

Dissolve.

Add 6 teabags (3 if you use the Luzianne Family Size).

Let steep/brew for 15 minutes (I shudder at the length!)

Then pour the tea "syrup" into a pitcher and add ice and water to fill.

I fill a 1 qt Mason jar with water and put one family size decaf tea bag and one fruit flavored herbal tea bag in. Microwave for 5 minutes then just let it steep. It makes a concentrate that I pour into a pitcher then fill the rest with water. I like the subtle fruit flavor rather than a strong fruit flavor so mixing the tea bags works great. I use no calorie sweetener. My kids and I go thru a gallon per day most days.

if you want the fruity foo foo teas you can buy them powdered and sugar free! :smile2:

We southern people do not take iced tea lightly! LOL

I make mine with 2 scoops of lipton loose leaf. People love it (or pretend they do) but no fruit. That's just, um, sacrilege LOL

Walmart brand instant single tea packs in peach/lemon etc a cheap! Compared to crystal light etc..!

I love iced tea and have recently really been into the mint kind. :wub: To make it, I take 2 bags of Tazo "Refresh" and brew them in a tea cup for approx. 3-5 min, then I pour the tea concentrate into a pitcher of cold water and add ice. It's really good, and also makes it a lot easier for me to get my water in (it totally lives up to its name, and is perfect in the warmer months)! :thumbup: Sometimes, I add fresh mint leaves and ice to the glasses before I add the tea, but this step isn't required (it just makes it a bit more special). Since you're looking for a fruity tea, however, try doing the same with other types of herbal teas or infusions (they have countless types). One fruit tea that is especially nice iced is Twinnings "Herbal Unwind"--an orange and honey flavored one. :tt2: I personally don't like sweet tea, but if you do, you can always add Splenda or some other type of artifical sweetener. I'm thinking about trying out a splash of juice or some frozen or fresh smashed berries in plain teas to make them fruit flavored, but I haven't experimented with it yet. I'll let you know how it comes out, but I'm sure it should be good, since both ingredients are yummy on their own. :thumbup: Just a side note--don't try adding any lemonade to the mint tea (I had some left over and tried it the other day--it's gross, ha ha)!

I make mine with Nestea and Splinda.

If you're looking to brew your own tea, and not use a mix, there are plenty of flavored teas out there. I like lemon flavor, so I add several thin slices of lemon to the Water as it is boiling, and then add the tea bags.

If you want to get your Protein in at the same time, Isopure makes a lemon black tea and a lemon green tea that has 40g of protein in a 20 oz bottle.

Never got the taste for brewed tea

i like ice tea but sometimes a little flavor is nice ( but DON"T DO IT TO MY COFFEE:biggrin:) there are brands who carry teas with flavorings like Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow, Constant Comment and even our local coffee shop ( The MILL in Lincoln NE - is online & ships) have regular and flavored teas. Some are in bags and others are loose teas ( You will need something to hold the loose tea in while it steeps in the water, like a tea ball) For those teas with lots of non tea ingredients, steeping in hot water is probably best method. These teas work cold or hot. For Sweetener, try your favorite no cal sweetener.

I Also will take the Crytal Light Raspberry ICE (which, for me, is too sweet), and mix it half and half with regular brewed ice tea.

Hope this gives you some ideas

Edited June 27, 200917 yr by sue in ne

Walmart actually has a Mr. coffee iced tea maker on sale right now. I've been in a few Walmarts and have seen it being displayed out in the middle of the aisles.

I like to use that tea maker, because I can select whatever flavours I want. I use two big Luzianne tea bags, and then two small flavoured tea bags. I have a HUGE assortment of teas in my pantry. I should take a picture and show you. I have a whole basket full and then stacks of boxes.

This way I can make cranberry, mint, peach, raspberry, etc etc etc. Anything you can think of that you can find in any store. If you like your tea a little sweetened you can add a bit of Splenda to it.

As a side note--I was a "drink with my meal" cheater. But I only drank iced tea. And then I found out that if you drink tea with your meal, it blocks Iron absorption, which can lead to anaemia. So that was the final stake in my drinking while eating cheat :rolleyes2: Just wanted to pass that along to any of you other closet cheaters.

Good luck making some awesome teas.