Homemade Iced Tea

I've been making homemade iced tea for years and although it has always (well almost always) been good, it has taken me until this month to come up with the perfect blend of ingredients and method for ME!

After commenting on twitter that after years of trying, I had finally perfected my iced tea making abilities, I was flooded with requests for the recipe, OK, maybe not flooded, but there were some comments and requests.  (The two of you who really did ask for the recipe, I hope you feel special, getting a whole blog post!)  So, here it is!

Nicki's Perfect After Years Of Trying Homemade Iced Tea

*Note* This is an easy recipe, but not a quick process, it take a couple of hours to make the tea and several hours to chill!  

Boil 8 cups of water.

Add 12 orange pekoe tea bags.

Let sit for 1-2 hours.

Remove tea bags.

Add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice.

Stir well until sugar dissolves.

Add 6 cups of cold water.

Chill and serve.

*If you are looking to be all fancy, you can garnish it with fresh fruit.  Strawberries, lemons, oranges, raspberries or blueberries all work well.

**If you are wanting to be REALLY fancy, serve it in a punch bowl with fresh fruit.

***If you are looking for a little kick, try adding a shot (or two!) of Peach Snapps to you glass.

Now, just because this is MY perfect iced tea, doesn't mean that it is perfect for you.  Experiment with the number of tea bags to make stronger or weaker tea.  Play with the sugar and lemon juice to get the perfect blend for your taste buds.  You can even replace some or all of the tea bags with your favourite herbal tea for a completely different iced tea experience!

Whatever you do, think of me on the next hot, humid summer day as you fill your kitchen with steam in search of your own perfect glass of iced tea.