How to Make Peppermint and Apple Iced Tea, The Old-Fashioned Way
This post is brought to you with thanks to Nerada Tea
Things are really heating up in Australia, and it might seem that tea is the last thing on your mind. I personally find a hot cup of tea refreshing at any time of year, but during these incredibly hot days, I love to make my own iced tea, made the old-fashioned way of brew, chill and pour. I fill a tall glass with ice cubes, and enjoy a cool, refreshing drink all day long. Iced tea made from real tea, at home, is healthier and not filled with sugars and other additives. It is particularly good for someone like me, who has many gut conditions, as well as type 1 diabetes. Having no added sugar and the combination of the herbs with the cool ice, really soothes me.
History of Iced Tea
Iced tea has been around for over 100 years, first appearing in America during the 1860s, where it remains hugely popular to this day, especially in the southern states. Restaurants and diners around the country often offer bottomless glasses of iced tea in dispensers, one filled with sweetened iced tea, the other with unsweetened. The oldest printed recipes date back to 1870s when iced tea consumption became quite widespread, featuring on hotel menus and selling by the glass at railroad stations.
There are commercially made iced teas you can buy off the shelf, often in plastic bottles. But you don’t need the gimmicky options, (or the single use plastic) which are not as healthy as they may appear. Like me, you can simply brew, chill and pour your favourite tea and herbal infusions, as an alternative drink for summer. Adding fruits and other ingredients, can jazz them up and create an exciting array of taste sensations, like the following recipe for Peppermint and Apple Iced Tea.
As the base for my favourite iced tea brews, I like to use the Nerada organic infusions, with Lemon & Ginger Iced Tea and Peppermint & Apple Iced Tea, being popular. Often, I just brew the peppermint or lemon and ginger, and have that on its own. But why not try a summer version of high tea with one of these iced brews as the drink of choice? Making iced tea couldn’t be easier, healthier or tastier. It’s as simple as making up your favourite Nerada tea or organic infusion and serving it over ice – the perfect drink for the summertime.
PEPPERMINT & APPLE ICED TEA RECIPE
Try this easy (and refreshing) peppermint and apple recipe.
INGREDIENTS
• 3 Nerada Peppermint teabags
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1.25L chilled clear apple juice (you can make your own or buy unsweetened apple juice)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice ( I also add 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice to mine)
• Ice for serving
• Watermelon slices
• 2 Lebanese Cucumbers
METHOD
1. Place peppermint teabags in a large heatproof jug and pour over boiling water. Steep for 6 minutes then remove the teabags and place the jug in the fridge until chilled.
2. Combine apple juice with the chilled peppermint tea. Add lime juice.
3. Place some ice into serving glasses. Peel some cucumber ribbons using a potato peeler and add to the serving glasses with some small wedges of watermelon. Pour the chilled tea over the ice and serve at once.
JOIN THE 2019 NERADA TASTING TEA-M
Brew, chill and enjoy – making real iced tea couldn’t be easier with Nerada’s Organic Infusions range. It’s the drink of summer, and Nerada would love you try how simple it is to make a true brew. They will select 100 people to sample their range, complete with recipes to make iced tea at home and then all they ask is that you share your thoughts on social media.
Simply fill in your details here and tell Nerada in 25 words or less, why you deserve to join the official Nerada Tasting Tea-m!They will send the lucky winners a selection of Nerada black tea and organic herbal infusions and the deliciously refreshing iced tea recipes for you to enjoy! Share photos and thoughts of your Nerada Tea tasting experience on social media using #TeaTastingTea
Bottoms up!
Helen x