Space Cookie

How to Make Delicious Iced Tea Using Gourmet Teas

According to the U.S. Tea Association, 85% of tea consumed in the US is iced.  Unfortunately, the bulk of the iced tea consumed is made of low quality tea, such as the iced “tea†you find in fast food establishments.  Their tea is often made of tea-flavored syrup.  Many people also use low quality tea bags to make iced tea.  However, you can make delicious, healthy, and original iced tea using whole leaf gourmet teas.

Iced tea is cold and refreshing on a hot summer day but it can also be a delicious, thirst-quenching way to enjoy your gourmet teas throughout the year.  After all, it can get old drinking your gourmet teas hot all the time.  Why not change it up on occasion by drinking your gourmet teas on ice?  Not only is preparing iced gourmet tea fun, it is also a lot more flavorful and healthy for you.

The Benefits of Using Loose Gourmet Teas Instead of Tea Bags

Tea bags are full of tiny pieces of tea leaves known as tea dust.  Tea dust goes stale a lot faster than the whole leaves found in loose gourmet teas.  Furthermore, the flavor and health benefits can’t be compared to what whole leaf loose tea offers.  To put it simply, tea bags create inferior tea.  You’ll be able to enjoy a much tastier and healthier glass of ice tea by starting with loose, whole leaf tea.

Don’t be afraid to get creative!  Blend gourmet teas of different flavors to your liking in order to create an original flavor of iced tea or simply pour your favorite ready-made tea blend over ice.  There are several ways you can create delicious and unique iced tea using  gourmet tea..  Here are some ideas you can use to make iced teas that would serve as the perfect beverage for a tea party, weekend get-together, or picnic.

The Basics

Making iced tea is very similar to making hot tea but there are a few differences.  For one, you should double the amount of tea you use when you make hot tea.  In order to create sweet iced tea, add sugar while the tea is steeping rather than at the end when the tea is consumed.  The flavor turns out a lot better that way.  After the tea is done brewing, pour it into a glass filled with ice.  It is best to cool the tea immediately because the scent and flavor of the tea is preserved that way.  Add some lemon or mint to the glass for tea that is refreshing and delicious.

If you need to prepare iced tea for a large group, you can also make refrigerator iced tea, which can be prepared far before the party.  In fact, it takes twelve hours to brew refrigerator tea.  To make it, use one heaping teaspoon of tea per cup of water.  Place the water and tea in a glass pitcher and let it sit in the fridge overnight or for twelve hours.  Before serving, sieve out the leaves, pour the tea into glasses, and serve.

Fresh tea tastes the best so only make as much as you are going to drink.  Drink it immediately for the best flavor.  Use ice cubes instead of chips or crushed ice to prevent the tea from getting too watered down.

Use six heaping tea spoons of loose tea for each quart of tea you would like to prepare.  If you are using quality gourmet teas, you should be able to use it two more times to brew iced tea.  The water you use should also be of high quality to make the best tasting iced tea.  Don’t use tap water.  You should also make sure to use good water to make ice cubes for your iced tea.

Ice Cube Tips

To prevent your iced tea from getting watered down, consider using juice or freshly brewed tea instead of water to make ice cubes.  Orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, or any other fruit juice you enjoy can add a fruity kick to your iced tea.  You can also try adding mint leaves to the ice cube tray before you make ice cubes so when the ice cubes melt, there are mint leaves floating in your glass.

Sangria Iced Tea

To make a refreshing, fruity iced tea, pour chilled tea over chopped up fruits like strawberries, plums, mangoes, blueberries, and other fruits you enjoy.  Let the tea sit for at least thirty minutes so the flavors of the tea and fruit blend.  When serving the sangria iced tea, garnish each glass with sliced fruit.

Milky Iced Tea

To create a sweet and delicious milky ice tea, blend your favorite non-fruity black tea of choice with ice, milk, and chocolate or vanilla syrup.  You can also create simple vanilla-flavored ice tea by just adding some vanilla syrup to your usual glass of iced tea.

About the Author

Alex White- Being a Tea Enthusiast i have tasted almost an endless number of tea infusions till date. i drink tea, research tea varieties, write about tea and simply love everything about tea. Talbott Tea has been my most recent tea obsession, every tea infusion of theirs is a true .. for more log on to Gourmet Tea.

5 Tips to Eco-Friendly Parenting

As people are beginning to understand how their behavior alters the planet, ecological consciousness is becoming a popular trend. Parents have the responsibility to teach their children the importance of the environment and the impact it will have on their lives and futures. A few easy steps in your own home will develop an understanding of personal action and awareness in your child. Children learn from example, so teaching them early on that environmental concerns are important will help. A major step that you can take is to use cloth diapers. Often, parents overlook the idea of using cloth diapers but it's an idea that's definitely worth considering. The advantages of cloth diapering are not limited to cost as the popularity of cloth diaper increases with the quality of materials used for the diapers themselves. ModernToday's cloth dipaers are not like those your parents used. Cloth diapers have become stylish and are available in a broad range of colors and patterns. Many diapers use Velcro closures so you are not going to need the old-fashioned diaper pins. They are very cost-effective over disposable diapers since you use them again and again, and there are even one size cloth diapers that will last your child from the day they are born to the day they are potty trained. This can amount to an enormous cost saving. It has become easier to use cloth diapers while going out or if your child is daycare with the modern day wet bags – stylish, smaller bags designed to contain wetness and odor that you put your cloth diaper in until you get home and throw it in the washing machine. Another step to consider in your quest to "go green" is to eliminate the use of paper products in your home. As convenient as they are, large volumes of paper products are not friendly to the environment. Choosing to reduce how many times your family uses paper plates is an environmentally-friendly choice, eliminating them entirely from your use is even better! Use your regular plates instead. Use cloth dish towels and napkins, which can be washed, instead of paper towels and napkins which are thrown away. This not only helps save the environment but also provides a significant savings on your grocery bill. The most cost effective and green way to feed babies starting solids is to make your own baby food. It’s easy as well. Purchase some organically-grown fruits and veggies and a few inexpensive ice cube trays during your next grocery shopping. Dice the vegetables or fruit and puree in your blender or food processor. After they are adequately pureed, pour the mixture into the ice tray and freeze them. Once they are frozen pop them out into baggies. As your baby's mealtime approaches, take a cube from the freezer and let it gradually thaw, or microwave ot for 10 to 15 seconds. You have an organic, nutritious meal for your baby made of organic ingredients and all items used in the process can be reused from the ice cube trays to the baggies. It may surprise you to realize even children's toys can have an effect on the ecosystem. Unfortunately, the processes used to manufacture children's toys is not eco-friendly. Some have even been found to be dangerous to children. Wooden toys or stuffed animals made with organic cotton can be purchased instead of non biodegradable plastic ones. You can even knit or crochet your own baby toys. Another great choice would be a book. For obvious reasons books will increase your child’s brain power and imagination, but books can also be recycled when they are outgrown. Your household can be very eco-friendly if you implement any of the hundreds of ideas related to the suggestions herein. Your day-to-day activities can easily be adapted to the adage: "reduce, reuse, recycle".Always explain the purpose of these actions to your children to foster their own understanding how every person has an influence on the world. And let them know that it's their future which they are protecting when they take a few simple actions today.

The worldwide movement to becoming more environmentally aware is an increasing trend. The importance of the environment and how to be aware of the ramifications of our actions is instilled in our youth by their parents. Your child can develop a sense of personal involvement and an understanding of advocacy with just a few easy steps in your own home. Instilling earth-friendly ideas and behaviors in your children helps make these steps part of their day to day lives.

 

A major step that you can take is to use cloth diapers. Some parents tend to immediately disregard the idea but it is definitely one worth considering. The interest in cloth diapering is on the rise since the advantages of convenience and cost reduction are weighing more heavily on today's parents. ModernToday's cloth dipaers are not like those your grandparents had to use. Cloth diapers have become fashionable and are available in a broad range of colors and designs. Many diapers use Velcro closures so you are not going to need the old-fashioned diaper pins. They are very cost-effective over disposable diapers since you use them again and again, and there are even one size cloth diapers that will last your child from the day they are born to the day they are potty trained. This provide a huge cost saving. It has become easier to use cloth diapers while going out or if your child is daycare with the modern day wet bags – stylish, smaller bags designed to contain wetness and odor that you put your cloth diaper in until you get home and throw it in the washing machine.

 

Your entire family can participate in reducing or even eliminating the use of paper products. While paper products are convenient, they are wreaking havoc on our environment. Instead of eating off of paper plates each night, use them only once or twice a week or even not at all! It is a good idea to use regular plates instead of the paper products. In lieu of paper-based towels and napkins at meals, which must be thrown away after each meal, use cloth towels and cloth napkins which can be thrown in the washing machine and re-used many times. Not only are you helping with environmental savings but you will also be saving on your weekly shopping.

 

The most cost effective and green way to feed babies starting solids is to make your own baby food. And, it's easy too. Purchase some organic vegetables and fruits and a few inexpensive ice cube trays during your next grocery shopping. Dice the vegetables or fruit and puree in your food processor or blender. After they've been adequately pureed, pour the mixture into the ice cube tray and place into freezer. Once they are frozen pop them out into baggies. As mealtime approaches, take a veggie or fruit cube from the freezer and let it gradually thaw, or microwave ot for 10 to 15 seconds. When you make your own baby food, you not only know how fresh the food items are but you also can reuse all the items required to make and store the food as well.

 

Finally, even the toys that your child plays with can have an effect on the environment. The manufacturing process for most children's toys is not earth-friendly and the toys contain many artificial materials. Some are even proving to be dangerous to children. Wooden toys or stuffed animals made with organic cotton can be purchased instead of non biodegradable plastic ones. You can even knit or crochet your own baby toys. A book is always a excellent choice. Not only do books provide a strong learning environment for for your child's intellect and creativity, but they can also be passed along to others and recyled to reduce environmental waste.

 

In addition to these ideas, there are hundreds of other actions you and your family can take to make your household more green. The saying reduce, reuse, recycle can always be applied in your day-to-day activities.  Be sure to explain to your children the purpose of these actions so that they understand that everyone has an impact on the world they live in. And make sure they realize that it's their future which they are improving when they take a few simple actions today.

About the Author

Maria Cummings is devoted mom that works to help kids and families in the community. Manager of Bustling Baby, Maria loves to share her parenting experiences with new parents and assists parents in finding the best baby products, such as Eddie Bauer Baby Gear.

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