It’s that time of year again where we begin to defrost and enjoy the warmer weather. This year looks a little different to others we’ve experienced, but it’s still the perfect time to make up a batch of Earl Grey iced tea.
This refreshing Earl Grey iced tea is perfect to enjoy after a morning working in the garden or while reading in the sunshine. Whatever the activity, having a pitcher of this beautiful iced tea on hand is a great idea! The calming and soothing bergamot oil particular to Earl Grey is perfect for this time of year. Who couldn’t use a little soothing and calming, right?
Earl Grey packs plenty of flavor on its own, and it's also a great base tea for creating your own signature iced tea blend by experimenting with other flavors. Grapefruit, orange, and lime are all ingredients you can use to adjust the flavor of your Earl Grey iced tea. For the more adventurous, consider infusing with lavender or peach and rosemary.
This recipe uses lemon slices for a citrus flavor infusion, but you could replace the lemon slices with mint leaves to make a peppermint Earl Grey iced tea. Or swap the lemon slices out for other favorite citrus fruits.
Making Earl Grey Iced Tea
If you’ve never made iced tea before, don’t worry, you’ve got this! While there are a number of ways to make iced tea, today we’ll be using the hot brew method.
The advantage of this method is that it doesn’t take long to prepare but still delivers on flavor. This method heats all ingredients together on the stovetop for a slower infusion. The sugar added to the mixture balances nicely with the Earl Grey tea without any of the grittiness that can come from other sweetening methods.
Allow your leaves to move freely and release the most flavor by adding the leaves directly to the water, then use a strainer to collect the leaves from the water before serving.
The Perfect Earl Grey Iced Tea
Wondering what blend to use in your Earl Grey iced tea?
If you're a fan of black teas, Creme Brulée Earl Grey is a soft and creamy blend, perfect in all of its brewed forms – including as an Earl Grey iced tea! Gratitude Blend strawberry Earl Grey is a beautifully sweet tea, perfect in particular if you want to try this recipe with strawberry instead of lemon. Delightful Morning Blend with vanilla, bergamot, and lavender makes for the perfect calming cup. Why not enjoy it iced as well as hot?
Queen’s Blend uses green tea with bergamot to form a unique, soft Earl Grey, while Healthy, Wealthy and Wise herbal tea expertly blends red and green rooibos tea with bergamot and mint to uplift and refresh. For those looking for an intriguing Earl Grey blend, this is the tea for you.
Earl Grey Iced Tea
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons of your favorite Earl Grey blend (I used Mindful Morning)
- 4 cups of water
- 4 fresh lemon slices
- 1 cup of sugar
- Sparkling water (optional)
Directions:
Place water, Earl Grey tea, and lemon slices into a pan on the stovetop. Heat at a low temperature for 2 minutes.
Use a strainer to remove tea leaves and lemon slices. Add sugar to the tea mixture and heat for a further 5 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved.
Turn off heat and allow the tea to continue steeping for a further 10 minutes (or longer for even stronger flavor). If not completely cooled, allow the tea to cool further by setting aside or placing it in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pour Earl Grey iced tea mixture over ice in a glass. Top with sparkling water and garnish with lemon slices if desired. Enjoy!
This Earl Grey iced tea method can be applied to make iced tea out of many other blends. If you love this recipe and you’re considering exploring the world of iced tea further, we have curated a collection of teas we think are perfect for iced tea.
Got a bit more time on your hands? Consider trying the cold brew method. While this takes longer to prepare, the extra effort is worth it.
Looking for more iced tea recipes? Look no further than our round-up of 12 summer iced tea recipes. No matter the season, these iced teas are beautiful and refreshing.
