Summer Iced Teas

With summer finally here I decided that I wanted to try making my own iced teas. In my quest for the perfect iced tea, I recently discovered this amazing device from David’s Tea, called the Steeper. I wanted something that I could steep my tea (hot or cold) in a larger quantity, store in the fridge when needed and easily dispense in my cup.

This 18oz BPA-free plastic steeper acts like a teapot, however the unique design allows you to steep your tea and when ready, you simply place the steeper on top of your cup and the tea releases through a valve at the bottom. Its like magic! And when you lift up, the valve closes, so no leakage.

When making iced tea, I simply boil water, and scoop two spoonfuls of my favourite summer tea (you can adjust the amount depending on how much tea you want to make – this makes about one tall glass) directly into the steeper. I then fill the steeper about halfway with boiling water (again you can adjust depending on how much tea you would like).

I steep for as long as the tea calls for, and often times will also put the steeper in the fridge or freezer in order to speed up the cooling process. Also depending on the tea, if I want to add a bit of sweetness, I may put in about a teaspoon of honey or agave nectar. When ready, I fill a cup with ice cubes, and then place the steeper on top. The steeper has a filter, and when pressure is placed on the bottom, a valve opens beneath the filter that allows the tea to pass through while leaving behind the tea leaves.

You can take the steeper apart and place the parts in the dishwasher (it is dishwasher safe), however I am often lazy and will just hand wash the inside and bottom without taking apart all the pieces.

Along with my steeper, I purchased a few fruity teas that are perfect for summer: Just Peachy, Pink Lemonade, Lime Gelato, and Strawberry Colada. Personally I am not that big of a fan of hibiscus, I find it very strong, so Pink Lemonade and Strawberry Colada didn’t really taste nice to me. I ended up adding a lot of water to the two teas to tone down the strong taste. The Just Peachy tea is perfect, not too strong of a taste and great for summer. Lime Gelato has always been a favourite of mine as a hot tea, and it was just as good cold.