Making a single cup of iced tea is very easy. So, if you are wanting a cup of iced tea but not in the mood for a full pitcher, here is how it’s done.
Single Cup of Iced Tea: Equipment
- Kettle
- Glass Measuring Cup
- Small Strainer
- Glass to Drink From (16 oz is best but feel free to scale up/down)
Making a Single Cup of Iced Tea
To make a 16 oz cup of iced tea we are effectively going to make a concentrated cup of hot tea and pour it over ice to rapidly cool and dilute it to the right strength.
- Measure double the amount of tea you would use for an 8 oz cup. Generally this is 2 tsp but for large volume tea (like our white teas) this will be 2 tbsp.
- Brew with 8 oz water in the glass measuring cup at the same time and temperature that you would if making a cup of hot tea. The goal is to brew for 16 oz final cup with half the water.
- Fill your drinking glass with ice. The exact amount depends on your ice machine and how dense your ice is. Start with a half glass but feel free to use more or less in the future after you get a feel for how much finished iced tea results.
- After you steep the correct amount of time -- be sure not to let it steep too long, especially with green or white -- pour the hot tea through your strainer over the ice.
- Add ice if needed so that most melts but a few cubes remain.
You can use this method to prepare a cup of iced tea using all types of tea as well as herbal/tisane.