There's iced tea... and then there's
ice tea—ice cubes made from tea!
Preparation
Ice cube trays come in all shapes and sizes. Mine fits 2 cups of liquid, making 16 1-oz cubes. To figure out how much tea to brew, measure some water and pour it into your ice cube tray (not that leftover tea isn't a tasty problem to have!) In my case, 2 cups of liquid / 16oz = 5 grams loose leaf tea.
If you like some sweetness, stir in sugar or honey before pouring the tea into your tray. Either way, place in the freezer, wait a few hours (or longer, depending on the size of your cubes), and voilà!
Uses
Frozen tea cubes can serve 101 purposes. To name a few:
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Quicker, stronger iced tea. If you brew hot tea, then pour it over ice, you get watery tasting tea. However, if you pour hot tea over tea cubes, you get full strength iced tea, start to finish.
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More flavorful, healthier smoothies. Tea packs plenty of health benefits, no matter what type you drink:
true tea,
matcha,
rooibos, or
botanicals. Read more on the LMTC blog.
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Slow-motion mixology. Combine one tea with another tea or beverage. Enjoy water, Arnold Palmers, cocktails, mocktails—you name it—with your favorite tea asserting itself while the cubes melts. Try black tea in lemonade, or watch butterfly pea flower teas change colors with the acidity. Experiment with our
cocktail-inspired teas. Or try herbal accents:
single botanical ice cubes—like lemon myrtle, peppermint, cacao, lavender, and ginger—all make lovely, versatile additions.
**
Color therapy. Make your favorite color tea cubes!
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Popsicles, anyone? Make 'em sweet, make 'em plain, or just keep cool by sucking on a tea-flavored ice cube.
*What are YOUR favorite reasons to make tea ice cubes?
