Crisp Iced Black Tea with Lemon and Mint
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and Serious Eats.
Black tea steeps 4 minutes in boiling water, ice water is added to halt the brew, then it is strained, chilled and served over ice with lemon and mint.
Based on the listed ingredients, none of the 14 major EU allergens. Always check product labels.
Method
- 1
Brew. Put the tea in the bowl, pour over the boiling water and steep for 4 minutes.
- 2
Cool. Add the ice-cold water and leave for 1 hour. The cold water stops the brew, so the tea stays bright rather than bitter.
- 3
Strain and chill. Strain into the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until cold.
- 4
Serve. Pour into ice-filled glasses and finish each with a lemon wedge and a mint sprig. Sweeten at the table if you like.
- 5
Cold-steep option. Instead of brewing hot, steep 8 g tea in 1 litre cold water in the fridge for 5 hours, then strain. It is softer and never clouds.
Storage
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Low energy: 4 kcal per 100 ml (limit ≤ 20 kcal)
- Low fat: 0 g fat per 100 ml (limit ≤ 1.5 g)
- Low saturated fat: 0 g saturated fat per 100 ml, 0% of energy (limits ≤ 0.75 g and ≤ 10%)
- Sugar-free: 0 g sugars per 100 ml (limit ≤ 0.5 g)
- Low salt: 0.03 g salt per 100 ml (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 ml of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 76 ml a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Caffeine · Free sugars
- Per serving: about 36 mg caffeine (serving: 1 glass (about 180 ml tea)). Source: about 180 ml brewed per serving × USDA FDC SR Legacy #173227 (brewed black tea, 20 mg/100 g).
- Scaling: making more servings does not change the caffeine in each serving; what counts is how many servings you drink in a day. 1 serving: 36 mg · 2 servings: 72 mg · 3 servings: 108 mg · 4 servings: 144 mg.
- General guideline: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015): for healthy adults, up to 200 mg in a single dose and up to 400 mg per day do not raise safety concerns. 1 serving = 9 % of 400 mg. EFSA
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- kettle
- medium heatproof bowl
- fine sieve
- pitcher
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 3 kcal |
| Protein | 0 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.8 g |
| of which sugars | 0 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| of which saturates | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Salt | 0.02 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
0 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
