Our How-To Guide on the Perfect Pitcher of Summer Sun Tea
Summertime & sunshine are a dynamic pair that bring so much to life here on the Georgia coast. People are out enjoying the great outdoors while soaking up some rays. That summer sunshine is also great for growing things and even creating tea! Yep, sun tea is a must during the summer months since it keeps you from boiling water and creating heat inside the house. Try our super simple sun tea recipe and enjoy!
Grab a clean glass container with a lid and fill it with water. We recommend either 2 quarts or gallon-sized.
Next, you’ll add the tea bags and this number will fluctuate based on the size of the container and your preference in strength of tea. A good rule of thumb when making sun tea is 1 tea bag for every 8 ounces of water. For a 2-quart container, you would use 8 tea bags and 16 tea bags for a gallon-sized container.
Add the lid and venture outside to find a sunny spot to place your container. Make sure it’s a spot that gets a lot of sun throughout the whole day because it’ll have to sit for 4-5 hours. If it’s not a spot with all day sun, keep an eye on it and move it throughout the day.
You’ll be watching for the color of the tea to determine the strength. The darker it looks the more tea flavor it will have. Once it reaches the desired strength, bring it inside and sweeten it up! We highly recommend a liquid sugar so that is mixes properly. You can make your own simple syrup using a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar that’s boiled together. You can also make that simple syrup with honey instead of sugar!
You can remove the tea bags or leave them in, they will continue to infuse the tea the longer they are in. The choice is totally yours!
Now for the best part – drinking it! Break out your favorite tea drinking glasses, add ice and pour in your tea. You can garnish with a peach slice, lemon wedge or even a sprig of mint!
If you’ve never had sun tea, you’ll notice the flavor is more mellow than standard tea that uses boiling water. The slow seeping of the sun tea method has a way of bringing out a slightly different flavor from the tea.
Sun tea doesn’t last as long as traditionally made tea so make sure you keep it in the fridge and drink it up within a day or two. If you notice it looks different, thick & syrupy, go ahead and toss it but definitely toss any leftovers after day two.
