Honey + Jasmine Iced Tea

My dad would probably give me a lecture if he ever sees me do this.  Growing up in a Taiwanese family, I was taught to always drink lukewarm or hot liquids.  Teas should always be hot.  Always.  However, being the little rebel that I am, I have an affinity for cold brews as well.  Last summer, when I was so sick of brewing hot tea leaves, I decided to dump some tea leaves into a pitcher of water and let it sit.   The result?  Amazingness.

I did learn a few things though.  Be really careful about timing with green tea and black tea.  Since cold brew requires letting the tea leaves seep in the water for an extended period of time, green and black tea leaves do make the iced tea a bit bitter.  In my experience, I find that jasmine, chrysanthemum, and oolong work the best for cold brew.

Ingredients:
– 1 qt water
– 2 tbs jasmine tea (loose leaf)
– 1 tbs honey

Method:
1. In a 1qt water pitcher, pour 2tbs of Jasmine tea leaf and 1qt water.
2. Add honey.  Stir.
3. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
4. When ready to serve, use a mesh strainer while pouring to make sure you don’t have any tea leaves in your cup!