Ingredients
Plain tea
- 8 plain black tea bags about 16 g total
- 1 liter freshly boiled drinking water at least 195°F (91°C) when added to the tea
- 1 liter cold drinking water for dilution
- ice for serving, separate from the measured water
Optional serving additions
- 8 lemon slices optional, from a washed lemon
- 8 small mint sprigs optional, washed
Equipment
- 3-quart saucepan
- Kettle or stovetop
- Timer
- Food thermometer
- Heat-safe pitcher of at least 2 liters with cover
- Ice-water bath
- Serving glasses
Instructions
Brew and chill
- Wash the pitcher and utensils. Put the tea bags in a heat-safe 3-quart saucepan. Bring 1 liter drinking water to a boil; use it at 195°F (91°C) or hotter.
- Pour the hot water over the bags, cover and steep off the heat for 4 minutes. Remove the bags with clean utensils. Do not extend the steep to make the tea darker.
- Stir in the measured 1 liter cold drinking water. Cool the pan promptly in an ice-water bath, stirring with a clean spoon. Transfer to a heat-safe pitcher, cover and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below until cold, about 1 hour. Do not leave the tea on the counter to cool for hours.
- Divide the chilled tea among eight servings of approximately 250 ml, then pour over fresh serving ice. Add optional lemon and mint to the glasses. Keep the remaining pitcher refrigerated and use within 24 hours for best flavor. Sweetener is optional and excluded from the estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 3kcalCarbohydrates: 0.8g
Video
Notes
Nutrition is a generic brewed-black-tea reference estimate per approximately 250 ml, using USDA SR Legacy NDB 14355 (FDC 173227), about 1 kcal and 0.3 g carbohydrate per 100 g, with a water-like density assumption. Actual extraction varies. Optional lemon, mint, sweetener and serving ice are excluded; caffeine has not been measured.
Estimated cost assumes eight tea bags at USD $0.10 each. This is a portion-price assumption, not a checkout quote; garnishes, sweetener, water utilities and energy are excluded.
Instructional video credit: Better Homes and Gardens, How to Make Iced Tea with Zero Calories. Use the hot-brewing demonstration as a visual guide. This recipe uses a measured cold-water dilution and prompt ice-bath cooling and refrigeration rather than the video's extended room-temperature cooling or refrigerator-brewing alternative. The card's nutrition is an estimate, not a claim of exact zero calories.