Iced Tea by the Half Gallon

Equipment:

• One half-gallon mason jar. If you use a pitcher, make sure it's safe to hold hot water.

  • A pour spout top with a handle for the jar is great, but not necessary.

• A quart-sized tea infuser pot (optional, if you use teabags)

• A long handled spoon, long enough to comfortably reach the bottom of the jar.

Ingredients:

• Tea or herbs of choice - either 6-7 teabags, or teaspoons in the tea infuser

• 4 cups hot filtered water

• 4 cups cold filtered water

• 1/3 cup brown sugar or honey, or to taste (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (only for green or black tea)

Start by putting your water on to boil.

If you're using teabags, remove any paper tags, and place the teabags in the mason jar. Add the sugar or honey, if you're using it, and the baking soda if you're using a tannin-heavy tea like black or green tea. Take the water off the boil, and add it to the mason jar with the rest of the ingredients, and give it all a good stir with your long-handled spoon. Set a timer for the longest recommended steep time for the tea you're using - most recommend 3-5 minutes so let it steep for five minutes, you want your tea strong, but not bitter. When the timer beeps, carefully remove the teabags with the long-handled spoon, gently squeezing out any extra tea with another spoon. Add the cold water to the jar and give it a stir to start the icing process, and either serve over ice, or refrigerate for a few hours until the tea is chilled before serving.

If you're using loose tea with a tea infuser, brew your tea in the infuser pot, while adding the sugar and baking soda to the mason jar. When the tea is brewed, add it hot to the mason jar and give it a good stir to melt the sugar before adding the cold water.

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