Hot Drinks Recipes

The best tea for homemade iced tea depends on the flavor profile you want, but high-quality loose-leaf black tea (like Assam or Ceylon) is the traditional choice because it holds up well to chilling and ice dilution. For a lighter, naturally sweet option, use herbal rooibos or green tea. If you are worried about your iced tea turning cloudy when cooled, choose premium loose leaves over low-grade tea bags, as they contain fewer tiny particles (fannings) that cause cloudiness.

Yes, you can adapt hot drink recipes into cold versions, but you must increase the recipe's strength to account for ice dilution. When ice melts, it waters down the flavor significantly.

Iced tea turns cloudy when polyphenols and caffeine bind together as the liquid cools rapidly. To make perfectly clear iced tea, use the cold brew method: steep your tea leaves in room-temperature water in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. If you are using the traditional hot-brew method, let the tea cool completely to room temperature naturally before putting it into the refrigerator. Shocking hot tea by putting it directly into the fridge or pouring it over ice immediately is what triggers the cloudiness.