Basic Black Iced Tea

Explore using different brands and types of tea, then add your own twist by using flavored syrups. As with cooking, iced tea preparation is all up to your taste.

Serves 8 
Prep Time 10  to 15 minutes

1 cup sugar
9 cups water, divided
4 black tea bags
8 cups water
1/4 cup lemon or calamansi juice concentrate

1  Prepare sugar syrup by boiling together sugar in 1 cup water until mixture is slightly thick and syrupy.

2  In a stockpot, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Turn off heat, then immediately steep black tea bags in water for 3 to 5 minutes. Let mixture cool, then add 1 cup sugar syrup and lemon or calamansi juice concentrate. You can add more juice concentrate or syrup as you wish.

3   Serve with lots of ice.

To make Berry Iced Tea: Use 4 bags of strawberry tea instead. Follow the same procedure, but replace the juice concentrate with 1/2 teaspoon strawberry flavoring and garnish with strawberry slices, if desired.

Photography by Patrick Martires | Styling by Paulynn Chang Afable