Summer Sweet Tea

Last week I posted this picture of my summer fresh, sweet tea on Instagram. I thought I would take the time and share the "recipe" with you. It is really simple and quick to make and tastes like you're sipping summer through a straw. So without further ado, I give you my summer, yummy, blueberry-goodness, sweet tea (if someone has a better no-fuss name, I am open to suggestions).

Step One: Boil your tea brewing water. You can do this with a stove top kettle, or an electric one or, if you have never been much of a hot tea fan and don't own a kettle (ahem), you can heat some water in a saucepan. Bottom line, do not, I repeat, DO NOT heat your water in the microwave. I mean you can at your own risk but, bleh! You want the water to be hot. Boiling hot. Not this "tepid nonsense" (Dame Maggie Smith used that phrase to describe how Americans make tea in "The Second Best Exoctic Marigold Hotel". I'd say she was spot on.). 

Step Two: While your water is boiling, you can fill your tumbler with ice and frozen fruit. I prefer blueberries in this particular tea blend but hey, the fruit choice is yours. Just make sure it's frozen. Also, depending on the type of fruit you use, you can use a diffuser if you have one. I don't really find it necessary, nor do I own one but, citrus fruits tend to not freeze very well so keep that in mind. 

Step Three: Now, you will need a mug to steep your tea in. I like to sweeten my tea a bit but, based on your fruit choice and taste preference, this is optional. If you do decide to sweeten it, I like to place about a tablespoon of honey in the bottom of my mug. This way when the hot water hits it, it will dissolve right into the tea water. After you have added your honey (or not), just pop your tea bag (this is the tea I use with frozen blueberries) into the mug and, once you have boiling water, pour it into the mug over the tea bag. 

Step Four: Steep. Do not dunk your teabag like a carnival game or like you're casting a fishing pole. This is tea. It's delicate and not for playing with. Just pour the boiling, hot water over it and leave it alone. Depending on the type of tea you use, the steep times will vary. The box or packet will tell you suggested steep times. Typically, most tea is steeped for 3-5 minutes depending on how strong you want it. For me, I usually let this blend steep for about 5 minutes. Between the ice, honey and fruit, it will dilute it a bit so I want to make sure I am tasting tea. 

Step Five: After your desired steep time as passed, just strain your tea from the tea bag and pour the tea from the mug directly into the ice and fruit-filled tumbler. By the time you screw the lid and straw onto your tumbler, your tea will be chilled to drink. If not, just give it a swirl or you may want to add more ice. 

Now you can enjoy your [insert catchy summer tea name name here]!