Iced Lemon Green Tea

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With September comes a multitude of pumpkin spiced something recipes.  Now don’t get me wrong, I fully plan on getting on the PSL-inspired recipe train… but not yet.  It’s still hot, my AC is still running, and we will have more than enough cold dark evenings begging for warming and comforting dishes.  For now, let’s cool off with some homemade iced lemon green tea.

After a summer full of BBQ’s and patio chills, I’ve spend the last month trying to get back into a healthier rhythm.  This includes drinking more water, watching my diet, and being more committed to working out, but I also wanted to reintroduce green tea into my regular routine, as it is packed with polyphenols which function as powerful antioxidants in our bodies.

I’ve always enjoyed sitting down with a cup of tea while I’m at home relaxing, but that is usually in the evening and with green tea I was worried the caffeine would keep me up.  I decided that since it was still hot out, there was no reason I couldn’t have it iced!  I tried just making it plain but found that when iced, the green tea was a bit more bitter than when sipping hot.  I experimented with lemon and stevia and came to this delicious iced lemon green tea that I’ve been enjoying daily for weeks now.

In order to minimize effort, I make a pot of green tea in the evening, and leave it out on my counter overnight.  In the morning I add the lemon, stevia and ice (I fill the containers with ice to water down the tea a bit as I make it strong) to my water bottle and a large mason jar for refills.  Then I pour in the room temperature tea and I’m good to go.  You’ll probably have to experiment a bit with how much lemon and stevia you need, and the recipe is really just to function as a starting point.  I never measure when I make it.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

xo

Kaleigh

Iced Lemon Green Tea

Ingredients

  • 2 green tea bags
  • ½ tsp stevia
  • 2 tsp lemon juice (fresh or ReaLemon)
  • ice
  • lemon slices and mint leaves optional, to garnish

Instructions

  1. The night before: fill a teapot with boiling water and 2 green tea bags. Allow to steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea bags and leave teapot out overnight.
  2. In the morning, fill 2 large mason jars with ice and add ¼ tsp stevia and 1 tsp lemon juice to each.
  3. Fill the jars with room temperature tea.

If making to enjoy at home, put approx 4 cups of ice into a jug (you want a lot of ice, because the green tea is fairly strong), add all of the lemon juice and stevia, and garnish with lemon slices and mint leaves.