Black tea brewed with fresh spearmint leaves is a refreshing variation on everyone's favorite warm-weather beverage. Here's an easy Iced Spearmint Tea recipe.
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On a hot day, few things hit the spot quite as nicely as a cold glass of iced tea, whether you take it sweetened or unsweetened. Another refreshing flavor that can be found in abundance in summertime? Mint!
Put these two together and you get an even more refreshing beverage: Iced Spearmint Tea. Brewed with black tea and fresh spearmint leaves, it's really easy to make on your stove-top. Keep a pitcher handy in the fridge for yourself or for when company stops by.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A cool and refreshing iced tea made by steeping black tea with fresh spearmint. It's a perfect way to use up the mint that's joyfully taking over your New England garden!
- You'll love this part: This tea is the ultimate thirst-quencher for a hot summer day, with a subtle, cool mint flavor. It's very easy to make and so much better than bottled tea.
- How it's made: Steep black tea and fresh spearmint together, then chill it in the fridge.
Jump to:
Spearmint gone wild
There is spearmint everywhere, and I mean everywhere in my garden. When I brought those first plants home years ago, divided from a deceptively tidy patch in my mother-in-law's yard, I stuck them straight into my garden.
Did I know better than to do this? Oh yes—mint plants spread aggressively, and easily survive the extremes of a New England winter. Seasoned gardeners will warn you to plant it in a bucket buried in the ground to keep it contained. Yes, I knew that, and yet... I planted my spearmint right in the dirt anyway.
Some part of me just wanted to see how rebellious that mint would really be. Well, I found out! Spearmint is a wild child. I kind of love that it's everywhere in the garden, and the wild look it creates.
At the height of summer, when the spearmint towers over other plants and repeatedly tries to gain a foothold in the lawn, I realize it has gotten a little too wild. When my fists are full of tall, purple flowered stalks and the scent of mint has filled the air around me, it's the perfect time to pull out my easy mint iced tea recipe.
Notes from fellow cooks:
"I love mint tea. This sounds lovely!" —Armchair Squid
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Why you'll love this recipe
Iced tea is such a refreshing, warm-weather drink, but even more so when boosted by cool, fresh mint. The amount of mint leaves steeped in this tea is just enough to give it a subtle, thirst-quenching flavor. And if you really like mint? Just add in more spearmint leaves!
Brewing your own cold mint tea is always a smart choice, because it's cost-effective. Regular black pekoe tea bags are relatively inexpensive; if you prefer the richer flavors of Earl Grey, Irish, or herbal teas, you can use these instead.
Making your own fresh mint iced tea recipe means you get a more flavorful and true-tasting tea than anything bottled or dried. You can add sugar if you like, and use any type of natural or artificial sweetener you desire.
🔪 How to make Iced Spearmint Tea
Iced spearmint tea ingredients:
- Black tea bags: I use regular, black pekoe tea bags such as Lipton. Feel free to try other types too, like Irish tea or Earl Grey tea.
- Fresh spearmint leaves: Plant some spearmint seeds so you'll always have it in your garden to pick for tea. (Here's a guide from Gardener's Supply on how to grow spearmint.) You can also check garden stores and farmer's markets for fresh leaves and plants.
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Steep the tea
Place tea bags (strings and labels removed) and fresh spearmint leaves in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water over them, and give everything a quick stir. Allow the mixture to steep.
Chill the tea
Remove the tea bags and leaves. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for several hours or overnight until it's really, really cold.
Have some tea!
Pour the cold, mint iced tea over ice. Add sweetener if you desire. Garnish the tea with a few fresh spearmint leaves. Enjoy!
FAQs
Both spearmint and peppermint are members of the mint plant family, however, their flavors are very different. Taste Of Home shares that spearmint has low levels of menthol; the mint flavor is mild, and it has a sweeter flavor overall. Peppermint, on the other hand, has high levels of menthol and a very strong, almost spicy mint flavor.
Cleveland Clinic shares that spearmint has high levels of antioxidants. They say the mint helps relieve symptoms of nausea, improves memory, and can help with stress relief. Mint has been used since ancient times to treat ailments and for its relaxing, aromatic properties.
Tips:
- The amount of fresh spearmint leaves used in this recipe gives a subtle mint flavor to the iced tea—it's not overwhelmingly minty at all. If you prefer a stronger mint flavor, just add in extra spearmint leaves when steeping the tea.
- For a non-caffeinated drink, steep the leaves with decaffeinated black tea bags, or a caffeine free herbal tea.
The easy Iced Spearmint Tea recipe is below! Here are more summery drinks to try:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Iced Spearmint Tea
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Ingredients
- 8 tea bags, black tea
- 10 fresh spearmint leaves, washed (plus extra for garnish)
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
- Remove the paper labels and strings from the tea bags. Place the tea bags in a large heatproof bowl or Pyrex pitcher, along with 10 washed spearmint leaves.
- Heat 8 cups of fresh, cold water to boiling.
Steep the tea and chill it:
- Pour the boiling water into the bowl over the tea and spearmint. Gently stir everything around with a spoon.
- Steep the tea and mint leaves for 10 minutes. (You can go longer if you like your tea to be really strong.)
- Remove and discard the tea bags and leaves. (Compost them if you can!) Cool the tea to room temperature. Stick it in the fridge to chill for several hours or overnight until it's really, really cold.
Serve the tea:
- Drop ice cubes into tall glasses and then pour in the tea. Stir in sweetener if you desire. Garnish the glasses with fresh spearmint leaves and serve them up!
Option—dried spearmint tea:
- Instead of fresh spearmint leaves, you can substitute 1 to 2 herbal spearmint tea bags. Add them to the black tea bags and steep as directed above.
- Depending on the brand, the spearmint tea may have other herbs or flavorings in the blend, and you can decide if these will work for you in your iced tea. Avoid caffeinated mint teas, since there will be plenty of caffeine from the black tea in this recipe.
Notes
- The amount of fresh spearmint leaves used in this recipe gives a subtle mint flavor to the iced tea - it is not overwhelmingly mint at all. If you prefer a stronger mint flavor, just add in extra spearmint leaves when steeping the tea.
- You can experiment with your favorite kind of tea, whether other black tea varieties, green, or herbal teas.
Nutrition
armchairsquid says
I love mint tea. This sounds lovely.
Nancy Mock says
It's a summery one, and oh so refreshing!