Iced tea recipes to keep you cool this summer

When the heat is rising, a glass of refreshing iced tea can be the perfect way to cool down. But, before you head to the cold drinks aisle of your local supermarket, take a look at our iced tea recipes. They create a drink that is healthier, tastier and more natural than bottled iced tea - and, one that's far more rewarding to enjoy.

Our iced tea recipes are easy to follow. Each has as its main ingredient one of our orthodox-produced teas or infusions. This means that their flavour is hard to beat, and their quality is second to none.

If you're going on a picnic, having a BBQ, or simply relaxing in the garden, these iced tea recipes provide the perfect accompaniment. You can adapt them to your tastes, and add fruit or mint to give them even more flavour. Or, you could use carbonated water, to give your iced tea some extra zing.

When it comes to making your iced tea, there are several methods you could follow. You can make the tea at normal strength, then chill it to the desired temperature. Alternatively, you can brew the tea at double the strength, then pour it over ice cubes to dilute it.

You can even prepare the iced tea in advance, so that it's ready to drink whenever you need it. Simply make the tea at double strength, put the liquid into an ice-cube bag, and freeze it. Then, when you are ready to enjoy the tea, simply pop the ‘tea-cubes' out of the bag and dilute them with water to taste. Once the tea concentrate has melted, you will be left with a delicious glass of ice-cold tea.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can create your own iced tea recipes from our selection of green tea, black tea, oolong tea, fruit infusions and herbal infusions. Or if you'd prefer to follow a tried-and-tested iced tea recipe, here is a selection of some of our favourites:

Ronnefeldt Morning Dew (Morgentau) with Mango

Ingredients:

4 heaped teaspoons of Ronnefeldt Morning Dew (Morgentau)

400 ml water - boiled, and cooled to 80-90°C

1-2 cl mango syrup

Mango slices (to decorate)

1. Put the tea into a small teapot, and fill with the water
2. Leave the tea brew for 2 - 3 minutes
3. Add the mango syrup, and stir thoroughly
4. Decorate with a slice of mango

Earl Grey Punch

Ingredients:

3 heaped teaspoons of Darjeeling Earl Grey

Juice of 1 lemon

300 ml orange juice

150 ml apple juice

220 ml ginger ale

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 springs of mint

10 ice cubes

Dark rum to taste (optional)

1. Put the Earl Grey tea into a teapot
2. Add boiling water, and leave the tea to brew for 2- 3 minutes
3. While the tea is brewing, pour the fruit juices, ginger ale and sugar into a jug. Add the infused tea, and stir to dissolve the sugar
4. Add the mint, allow the punch to cool, then chill it in the fridge
5. Remove the mint, and add the rum (optional)
6. Add ice cubes to the jug, and serve

Rooibos Orange Cream

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons of Cream Orange tea

400 ml boiling water

Acacia honey

1-2 cubes of vanilla ice cream