Tea preparation

How do you make homemade iced tea?

Publish on 04.08.2026 by Gaia Gardens

When the warm weather arrives, it’s time to try making homemade iced tea! Plain or mixed with juice, fruit pieces, with or without sugar, flowers, and ice cubes: when it comes to cooling off, anything goes!

The key takeaway: all our teas and herbal teas can be made as iced tea, whether loose-leaf or in teabags. You can even make great iced tea without a kettle! To learn more, visit our Iced Tea page.

How to Make Cold-Brewed Iced Tea Without a Kettle

When cold-brewed, iced tea is foolproof. In fact, polyphenols—which are responsible for bitterness—are released only very slightly at temperatures below 70°C. A good reason to give it a try!

It’s easy: simply place your tea in a sealed pitcher, pop it in the fridge for a few hours until you reach the desired strength, and it’s ready. Ideally, prepare your pitcher in the evening so you have a brew ready for the next day.

Our Au rythme du vent tea is a great place to start. This white tea, which arrived by sailboat from its native Vietnam, features sunny, fruity flavours of lime and coconut accompanied by a hint of combawa leaves—a deliciously fresh and summery blend. A treat for the taste buds guaranteed!

Steps for the recipe:

Place 5–6 teaspoons (about 10–12 grams) of “Au rythme du vent” in a tea strainer or tea ball, then place it in a 1-liter pitcher of filtered water.
Let it steep in the fridge overnight, remove the tea or tea strainer, and serve in your finest cups!
You can store this delicious drink in the refrigerator in a bottle or pitcher with a lid (for up to 48 hours).

Try brewing at room temperature

Discover other tea flavors in a very simple way! Just like cold brew, room-temperature brew is foolproof and very low in bitterness.

Steep your tea in a pitcher of room-temperature water for 1 to 3 hours. Add ice cubes, fruit, or fruit juice if you like, and enjoy!

Our house blend, African Freshness, for example, is a true breath of fresh air! In this original recipe, the sweet, woody notes of rooibos are energized by the zing of sweet mint. A melody of invigorating flavours for summer!

Recipe steps:

Add 5–6 teaspoons (about 10–12 grams) of “African Freshness” rooibos to a 1-liter pitcher of filtered water at room temperature. Cover the pitcher with a lid.
Let steep for 1 to 3 hours at room temperature, then strain.
You can add fresh mint leaves and ice cubes to enjoy a particularly refreshing homemade iced tea!

Instant Iced Tea, for Those in a Hurry

Didn’t have time to plan ahead? Want to make iced tea on the go?

There’s a solution: prepare a more concentrated herbal tea by steeping it a few extra minutes and/or doubling the amount of tea, then pouring it over a large amount of ice cubes. Be sure to follow the recommended brewing temperature and check the brewing time listed on each of our packages. Also, make sure to use a suitable pitcher that can withstand the sudden shift from hot to cold.

As an iced tea, Un thé pour l’océan offers a refreshing burst of flavor with its citrusy notes from ginger and the combination of peppermint and rosemary on a base of wulong tea (oolong tea).

Steps for the recipe:

Prepare a strong brew: 4 to 5 teaspoons (about 8 to 10 grams) of Un thé pour l’océan in ½ liter of nearly boiling water (95°C).
Let it steep for the time indicated on the package (4–5 min) + 1–2 min to concentrate the infusion, then strain.
Fill a pitcher with ice cubes and pour in the tea. Add ice cubes, lime slices, a few fresh mint leaves, and rosemary sprigs—and it’s ready!

The Koridashi Method, a Surprising Brewing Technique

Koridashi is a Japanese cold-brewing technique that is particularly simple and appealing. Simply brew the tea using only ice cubes (without adding any extra water). As the ice cubes melt, the water gradually absorbs the tea’s flavour. This method is slower but intensifies the flavours. The iced tea is milder, smoother, and has very little bitterness.

Japanese green tea is perfectly suited for this method. Try it with our Sencha Fukamushi —this refreshing and thirst-quenching method will reveal its nutty flavours combined with a beautiful complexity of particularly appealing vegetal notes.

Steps for the recipe:

Sprinkle 12 grams of Sencha Fukamushi into a pitcher half-filled with ice cubes.
Wait for the ice cubes to melt and enjoy! This may take 1 to 2 hours in the summer.

Tips:

Use a glass teapot or pitcher to watch the tea brew.
Don’t throw away the tea leaves! You can reuse them to make a delicious pesto: discover the tea leaf pesto recipe here.

With no caffeine, there are plenty of options to choose from

Do you prefer caffeine-free drinks? With fruit and herbal teas, rooibos, honeybush, and more, you have plenty of options!

The Dhyâna Sérénité meditation herbal tea, for example, is delicious served cold: this blend of honeybush, moringa, and buchu flowers offers pleasant floral and fruity notes and can be enjoyed at any time and by people of all ages.

The Sakura Wild Cherry Japanese cherry leaf infusion, meanwhile, offers a surprisingly light, floral, and delicately fruity beverage. A true discovery for fans of Japanese infusions! It works well in all types of preparations, whether as plain iced tea, a cocktail, or a mocktail.

Steps for the recipe:

For a large glass, steep 3 teaspoons (about 6 g) of Sakura Wild Cherry in your usual teapot (whether cast iron, porcelain, or glass) with about 500 ml of filtered water at 100°C for 1 to 5 minutes.
Pour this herbal tea into a 1-liter pitcher filled ¾ full with ice cubes (to make instant iced tea).
In a glass, pour ¾ Sakura and ¼ well-chilled organic white grape juice. Enjoy!

Anti-waste tip:

Don’t throw away the Sakura Wild Cherry leaves after use! They can be re-steeped several times.

If you like, you can sweeten your homemade iced tea with cane sugar syrup or agave syrup, and serve it with citrus slices, fresh fruit (raspberries, blackberries…), fresh herbs (mint, verbena, rosemary…), spices (cinnamon sticks, cardamom…), or even organic fruit juice of your choice…

It’s up to you to get creative and treat yourself…

We also recommend: White tea flavoured with coconut, lime, and kaffir lime

Check out our mocktails too: alcohol-free cocktail recipes with homemade iced tea!