How to Make Sun Tea - Fun Recipe

Victoria Knight    Recipes   

Sun tea seems to capture the essence of bright summer sunshine in a refreshing iced tea. There is no substitute for a big glass of freshly brewed iced tea on a hot summer day. It's a classic summertime drink - iced tea brewed by the sun and flavored with fresh mint and orange slices.

Sun Tea Ingredients

1. 10 – 12 tea bags (depending on how strong you like your iced tea)
2. 3 medium oranges, sliced
3. Bunch of fresh mint leaves
4. 1 gallon water

The Directions

• About 9am, fill your pitcher with the water, and tea bags.
• The reason for the screw on top, is so that ants don't get to the tea.
• Let the tea sit in the sun for most of the day, a prime full sun location is best.
• When bringing the tea in, boil one cup, and then mix it with the sugar (but, in the summer, the heat from outside can be enough to dissolve the sugar).
• Boiling the cup of tea only helps to make dissolving the sugar easier.
• Combine the sugar, tea, and more water to make one gallon.
• Serve with thick 1 1/2" wedges of lemon.
• It usually takes 4-6 hours of being in the sun, in order to steep.
• You can eye ball the tea, and bring it in, after the tea looks dark enough.
• Since the tea is best served cold, put it in the fridge right away.
• It does not last as long as boiled tea for some reason.
• And I usually leave the tea bags in the jug until the tea is gone.
• Then, I take the tea bags and sprinkle them in my flower garden, or over my roses.

After three hours, the tea should be steeped and dark. If you want a stronger tea, leave it out another hour or two, but not more than five hours total. Remove the tea bags and discard, and refrigerate your steeped tea.

Sun tea is so refreshing and so easy! I used the Splenda option since I am trying to watch calories. Some may find it a little strong for them- if so just add some additional ice or a little water. We are iced tea drinkers so a little strong is good.