I’m grateful that unsweetened iced tea is available at many restaurants now, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t flinch a little when asked to fork over $3 and change for a single, tall glass of plain black iced tea. It’s so easy to make your own high-quality iced tea concentrate at home and shake up a refreshing glass with ice and water whenever thirst strikes. Concentrate takes up less room in the fridge than a giant jug of tea and lets you customize strength and flavors for each glass.
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I love a cold, perfectly iced glass of tea on a hot day. My mom made sun tea that brewed strong enough to leave a memorable mark on a glass, stuffing a quart jar with eight to ten Lipton tea bags, filling it with water, sealing it and letting the sun do the work. When the brew was dark enough she’d pour it over ice and enjoy it straight. I usually watered mine down because her version was intense—she had a higher tolerance for caffeine than I did—but that strong-brew method taught me that a concentrated base makes a very satisfying iced tea.
On a recent trip I noticed “Shaken Iced Tea” on many Starbucks menus, billed as “black tea, unsweetened, hand-shaken.” Curious, I ordered one and paid the price, only to watch a barista pour tea concentrate from a pitcher into a glass of ice, top with water, and give it a quick swirl. It tasted great, but the theatrics were missing. That experience convinced me more people might not realize how simple it is to make iced tea concentrate at home, so I set out to share a straightforward method—and yes, there will be plenty of hand-shaking.
To make concentrate, I started with two quart canning jars and placed eight tea bags in each—one jar with plain Lipton black tea (my mom’s go-to) and one with Bigelow Plantation Mint (a favorite breakfast-style tea). I draped the tags and strings over the jar rims, screwed the jar rings on to hold them in place, and poured in boiling water up near the rim. Let the jars cool to room temperature, then remove the rings and discard the used bags. Replace the lids and refrigerate the concentrate until chilled.
Now for the shaking. Fill a clean canning jar with a couple of inches of ice, pour concentrate until the jar is about one-quarter full, then add water to within an inch of the rim. Secure the lid and ring tightly and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. The result is an incredibly cold, well-mixed glass of iced tea with a slight froth on top from the shaking—a pleasant, refreshing finish that amplifies the experience beyond a simple stir.
Cook’s Notes:
- If you like flavored iced tea but want to save money, swap out expensive specialty tea bags and add 3–6 drops of food-grade peppermint essential oil to a base black tea concentrate for iced peppermint tea. A few drops of food-grade lemon essential oil give a bright lemon iced tea. Always use only food-grade essential oils and add sparingly—start small and adjust to taste.
- Making concentrate lets you prepare enough for several days while avoiding a bulky gallon pitcher in the fridge. It also lets each person mix their glass to taste: strong, weak, sweetened, or plain.
- For sweet tea, add a small amount of simple syrup to the glass before adding water and shaking. Syrup dissolves more easily than granulated sugar, especially in cold beverages.
- To make an Arnold Palmer, combine the iced tea concentrate with your favorite lemonade and shake—easy and refreshing.
Shaken Iced Tea + Iced Tea Concentrate
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
Per Quart of Iced Tea Concentrate:
- 1 quart jar with a two-piece lid
- 8 black tea bags any brand you prefer (orange pekoe works well)
- boiling water
- Optional: 3–6 drops food-grade peppermint or lemon essential oil
Instructions
To Make the Iced Tea Concentrate:
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Place the tea bags in the quart jar, drape the strings and tags over the side and screw on the ring to hold them. If using essential oil, add the drops onto the tea bags. Pour boiling water nearly to the rim and let the jar sit until it reaches room temperature. Remove the ring, discard the used tea bags, replace the lid and refrigerate until chilled. Store up to one week in the refrigerator.
To Make Shaken Iced Tea:
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Fill a canning jar with ice. Add iced tea concentrate until the jar is about one-quarter full, then add water to within 1 inch of the rim. Secure the two-piece lid and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and enjoy.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you choose if needed.
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