Best Black Teas for Iced Tea

When temperatures rise and visions of tall, chilled glasses start dancing in our heads, we know that iced tea season is upon us! While we all know that water is the most efficient way to meet our summer hydration needs, a cool glass of tea is a refreshing way to enjoy some variety, healthful antioxidants, and a little burst of energy on those days when an afternoon hammock nap is not an option. If you want to savor the very best iced black tea under the sun, homemade from scratch is the way to go—and tea type and technique matter!

Best Black Teas To Enjoy Iced

Many iced tea recipes use black tea as a base. Common reasons black tea has made its way into so many picnic-side pitchers over time include its wide availability and a boldness of flavor that can stand up to being diluted with ice. It’s probably my favorite choice for this purpose as well, but for a different reason: preparing and serving black tea cold allows me to experience its flavors in a whole new way.

Three of my favorite organic black teas to enjoy iced are:

• Nilgiri Gold: This tea is from the Nilgiris region of South India, world-renowned for producing delicious iced teas that don't cloud over as they cool. It's a chilled Nilgiri Gold that I've been enjoying lately. Bursting with notes of fresh cranberries and creamy vanilla, this uplifting whole-leaf black also supports the all-women team of tea makers led by Muskan Khanna at Tea Studio.
• Kumaon Black: This smooth, balanced tea really shines when cold brewed, offering sweet cherry notes that make each sip extra refreshing. The tea makers borrow techniques from Darjeeling, India's most decorated tea region, and Assam, its prolific, to create a tea with a foot in tradition yet a quality that's all its own—so choose this option for an elevated version of the classic!
• Nepali Golden Black: This naturally smooth variety is downright silky over ice, and since it lacks the mouth-drying finish of many black teas, it’s ideal for quenching a powerful summer thirst.

How to Make Iced Tea at Home

There are two basic approaches to making iced tea: hot or cold brewing. The most common, especially in restaurant settings, is to create a strong hot infusion of tea (a concentrate), let it cool, and add ice upon service. This works fine when you need a lot of tea quickly and often. But if you’re just making tea at home and have the time and fridge space, I very much recommend going with the second option: cold brewing.

Steeping tea leaves in cool water unlocks their flavors in a more gentle way, reducing bitterness and preserving the delicate volatile oils of the whole-leaf plant matter that can be lost in a hot infusion. The end result is a beverage that is remarkably smooth and delightfully complex, with fresh and floral notes that perfectly complement an afternoon of sipping tea in the garden, beside a stream, or at the bend of your favorite hiking trail. And best of all, the process is super simple, as you can see in my recipe for iced tea below!

Recipe for Iced Tea:

1. In a glass canning jar, combine 12 grams (or more, to taste) of loose-leaf black tea with 32 ounces (one quart) of cool, filtered water.
2. Secure lid on jar and place in refrigerator. Let sit 4 to 6 hours to infuse.
3. Remove jar from refrigerator and strain liquid into a pitcher (compost leaves).
4. Pour into four glasses over ice and enjoy!

Interested in Other Tea Brewing Methods?