3 Delicious + Refreshing Sun Tea Recipes

It's summertime and no one wants to cook indoors, let alone boil water. Keep your cool by using the sun's rays to brew yourself (and your guests!) a pitcher or two of these sweet iced teas — no kettle required.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need boiling hot water to steep tea, it will steep in cold or room temperature water if left long enough. The heat just speeds up the brewing process, which is why using the sun to brew tea is a popular method in the summer. Any container will work, but it's best to use a clear glass jar when brewing sun teas because sunlight penetrates glass easier. I like to use half-gallon canning jars. Generally, you will need one tea bag per cup of water (a half-gallon jar holds eight cups of water). However, if you prefer stronger or weaker tea, feel free to adjust the amount of tea bags.

Here are three of my favorite summer sun tea combos:

Black Tea + Mint:
Eight bags of black tea plus fresh mint to taste.

Raspberry Sun Tea:
Eight bags of red raspberry zinger plus one cup of frozen raspberries.

White Tea + Lemon:
Eight bags of white (or green tea) with a whole lemon, sliced.

Instructions

Place ingredients in a glass jar. Fill the jar almost to the top with fresh, filtered water (cold or room temperature). Cover with a lid. Place the jar in a sunny location and let brew for two to three hours. After a few minutes, you will see the tea already starting to brew (image 2).

After a couple of hours, check your tea to see if it's reached the desired color/strength. Once it's finished brewing, strain out the fruit or herbs, then sweeten with simple syrup, honey or whatever sweetener you prefer. Serve over ice. Store leftover tea in the fridge for up to two days.