5 original iced tea recipes to make at home

An amber glass on the table, a few ice cubes softly clinking, the scent of peach or bergamot rising — homemade iced tea has nothing in common with sugary store-bought bottles. With good loose-leaf tea and a little planning ahead, you get a refreshing, personalised infusion with far more character than anything from a supermarket shelf. In this article, Julien walks you through two brewing methods, five original iced tea recipes, including a peach and basil cold brew, a caffeine-free mango-ginger rooibos, and a genuinely surprising orange blossom white tea, along with all the tips you need to avoid the classic mistakes.

Why make your own iced tea (instead of buying a bottle)?

Loose-leaf tea: all the difference in the glass

Store-bought iced teas have one thing in common: very little actual tea and a great deal of sugar, acidity regulators, and sometimes artificial flavourings. The result is predictable, often flat, with no real aromatic depth.

Loose-leaf tea infuses differently. Whole or lightly rolled leaves release their essential oils, tannins and aromas gradually, shaped by temperature and time. What you pour into your jug is incomparable: a living infusion, with texture, vegetal or floral notes, and a real presence on the palate.

The cost, meanwhile, is negligible. A litre of homemade iced tea comes to just a few cents, for a result you won't find on any supermarket shelf.

Less sweet, more flavourful: the health argument, without overstating it

Making your own iced tea also means having complete freedom over sweetness. You choose whether to sweeten at all, how much, and with what — honey, a homemade syrup, or ripe fresh fruit that brings its own natural sweetness. A well-chosen rooibos or a white tea steeped cold often needs nothing at all.

No preservatives, no colourants, no sweeteners: just tea, water, and whatever fruit or herbs you feel like adding. It really is that simple — and that is precisely why Julien, founder of Thés & Traditions, made iced tea one of the pillars of the house's summer selection.

The two core methods: hot brewing vs cold brew

Hot brewing then chilling: the quick classic method

This is the most intuitive approach. Brew your tea hot, as you normally would, then leave it to cool before refrigerating.

A few important points to keep in mind:

• Water temperature suited to the tea: 70–75 °C for green tea, 85–90 °C for oolong, 95 °C for black tea.
• Steeping time: 2–3 minutes for green tea, 3–4 minutes for black tea, 4–5 minutes for white tea. No longer — excess tannins turn bitter and the whole glass is lost.
• Tea-to-water ratio: use 8 to 10 g of tea per litre of water. Brew slightly stronger than usual, as the ice will dilute some of the intensity.
• Allow to cool at room temperature before transferring to the fridge. Never add ice directly to hot tea.

This method works with all tea types and delivers results in 2 to 3 hours in total, ice included.

Cold brew: slowness, smoothness, complexity

Cold brew means steeping directly in cold water, with no heat at all, for 6 to 12 hours in the fridge. The result is radically different: cold brewing produces a smoother, rounder tea with almost no bitterness, and reveals subtle aromatic notes that heat would have erased entirely.

Julien particularly recommends this technique for green and white teas: "Cold brew brings out subtle notes that disappear completely with heat. With a Japanese green tea, you catch almost umami nuances you'd never have suspected."

How to do it:

1. Place 8 to 10 g of loose-leaf tea in a clean jug.
2. Pour over 1 litre of cold water (spring or filtered).
3. Cover and place in the fridge.
4. Steep for 6 to 8 hours for green or white tea, 8 to 12 hours for black tea or rooibos.
5. Strain and serve over ice.

Which method to choose, depending on your tea and your time?

In practice: if you have an evening ahead of you, start a cold brew and serve it the next morning. Otherwise, hot brewing works perfectly well. To go further in choosing the right tea for each method, explore our iced tea selection, designed with both approaches in mind.

5 original iced tea recipes from Thés & Traditions

1. Peach and fresh basil green tea cold brew

Tea type: Loose-leaf green tea
Method: Cold brew
Prep time: 10 min | Waiting: 8h | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients (makes 1 litre):

• 10 g of organic green tea, loose-leaf
• 1 ripe peach (yellow or white)
• 5–6 fresh basil leaves
• 1 litre of cold water
• Ice cubes, to serve

Method:

1. Slice the peach into wedges and place them in a large jug.
2. Add the green tea leaves directly (or in a tea infuser).
3. Pour over 1 litre of cold water.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
5. Strain the tea, serve over ice, and add the basil leaves just as you pour.

Julien's note: White peach gives a more delicate result, with a natural sweetness that makes added sugar completely unnecessary. If you can, prepare it the evening before — by morning it's ready, and the scent that rises when you open the jug is worth the wait.

Variation: Swap the basil for mint for a more classic take, or add a few slices of lemon for a little brightness.

2. Black tea with red berries and lemon (lemonade style)

Tea type: Organic loose-leaf black tea
Method: Hot brew
Prep time: 15 min | Waiting: 1h30 | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients (makes 1 litre):

• 9 g of loose-leaf black tea
• 100 g of fresh or frozen red berries (raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 litre of water at 95 °C
• Sugar or honey, optional (taste first)
• Ice cubes

Method:

1. Steep the black tea for 3 minutes in 1 litre of water at 95 °C, then remove the leaves immediately.
2. Add the berries to the still-hot jug — they will release their juice and turn the tea a deep, vivid red.
3. Leave to cool at room temperature (around 30 minutes).
4. Add the lemon juice, taste, then sweeten if needed.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Julien's note: Black tea brings body and structure — it holds up beautifully against the acidity of red berries and lemon without being overwhelmed. For a sugar-free version, use very ripe strawberries: their natural sweetness is more than enough.

Variation: Make a quick berry syrup by warming 100 g of red berries with 2 tablespoons of water, then add to individual glasses according to taste.

3. Mango-ginger iced rooibos (caffeine-free, no added sugar)

Tea type: Loose-leaf rooibos
Method: Hot brew or cold brew
Prep time: 10 min | Waiting: 2h (hot) or 10h (cold brew) | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients (makes 1 litre):

• 10 g of loose-leaf rooibos
• ½ ripe mango, diced
• 2 cm of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 litre of water
• Ice cubes

Method (hot brew version):

1. Steep the rooibos for 5 minutes in 1 litre of boiling water.
2. Add the ginger slices to the hot infusion and leave to rest for a further 5 minutes off the heat.
3. Strain, then add the mango pieces to the still-warm jug.
4. Leave to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1h30.
5. Serve over ice, with a piece of mango to garnish if you like.

Julien's note: Rooibos is naturally smooth and slightly sweet — it needs no added sugar at all when paired with a ripe mango. This is the recipe I make in the evening for the following day: it works just as well for children as for adults who prefer to avoid caffeine.

Variation: With cold brew (8–10h in the fridge), the mango infuses more gently and the result is even smoother. Add a pinch of cardamom for an extra spiced note.

Our organic rooibos is naturally caffeine-free and lends itself beautifully to cold brewing — explore it here.

4. Orange blossom and cucumber white tea (light & refreshing)

Tea type: Organic loose-leaf white tea
Method: Cold brew recommended
Prep time: 10 min | Waiting: 10h | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients (makes 1 litre):

• 8 g of loose-leaf white tea
• ½ organic cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
• 1 litre of cold water
• Ice cubes

Method:

1. Place the white tea and cucumber slices in a jug.
2. Pour over 1 litre of cold water.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 10 hours (a full night is ideal).
4. Strain, add the orange blossom water, and stir gently.
5. Serve immediately over ice in tall glasses.

Julien's note: This is the most delicate recipe on the list. White tea is rare among teas — its tender buds reveal almost translucent floral notes when cold-brewed, which the orange blossom water extends without masking. Don't skip that step: it's what gives the glass its elegance.

Variation: Add a few fresh mint leaves at the point of serving for a bright, lively touch. White tea is also naturally rich in antioxidants, for those who appreciate that.

5. Iced Earl Grey with acacia honey and lime

Tea type: Loose-leaf Earl Grey
Method: Hot brew
Prep time: 15 min | Waiting: 1h30 | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients (makes 1 litre):

• 9 g of Earl Grey, loose-leaf
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of acacia honey (to taste)
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1 litre of water at 95 °C
• Ice cubes

Method:

1. Steep the Earl Grey for 3 minutes 30 seconds in 1 litre of water at 95 °C, then remove the leaves.
2. Stir the honey directly into the hot tea so it dissolves completely.
3. Leave to cool at room temperature.
4. Refrigerate for at least 1h30.
5. Serve over ice with the lime slices in the glass.

Julien's note: Earl Grey's bergamot and lime are a natural pairing — both are citrus, but from different registers: bergamot is floral and faintly bitter, lime is bright and sharp. Acacia honey is discreet enough not to mask either. If you sweeten while the tea is still hot, before tasting, you risk losing the balance entirely.

Variation: Replace the honey with a slice of lemon for a sugar-free version, or add a few fresh mint leaves for an extra layer of flavour.

Common mistakes to avoid for a great iced tea

Over-steeping (the number one source of bitterness)

This is the most common mistake, and it explains why so many people think they don't enjoy iced tea. Tea left too long in hot water releases excess tannins, which produce an unpleasant astringent bitterness. You reach for the sugar to compensate, and the whole point of the exercise is lost.

Steeping times to follow strictly:

• Green tea: 2 to 3 minutes at 70–75 °C
• White tea: 4 to 5 minutes at 75–80 °C
• Black tea: 3 to 4 minutes at 95 °C
• Rooibos: 5 minutes at 100 °C (it doesn't turn bitter)

Adding ice to tea that is still hot

Pouring ice into hot tea does cool it quickly, but it also dilutes it considerably. The result is a watery iced tea with no structure and no aroma. The rule is simple: let it cool to room temperature first, then move it to the fridge. Ice goes in the glass at the moment of serving, not in the jug.

Using poor-quality tea bags

Supermarket tea bags typically contain tea dust — the fine residue from manufacturing — which releases a great deal of tannins and very little aroma. The result is a dull, often bitter iced tea with no distinct character. Switching to loose-leaf changes everything. And with the right tea infusers, brewing loose-leaf is just as easy as a bag.

Sweetening while hot without tasting first

Some fruit-flavoured teas need nothing at all once chilled. Others benefit from a touch of honey to round them out. The rule: always taste your infusion cold before sweetening. The palate perceives sweetness and bitterness very differently depending on temperature. What seems too bitter at 60 °C can be perfectly balanced at 5 °C.

Which tea to choose, depending on what you're after

Freshness and lightness: green teas and white teas

Green tea is the classic choice for iced tea: vegetal, gentle, naturally low in caffeine, and ideal for cold brewing. Steeped cold, it gives a clear, lightly herbaceous glass with no bitterness. White tea is even more delicate: its fine buds reveal unexpected floral and fruity notes when served iced. It is often the tea that surprises people who have never tried it cold.

To explore this family, our range of organic white teas offers several expressions, from the most straightforward to the most complex.

Indulgence and body: black teas and flavoured teas

Black tea brings what enthusiasts call "body": a tannin structure that holds up beautifully when cold, a deep amber colour, and a remarkable ability to carry citrus, spices and red berries. Oolong sits between green and black — complex, lightly roasted depending on its origin, it is a genuine surprise in an iced glass and well worth trying when you want to impress.

Caffeine-free: rooibos and herbal infusions for iced tea any time of day

For those who prefer to avoid caffeine — in the evening, for children, or simply by choice — rooibos is a remarkable alternative. Naturally caffeine-free and lightly sweet, it produces a fruity, rounded iced tea unlike anything else. Fruit herbal infusions, particularly blends based on hibiscus, create a beautiful deep red colour in the glass, with a tangy, very refreshing flavour and no bitterness whatsoever. Browse the full range in our herbal infusions category.

Frequently asked questions about homemade iced tea

How do you make homemade iced tea easily?

There are two approaches. The quickest: steep your loose-leaf tea (8 to 10 g per litre) at the right temperature for your tea type, leave it to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving over ice. The simplest: cold brew — place the tea in a jug of cold water, put it in the fridge without any heating, and wait 8 to 12 hours. No monitoring required, guaranteed results.

How long does homemade iced tea keep in the fridge?

A plain or lightly flavoured iced tea will keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a well-sealed jug. If you have added fresh fruit directly to the jug (rather than just in the glass at serving), aim to drink it within 24 hours to avoid any fermentation. Hibiscus-based herbal infusions, naturally more acidic, will happily keep for up to 3 days without losing their colour or flavour.

How do you make iced tea without sugar?

Start with a naturally smooth tea: rooibos, white tea or a cold-brewed green tea all have a natural gentleness that makes sugar unnecessary. Add ripe fresh fruit — peach, mango, strawberries — which bring their own sugars without anything added. Above all, respect the steeping time: an over-steeped tea is bitter, and it's bitterness that leads to sweetening. Always taste your infusion cold before deciding.

What mistakes should you avoid for a great iced tea?

Three mistakes account for most disappointments. First: steeping too long, which releases tannins and creates bitterness. Second: adding ice to tea that is still hot — it dilutes, loses its aroma and goes flat. Third: using supermarket tea bags, whose fine tea dust delivers little flavour and a lot of astringency. Switch to loose-leaf tea, respect the times, and 90% of the problems disappear.

Can you make iced tea with rooibos or herbal infusions?

Absolutely, and it's well worth doing — whether to vary the experience or to skip the caffeine entirely. Rooibos gives a naturally sweet, fruity iced tea with no bitterness, perfect for children or an evening drink. Hibiscus-based herbal infusions, alone or blended with red berries, produce a stunning deep-red colour in the glass and a tangy, wonderfully thirst-quenching flavour. They work just as well hot-brewed as cold-brewed.