How to Make Fresh Sun Tea

Fresh sun tea is a refreshing summer beverage.

Fresh sun tea is a delicious and refreshing summer beverage. It's also a healthier alternative to sodas, especially if you go easy on the sweeteners, because tea is rich in antioxidants. It's also quite economical, since the only required ingredients are tea and water. But it does require some patience because although the process is very simple, sun tea takes a couple hours to make.

Things You'll Need

• 1-gallon glass pitcher
• 8-10 tea black bags
• Water
• Sugar or honey (optional)
• 1 Lemon (optional)

Instructions

1. Place tea bags in a glass pitcher, tying the ends to the handle of the pitcher for easy removal later. Glass pitchers are best for sun tea, since plastic can negatively affect the taste of the tea when it sits in the sun.

2. Fill the pitcher with water. The tea bags might float at first, but they will sink as they soak up water and become heavy.

3. Place the pitcher in a sunny area, such as near a window or on a porch. If you're leaving it outside, place a clean dish towel over the top to keep bugs and dirt out.

4. Leave the pitcher in the sun for about two hours. The amount of time you leave it out will depend on how strong you want the tea.

5. Remove tea bags.

6. Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar if desired. Simply add the honey or sugar and stir the tea until it's combined. For sweet tea, use about 1 cup of sugar or honey per gallon.

7. Flavor with lemon if desired by squeezing fresh lemon juice into the pitcher, and stir. You can also use grapefruit, lime or orange juice to flavor your tea.

8. Serve over ice.

References

• WebMD: Antioxidants in Green and Black Tea