Hibiscus Lavender Iced Tea

After a long day of working in the garden, an icy cold beverage is always a welcome sight.  Iced coffee, lemonade, and iced tea are in a regular rotation on the front porch and back patio here at the farm during the warm months.  This summer, we’ve been featuring lavender hibiscus iced tea when we want something cold and refreshing.  It’s as beautiful as it is delicious and perfect for beating the summer heat.

As a bonus, this iced tea is simple to make once you have the tea concentrate and lavender simple syrup on hand in the refrigerator.  I like to make the concentrate on the strong side to prevent the drink from becoming waterlogged as the ice melts on a hot summer’s day.  I also love to add our favorite lemonade to the iced tea.  Together, the herbal tea, lavender, and lemon combine to create an absolutely delicious drink full of flavor. 

I cold brew our tea concentrate.  It’s such a simple process and saves me the step of heating up water, timing the brewing of the tea, and cooling down the tea before using.  Instead, I simply fill a large Mason jar with two cups of cold water, add the tea bags, place a lid on the jar, and store the jar overnight (or longer) in the refrigerator.  The resulting tea concentrate is just as colorful and full of flavor. We love the flavor of Tazo Passion herbal tea with its hibiscus, passion fruit, and orange undertones, but any tea that would benefit from a touch of sweetness and the floral notes of the lavender syrup would be delicious in this iced tea drink. 

Have a little fun, adjusting the components for your perfect iced tea drink.  Try out a few different teas, up the amount of tea concentrate or lavender syrup to create a drink that is exactly what you want to be reaching for on a hot day.  Most importantly, enjoy every single sip.  Like summer, it won’t last forever so we might as well enjoy it while it lasts!

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Hibiscus Lavender Iced Tea

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

The tea concentrate can be kept for several days in the refrigerator. With the tea concentrate and lavender syrup at the ready in the refrigerator, you’ll be able to make this delicious drink any time you need an icy glass of refreshment. You can adjust the components based on your taste preference, adding more tea, syrup, or lemonade to create your perfect summer drink.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

For the tea concentrate

• 2 cups water
• 5 Tazo Passion tea bags

For the lavender simple syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 sprigs fresh lavender including buds or 1 Tablespoon dried lavender

For each drink

• ice
• 1-2 Tablespoons lavender simple syrup
• ½ cup iced tea concentrate
• 1 cup Lemonade

Instructions

To make the tea concentrate

• You can make the tea concentrate using either heat or time. The warm brew will be a little more flavorful while the cold brew has a milder flavor but requires 8-12 hours of resting time. Both are delicious.
• To warm brew the tea, bring 2 cups of water up to just below the boiling point (around 212 degrees Fahrenheit). Add the tea bags and allow them to steep in the warm water for five minutes. Remove the tea bags and allow the tea concentrate to cool to room temperature before using or storing in the refrigerator.
• To cold brew the tea, place 2 cups of cold water in a container with a lid. Add the tea bags, cover, and place in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours. Remove the tea bags. The cold brew tea concentrate can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for several days.

To make the lavender simple syrup

• Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Place over low heat and stir the sugar and water to help prevent the sugar from settling on the bottom of the pan and burning. Warm the pan, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the lavender, stirring lightly to help infuse the syrup with the oil released from the lavender. Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature. Remove the lavender before transferring the syrup to a container with a tight fitting lid. The syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.

To assemble the iced tea

• Add a cup of ice to a large glass. Add the 2 Tablespoons lavender syrup, ½ cup tea concentrate, and 1 cup lemonade to the glass. Stir and enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Mention @1840Farm or tag #1840FarmFood! We can't wait to see what you make!