How to Make Iced Tea

A Fresh Perspective on Cold Tea

Though it’s often seen as a simple summer drink, iced tea offers a surprising depth of craft and flavor. From quick flash-chilling to slow cold brewing, the best way to make iced tea depends on the tea variety and your taste preferences. Still, not everyone knows how to make iced tea—or that there’s more than one way to prepare it. In this guide, you’ll learn how to make iced tea your way, discovering refreshing rituals for every summer occasion.

Which Teas Are Best Served Over Ice?

When prepared intentionally, nearly any tea can be transformed into a vibrant iced infusion. Black, green, oolong, white or botanical—each variety lends itself to a cold, refreshing cup. Chances are, if you know how to brew hot tea, you know how to make iced tea as well.

Like hot tea, iced tea can easily be embellished with your choice of simple syrups, cold foams and fresh garnishes. Not sure where to begin? If you enjoy honey and lemon in your hot tea, you'll likely appreciate those flavors in your iced tea, too.

The best way to make iced tea is to think about the flavors you want before you begin brewing. For example, if you’re planning to add a drizzle of raw honey, be sure to stir it in while the tea is still hot to help it fully dissolve.

How to Select the Right Brewing Method

How you choose to brew iced tea shapes everything from body and aroma to sweetness and clarity. Flash-chilling delivers a vibrant, refreshing cup in minutes—ideal when you want iced tea on demand. Cold brewing, on the other hand, takes time but yields a smooth, low-tannin infusion with minimal bitterness, making it well worth the wait.

The type of tea you’re preparing should also guide your approach. Green teas, for example, are ideal for cold brewing, as their delicate nature makes them prone to bitterness when steeped in overly hot water.

In the sections that follow, we’ll walk you through how to make flash-chilled iced tea and how to make cold brew iced tea, so you can choose the approach that best suits your schedule and taste. Whatever method you choose, it’s best to start with premium tea varieties you know and love.

How to Flash-Chill Tea

The flash-chill method brews tea hot and strong, then cools it rapidly by adding cold water and ice. Ideal for bold, structured teas—like black, oolong, or certain botanical varieties—it's a quick and easy way to enjoy a deliciously refreshing cup. Here’s how to make it, step by step:

1. Gather Your Materials:

• Loose leaf tea (about 1.5x the usual amount for hot tea)
• Filtered water
• Kettle
• Teapot or infuser
• Plenty of ice
• Heat-safe pitcher or glass

2. Measure Your Tea: Use about 1.5 teaspoons of loose leaf tea per 8 oz of water—slightly more than you would for a hot brew. This extra strength helps balance the dilution from the ice.

3. Heat Your Water: Bring water to the appropriate temperature for your tea type.

4. Brew Hot and Strong: Steep your tea for the recommended amount of time.

5. Strain and Flash Chill: Immediately pour the hot-brewed tea into a heat-safe pitcher or glass filled with ice. Rapid chilling helps lock in brightness and clarity.

6. Stir and Serve: Stir gently to fully incorporate. Add garnishes like lemon slices, fresh herbs or a splash of syrup if desired. Serve right away over ice.

How to Cold Brew Tea

Cold brewing is a gentle, low-maintenance method that slowly infuses tea in cold water over time. This technique extracts smooth, sweet flavors with minimal bitterness—making it ideal for green teas and nuanced single-origin varieties. Here’s what to do:

1. Gather Your Materials:

• Loose leaf tea (or a tea sachet)
• Cold, filtered water
• A pitcher, jar or cold brew bottle
• Fine-mesh strainer (if using loose leaf)

2. Measure Your Tea: Use about 1 tablespoon of loose leaf tea per 16 oz (2 cups) of water. You can adjust the amount depending on your preferred strength.

3. Add Cold Water: Place the tea directly into a pitcher or jar and fill with cold, filtered water. Stir gently to ensure the tea is fully saturated.

4. Refrigerate and Infuse: Cover and refrigerate, allowing it to steep for 6 to 12 hours, depending on your tea type.

• Green and white teas: 6 to 8 hours
• Black and oolong teas: 8 to 10 hours
• Herbal teas & botanical blends: 10–12 hours

5. Strain the Tea: Once the tea has steeped to your liking, remove the sachet or strain out the leaves using a fine-mesh strainer.

6. Serve and Enjoy: Pour over ice and garnish with fresh herbs, fruit or a splash of syrup. Keep refrigerated and enjoy within a few days for the best flavor.

How to Choose Between Loose Leaf and Sachets

When it comes to preparing iced tea, both loose leaf and sachet tea bags deliver excellent results—each with distinct advantages. Your choice depends on your preference for how to make iced tea and how much flexibility you want.

Loose leaf tea offers the most dynamic and customizable experience. The larger leaves yield greater complexity of flavor and aroma—ideal for those who enjoy experimenting with ratios, steep times, and ingredients. Whether you're cold brewing a delicate green tea or flash-chilling a bold black tea, loose leaf offers unmatched versatility and flavor.

Sachet tea, on the other hand, is a convenient, quick and consistent way to make iced tea with minimal cleanup. Rishi sachets are filled with the same high-quality teas and botanicals as our loose leaf offerings, so you don’t have to sacrifice quality for ease. Sachets are perfect for single servings and steeping on the go.

Whether you're a devoted tea purist or a casual sipper, both formats make it easy to enjoy refreshing, full-flavored iced tea all season long.

How to Prepare Iced Tea with Tea Powders

For speed, convenience, or a café-style iced tea latte, tea powders offer a vibrant alternative to traditional brewing. These finely ground botanicals and tea concentrates dissolve instantly in cold water or milk—no steeping required.

If you already know how to make iced tea using cold brew or flash-chill methods, powders provide even quicker results. Simply whisk or shake with cold water or your choice of milk to create an instant iced tea or latte. Try it with Sweet Thai Tea Powder or Teahouse Matcha for a unique and flavorful beverage—and don’t miss other refreshing tea powders from our collection.

While powders don’t fit into the traditional brewing categories, they’re still one of the best ways to make iced tea when time is short. No infusing, no waiting—simply mix and sip.

Whether you’re craving something creamy, fruity or caffeine-free, tea powders are an easy way to experiment with how to make iced tea that suits your mood. Garnish with fruit, herbs or citrus to make each glass your own.

Make Iced Tea Your Way

From energizing morning steeps to calming sunset sips, there are countless ways to enjoy iced tea. Explore, experiment and enjoy.