Iced Orange Tea with Thyme Recipe

The recipe

Exact quantities, then the method.

Orange and thyme is a pairing you usually meet in a roast dinner, but it works just as well in a cold glass. The thyme stops the orange tasting too sweet and gives the whole thing a grown-up, faintly savoury edge. As with any iced tea worth drinking, brew it strong and cool it properly first, or the melting ice will leave you with something thin and disappointing.

Source: teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Iced Orange Tea with Thyme recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/iced-tea/iced-orange-tea-with-thyme/

15 min Serves 1 Easy Iced Tea Recipes

You'll need

2 tea bags of Lipton Black Tea with Spanish Orange
200ml freshly drawn water at 100C, just off the boil
200ml cold still water
2 thin fresh orange wheels
1 fresh thyme sprig
Enough cubed ice (about 250g)

Equipment

1 tall 450ml glass, chilled in the freezer for ten minutes
1 small jug for steeping, 1 saucer for covering

Method

Steep the 2 tea bags of orange for four minutes in 200ml of just boiled water, a saucer on top, then lift them out.
Let the brew cool completely, standing the jug in cold water or chilling it in the fridge.
Pour the cooled orange tea over a tall glass of ice.
Top up with the cold water, easing it in down the back of a spoon.
Tuck in the orange wheels.
Roll the thyme sprig between your fingers to bruise it, then add it so the herb actually comes through.
Tip: rub a strip of orange peel round the rim before serving for a hit of scent on the first sip.

What you'll end up with: A long, cool orange tea with a savoury thread of thyme running through it, fresh and not too sweet.

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