Iced Rooibos with Peach and Basil
An iced rooibos jug with ripe peach and fresh basil, lightly honeyed and served long over ice.

Iced peach and basil Rooibos is a more grown up iced tea than most. Peach is a natural match for rooibos, since the fruit's sweetness sits right on the leaf's honey malt, and a handful of bruised basil is the surprise that ties it together, fresher against ripe stone fruit than the more obvious mint.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Iced Rooibos with Peach and Basil recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/iced tea/iced rooibos with peach and basil/
Brew the rooibos hot with peach wedges and basil so the flavours steep into it, sweeten lightly with honey, then crash it cold over ice. Fresh peach slices and a basil sprig in each glass keep it looking and tasting like summer.
You'll need
- 4 Loyd Pure Rooibos pyramid bags
- 500ml freshly drawn water, brought to a true rolling boil
- 2 ripe peaches, stones removed (one cut into wedges for the jug, one cut into thin slices for the serving glasses)
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, about 20g, bruised between the palms
- 2 tbsp acacia honey or raw blossom honey
- 250ml well chilled still water
- Plenty of cubed ice for the jug and the serving glasses
- 4 small fresh basil sprigs, for the serving glasses
Method
- Drop the 4 Loyd Pure Rooibos pyramid bags, the wedges of one peach and the bruised fresh basil leaves into a 1-litre heatproof jug.
- Bring the kettle to a true rolling boil and pour the 500ml of rolling boiling water straight over the contents of the jug.
- Stir in the 2 tablespoons of acacia honey while the brew is still hot, until fully dissolved.
- Cover the jug with a saucer and steep for six full minutes; the rooibos wants the full six and the peach and basil infuse alongside.
- Lift the bags from the jug with a teaspoon, press each gently against the side, and discard. Leave the peach wedges and basil leaves in the jug.
- Add a generous handful of cubed ice to the jug and stir for thirty seconds to drop the temperature fast, then stir in the 250ml of well chilled still water.
- Cover the jug and chill in the fridge for twenty minutes; the rest in the cold lets the peach settle into the rooibos.
- Slice the second peach into thin rounds for the serving glasses.
- Fill four tall glasses with cubed ice. Pour the iced rooibos into each through a small sieve, lifting a peach wedge and a basil leaf into each glass, then slide two fresh peach slices on top of the ice.
- Tuck a small basil sprig into each glass against the side and serve straight away with long bar straws.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Loyd Pure Rooibos, 20 Tea Bags 40g
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