Dave and I used to make unsweetened, decaffeinated iced tea in a big plastic pitcher to keep in the refrigerator. We made it using kind of a sun tea approach. Basically, I would drop about five tea bags into the pitcher, run the hot water to fill it up, and put the whole thing into the refrigerator to finish steeping and cool off.
But then came all of the talk about the dangers of BPA and I began to eye that pitcher and wonder if our attempt at avoiding soft drinks was actually creating more of a problem for our health.
In September, I shared our new solution with you here. I have been making iced tea concentrates in mason jars stored in the fridge. One of my favorites at that time was a tea flavored naturally with peaches. Obviously now, as the winter drones on, peaches are out of the question.
Here is my new iced tea favorite. Pomegranate Green Tea. Simmer four or five green tea bags in several cups of water until you have achieved a rich amber color. When the concentrated tea cools, pour it into a quart-sized mason jar. You should fill the jar about halfway or more. If not, add a little water to reach the halfway mark. Then fill the jar the rest of the way with pomegranate juice. Antioxidant heaven!
I don’t sweeten, but you could very easily with some agave, simple syrup, stevia, or honey.
To drink, pour a few ounces (a quarter to a half a cup) of the concentrate into a glass and fill to the rim with water. In the winter, I leave out the ice.
This post is part of Steady Mom’s 30 Minute Blogging Challenge. If you are a blogger, why don’t you give her Tuesday carnival a try? It is a great way to get a midweek post up without ignoring your other responsibilities… for more than 30 minutes anyway. This post, start to finish? 23 minutes!