Lavender Iced Tea is Summer in a Glass

 

The sun is high, the lavender is in full, glorious bloom and the fragrant flower heads dance in the breeze while busy honey bees make their endless rounds from flower to flower.  Summer is ripe at the lavender farm.  What is needed right now is a cold glass of iced tea.  Refreshing - and with a hint of lemon and lavender - it's a perfect summer treat.

 

How to make lavender iced tea...

There are a lot of opinions out there about the "best" way to brew iced tea - sun tea, cold brew, hot steeping, etc...  Whatever your preference the goal is still the same - a nice, cold glass of summer!

Here's our recipe for a simple way to always have a pitcher of lavender iced tea on hand.  

Lavender Rooibos Iced Tea

While any of our organic lavender tea blends brew beautifully hot or cold, our favorite for iced tea is our Organic Lavender Rooibos Tea.  It's an herbal blend of our organic lavender and organic Rooibos.  Rooibos is a naturally sweet, low in tannins, high anti-oxidant herbal tea from South Africa.

1. Measure : We suggest 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of iced tea.  Organic Lavender Rooibos Tea is a fairly dense tea, so if you prefer a lighter flavor use 3/4 teaspoon per cup.  Secure the loose tea in an infuser or in cheesecloth secured with cotton twine. 
2. Boil : Bring water to a full, rolling boil.
3. Infusion : Measure 1/2 cup of hot water per final cup of iced tea and pour over the tea.  This will create an extra strong brew to accommodate the cold water you will add later.  Let it steep for 10-30 minutes depending on how strong you prefer your flavor.
4. Chill : Remove the tea and add an equal amount of room temperature water.  Decant the room temperature tea into a pitcher and place in refrigerator to chill.
5. Enjoy : Add some ice, a slice of lemon and put your feet up!

An extra lemony variation...

For a lavender spin on the classic "Arnold Palmer", mix equal parts Lavender Rooibos Iced Tea and Lavender Lemonade.  Maybe we should call it a "Lavender Palmer" or a "Stephen Robins" (in honor of our owner/founder who loves this variation - but don't tell him we told you!).

An adult variation...

After mixing equal parts Lavender Rooibos Iced Tea and Lavender Lemonade, add a splash of vodka, gin or white run and serve the whole deliciousness on ice with a lemon twist and a stalk of fresh lavender.

 

As we mentioned above, Organic Lavender Rooibos Tea is wonderful hot as well.  For those who avoid caffeine, this is a wonderful summer morning beverage when the air is still cool.  Add a small spoonful of our Organic Lavender Honey for a little extra lavender sweetness.  Be sure to lick the spoon off (go ahead and have an extra spoonful straight out of the jar, we won't tell)!