Unsweetened Tea Recipe? Like a Restaurant?

Lots of ice and a wait person who always keeps you topped off. If I ever have to ask for a refill then no tip and I've had words with the maitre'd on the way out. One of my favorite bbq joints serves tea in a bucket. In the kitchen most likely a 5 gallon pot made from instant and dipped with handle into serving pitchers. You'll see the self service urns which are filled from coffee pots using coffee filters and loose tea. There is also fountain tea made with carbonation. For home my granny would boil water in a large pan, add tea, strain in a large pitcher, let cool to room temperature, and put in refrigerator for several hours before serving into big tall glasses filled from ice cube trays. Restaurant iced tea is more enjoyment than taste.

Jim

Heat some water- about 4 cups- until almost boiling or just over. Pour the water over about 6-8 teaspoons of a tea such as Lipton or White Rose or Luizianne. Steep for about 4-5 minutes and pour off the liquid. Put the liquid in the fridge until cool and add ice.

I assume that when you say 'restaurants', you mean those chain places. This recipe will make rotten tea by aficionado standards, and I wouldn't drink it, myself. It is, however, the way chain restaurants make iced tea in the US, and if you like it, that's what matters. If you really want to make sure it tastes like restaurant tea, don't use filtered water and use the cheapest tea you can find. No, I'm not being funny- I happen to like pork rinds and Dr. Pepper once in a while, and I've been known to eat Cheez-Whiz. The fact that these things taste awful to most sensible people, are bad for you nad are completely declasse by gourmet standards doesn't stop me from enjoying them. I've also been known to eat Jello and Reddi-Wip, even though I'm no longer 5 years old. We all have our guilty pleasures- and for me, nothing says summer like having a really bad glass of Lipton's iced tea just like my mother used to make before she and I started drinking better quality ones.

By the way- I've found that while the taste is completely different, I like making Ten-Ren's jasmine tea (usually a low middle grade) and making unsweetened iced tea. It may not be traditional but it's refreshing, and the tea mixes well with my morning protein powder (plain water gets boring after a while and OJ adds too many calories and defeats the purpose of drinking the nasty stuff in the first place).