Fresh Peach Iced Tea

Servings 6 -8 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 fresh peaches chopped (don't peel)
8 tea bags I used a black tea
4 cups hot water
Fresh sliced peaches
Fresh mint or basil

Instructions

Make the peach syrup. Place sugar, water and peaches in a small sauce pan and stir to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil, smash the peaches lightly with a fork. Then cover, remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes.
Make the tea. Steep 8 tea bags in 4 cups of very hot water (not boiling) for 5-6 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard.
You now have a nice, strong batch of tea. You can dilute it with cold water, ice, or both. A) For a weaker tea, add 4 cups of cold water to the hot tea, then serve it over ice. OR B) For medium strength, add 2 cups of cold water and serve it over ice. OR C) For a stronger flavored tea, do not dilute with any cold water; simply pour over a full glass of ice and let the ice dilute it.
After 30 minutes of steeping, decide how you want to use your syrup. A) Strain the peaches to use as a clear peach syrup. (Save those peaches! See notes) OR B) Use the syrup with the peaches in it OR C) Puree the peach syrup and use it as a pulpy peach syrup.
Pour tea over ice and add syrup to taste. I added fresh sliced peaches and blueberries to the glass and topped it off with a sprig of mint.

Recipe Notes

*Be sure to use a heat tempered pitcher if you're brewing your hot tea in glass. Otherwise, the glass will break. I brew mine in an 8 cup pyrex glass measuring pitcher. Then, when it's cool enough, I transfer to a pretty pitcher.

*The temperature of your hot water really depends on your type of tea. Some brew best at almost a boil, other, more delicate leaves, will not fare well with such a high temperature. I used a black tea and used water that was very hot but not boiling. I don't bother with thermometers for this.

*DO NOT refrigerate a pitcher of hot or warm iced tea. You will risk it getting cloudy, plus you will heat up your whole refrigerator for hours while the tea is cooling. If you do end up with cloudy tea, it is still fine to drink, just not as pretty. I always wait until it's room temperature to store it in the refrigerator.

*The color of your syrup will vary based on the peaches you use.

*Advice varies on storage times for simple syrup. I store mine covered in the refrigerator and use within a week or two.

*If you choose to strain your peaches and use just the syrup, save them to top oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt, ice cream...I ate some with greek yogurt and it was delicious!

*If you choose to keep your peaches whole in the syrup, I would make the syrup with 3 peaches instead of two so you have extra fruit to stir into your drink.

*I often use 7 black tea bags and throw in a vanilla chai tea bag for the 8th. This adds a lightly spiced flavor that I love.