Peach Sweet Tea
Peach sweet tea is a refreshing beverage made with freshly brewed black tea and homemade peach simple syrup. This fruity iced tea is the perfect drink to cool off on a hot summer day!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 143kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh peaches pitted and diced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 family size tea bags such as Luzianne or Lipton, or 12 regular size tea bags
- 8 cups water divided, 4 cups for brewing tea, 4 cups cold water for finishing tea
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Add the peaches, granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, and cinnamon to a medium saucepan. Bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat to medium and allow the syrup to simmer for about 10 minutes until the peaches are tender.
- Smash most of the peaches against the pot with the back of a wooden spoon. Allow the syrup to cool and infuse for about an hour.
- Meanwhile, bring four cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat, place the 4 tea bags in the water, and allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes. Discard the tea bags and allow the tea to cool.
- Strain the peach syrup into a bowl or container through a mesh strainer, smashing the peaches against the strainer to get all the liquid out. You should get about 2 cups of syrup.
- Combine the peach syrup and tea in a large pitcher and top with 4 cups of cold water. Give the tea a good stir and serve over ice garnished with fresh peach slices, lemon slices, and mint leaves!
Notes
- Choose fresh peaches that are ripe and give slightly when gently squeezed. Very hard peaches are not yet ripe and have a bitter flavor while soft, mushy peaches are past their prime.
- An optional ingredient, baking soda is a trick that many Southerners have used for decades to neutralize the bitterness of the tannins in black tea and to give their sweet tea a smoother flavor.
- Leftover peach tea can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but fermentation could begin after a day. Always check leftover freshly brewed tea for an "off" or sour smell before consuming.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.5g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 37.3g | Calcium: 9mg