In The Kitchen with Laura McKenna: Best Iced Tea Tip

June 10th is National Iced Tea Day and I have the secret ingredient to making the best, fresh brewed iced tea!

Baking soda. Just a 1/4 tsp. makes all the difference.

Add a 1/4 tsp. of baking soda per every gallon of tea that you brew. Just that little bit of baking soda makes the tea so much smoother and doesn’t give you that burning, bitter, dry throat feeling that can accompany glasses of tea.

I have my Aunt Amy to thank for this amazing little trick. I attended a family picnic at her house and was in love with her ice tea. It was just the best I ever had tasted. I figured she had brewed the iced tea from some gourmet, expensive tea bags.

“Nope,” she said with a smile. “It’s just regular Lipton tea bags. But it’s the baking soda that makes it taste gourmet.”

She told me about her baking soda trick and ice tea has never been the same for me!

Choose whichever tea bags you like, brew a gallon, let it steep, then add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and whatever amount of sweetener you like. I usually leave it unsweetened because it’s such a good smooth flavor on its own.

Planning for a big party? Try another of Aunt Amy’s tricks:

Instead of boiling an entire gallon of water and steeping the entire pot of water with all those tea bags, make an iced tea concentrate.

This is how she does it:
Heat 4 cups of water and then add 12 tea bags to steep for 15 minutes. Add that hot tea concentrate to the pitcher or container and then add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and any sweetener at that time. Stir or put the lid on it and gently shake to mix. Then add cold water the rest of the way to make a gallon. Aunt Amy said that’s much easier than trying to boil and pour a whole gallon of hot tea.

I can’t wait for you to taste it!

Try the iced tea baking soda trick this summer for graduation parties, wedding and baby showers, and family reunions. You’ll get so many compliments about your gourmet tea (even if you simply used the store brand tea bags). Enjoy!

Want to contact Laura McKenna about a little trick you swear by? Anything else on your mind? Email anytime, she’d love to hear from you: Laura.McKenna@civicmedia.us
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