Description
This Easy Peach Tea recipe offers a perfectly refreshing summer drink that’s both flavorful and simple to make. Combining homemade peach syrup with black tea, lemon juice, and a touch of sweetness, it creates a deliciously fruity beverage ideal for hot days. Serve chilled over ice and garnish with fresh peach slices, mint, and lemon wedges for a delightful, thirst-quenching experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Peach Syrup
- 4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- 8 cups water, divided
Tea
- 6 black tea bags (or 6 teaspoons loose leaf black tea)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- Ice, for serving
- Optional garnishes: peach slices, mint sprigs, lemon wedges
Instructions
- Combine peaches and sugar: In a medium saucepan, combine the sliced peaches and granulated sugar. Gently stir to coat the peach slices evenly with sugar.
- Let the mixture rest: Allow the peach and sugar mixture to sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature to macerate and release juice.
- Simmer the peach mixture: Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid burning the sugar.
- Cook until peaches soften: Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes until the peaches are very soft and can be mashed easily, and the mixture thickens slightly into a syrup.
- Mash the peaches: Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, gently mash the softened peaches in the saucepan to release more flavor.
- Strain the syrup: Pour the peach mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heat-proof bowl, pressing solids with a spoon to extract maximum syrup. Discard or save solids as desired.
- Cool the peach syrup: Allow the peach syrup to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if not using immediately.
- Boil water for tea: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan.
- Steep the tea: Place tea bags or loose leaf tea in an infuser into a heat-proof pitcher or teapot. Pour boiling water over the tea and steep for 3-5 minutes, adjusting for strength preference.
- Remove tea bags: Remove the tea bags or infuser, gently squeezing tea bags to extract flavor.
- Cool the brewed tea: Let the tea cool to room temperature; refrigerate briefly to speed up cooling if desired.
- Combine tea and syrup: In a large pitcher, mix the cooled tea with the cooled peach syrup.
- Add lemon juice: Stir in freshly squeezed lemon juice for brightness and balance.
- Add cold water: Pour in the remaining 4 cups of cold water and stir to combine all ingredients.
- Taste and adjust: Adjust the sweetness or tartness by adding more lemon juice or peach syrup/sugar as needed.
- Chill the tea: Refrigerate the peach tea for at least 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Prepare to serve: Fill glasses with ice cubes.
- Serve and garnish: Pour the chilled peach tea over ice and garnish with fresh peach slices, mint sprigs, and lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
- Adjust sugar quantity according to the sweetness of your peaches and personal preference.
- Loose leaf tea can be used with a tea infuser for better flavor extraction.
- The peach solids leftover after straining can be used in smoothies or desserts.
- Peach syrup can be stored refrigerated for up to one week.
- For a stronger tea flavor, steep the tea for the longer end of the recommended time.
- Adding lemon juice brightens the tea and balances the sweetness perfectly.
