The Perfect Sun Tea

There is only one way to start a blog called Leaves In My Cup, and that is with a recipe for tea.  Since I'm learning and simultaneously sharing what I learn here with you, it should start from the basics.  I will give you a recipe that is very simple, very cheap, very easy, and extremely delicious... something I make on a weekly basis.  My father detests hot drinks, so this is his go-to summer beverage, and I learned it from watching him make it again and again.

Ingredients
- Orange pekoe black tea, 8 bags
- Cloves, 8
- Water, 1 gallon
- (optional:  Lemon slice or mint sprig for garnish)

I'm making a half batch this morning

Method 1:  Sun
- Place dry ingredients in a gallon sun tea jar, hanging the tea bags over the edge.
- Fill with cold water, and screw on the lid
- Place in direct sun (the hotter the better) for 4-6 hours, or however long it takes to get as dark as you'd like.
- Refrigerate
- Pour into a glass of ice and enjoy!

Method 2:  Fridge
- Place dry ingredients in a gallon sun tea jar, hanging the tea bags over the edge.
- Fill with cold water, and screw on the lid
- Immediately place in the fridge
- In 8-12 hours, pour into a glass of ice and enjoy

Method 3:  Boiling
- Same as the Fridge method, but let it brew a bit before refrigerating.  (This method easily gets bitter and loses the tea's subtleties, so it's not my most recommended)

Notes
- The ratio is 1 tea bag and one clove to two cups of water.  Use less cloves if you don't like as much "bite."  I like to make smaller servings in mason jars or a half/gallon pitcher and also use half decaffeinated tea bags.
- Use the cheapest tea you can find, as long as it's not stale... I usually use the Lipton sold in bulk, for old times' sake.  You can also use those bigger bags specifically made for mass-producing tea.
- The Sun method is the tastiest and strongest and fastest way to make it... you just can't get the same intensity with the Fridge method.
- I usually toss mine after 2-4 days as the flavor changes from "sun-soaked" to "fridgey"... the healthy phytochemicals in the tea are fresh and present mostly on day 1 anyway. 

(Disclaimer:  the Fridge method is considered safer... there was a public service announcement a year or two ago about the dangers of bacterial growth in sun-made tea, but I have never had a problem with it, and neither has anyone I know.  Start with a clean jar, and even boiled (and therefore sterile) cooled water if you're paranoid, and always discard anything with strange sediment or strings of material in the jar.)

Soakin' up the sun

That's it?!  Yep.  I have tried multiple variations... different teas, different herbs, different concentrations... but nothing else will give me that sensation of a careless hot summer with nothing to do besides smell the sun-baked weeds and take a dip in the pool.  At this time of year when it's still chilly but with a promise of summer in the air, it is particularly important for me to replicate that summery sensation. 

Go make some now, and imagine the sun-warmed days to come!  :)