Unsweetened Mint Iced Tea

I have to give my sister props for this recipe. She introduced me to homemade iced tea long before it was trendy. In her earlier days, she would water down the powdered sweet tea mix to dilute the sugar (which also dilutes the flavour, ick!).

Making your own iced tea is both refreshing and rewarding. It’s a very simple process and saves you from buying iced tea by the cup (which can seriously put a dent in the ol’ bank account, am I right?). The beauty of making your own, is that you can control just how much sugar you are adding. If you’re like me, I prefer my iced (and hot) tea unsweetened while others enjoy a hint of sugar. Feel free to add sugar to your taste, but take the opportunity to reduce the amount each time you make a pitcher. By slowly reducing the sugar you’re adding, you can get used to (and really enjoy) a less sweet beverage!

If you are adding sugar to your iced tea, I would recommend adding it while the tea is steeping in hot water so it dissolves completely. I like to use honey as my sweetener of choice. I really enjoy the extra boost of flavour honey provides over plain white sugar. Remember that whichever you choose, sugar is sugar (nutritionally speaking).