For this recipe, it reminds me a lot of the vita lemon tea I used to get when I was younger. This one is a bit less cloyingly sweet but I think it strikes a nice balance between the sweetness of the fruits and bitterness of the tea. This simple sweet and sour drink is sooo refreshing, especially on a hot summer day.
This particular recipe comes from the Mooncakes and Milk Bread cookbook by Kristina Cho which we’ve made a whole bunch of different recipes from throughout the many MAX AC Channel episodes, so I highly recommend checking those out as well as purchasing a copy of the book to check out all of the other recipes.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of water, divided into 2 cups each
- 3 tablespoons of loose leaf black tea leaves (though you could probably also make this with whatever tea leaves you have lying around)
- 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (from about 2-3 lemons)
- 1 can of lychees with syrup
- Some ice cubes if desired
Step 1: Bring Water to Boil
First, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
Step 2: Juice Lemons
While we wait, we’ll prepare the lemon juice, so grab your lemons and slice a couple lemon rings or slices for garnish if desired before using a lemon juicer to extract its juices.
Step 3: Steep Tea
Your water should be boiling by now, so when you’re ready, turn off the heat and then add in your tea leaves. If you’re using oolong or green tea I would wait a couple minutes for the water to cool a little before steeping them since they’re a bit more delicate and will burn easier. Then cover this and let this steep for 8-10 minutes until the flavor is very strong and the color is nice and dark.
Step 4: Strain Out Tea Leaves
Next, grab a large pitcher and a fine mesh sieve and then pour your tea through your sieve into your pitcher and then you can discard the leaves.
Step 5: Mix Everything Together
Then, to your pitcher, add the remaining 2 cups of water, lemon juice, lemon slices, lychee syrup, and lychees to the tea. Give this a stir and then store this in the fridge for a couple of hours until it’s cold.
Step 6: Add in Ice & Serve
Then when you’re ready to serve your drink, serve it over ice and add in your lemon slices and lychee fruit as garnish. And with that, your Lychee-Lemon Iced Tea is ready to drink.