Description
Southern peach tea blends refreshing summer flavors with classic Southern hospitality. Chilled beverage enthusiasts will savor this sweet, fruity drink that cools and delights.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6–8 regular-size black tea bags
- 2 cups (480 ml) boiling water
- 6 cups (1.4 L) cold water
- 4 large ripe peaches, divided
- ½ cup (120 ml) lemon juice
- ½–1 cup (100–200 g) granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1 pinch of baking soda (optional)
- Ice (as needed)
Instructions
- Preparation: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and slice two peaches into wedges, discarding pits. Arrange wedges in a single layer and freeze until solidified, approximately four hours.
- Tea Brewing: Submerge tea bags in boiling water within a heatproof container. Cover and steep for 10 minutes to extract intense flavor profile.
- Tea Sweetening: Extract tea bags and dissolve sugar completely, allowing the liquid to cool to room temperature.
- Peach Processing: Peel and pit the remaining peaches, chopping the flesh and transferring to a blender with lemon juice. Puree until smooth and consistent.
- Juice Extraction: Position a fine mesh sieve over a clean bowl, pouring peach puree through and pressing to separate liquid from pulp, maximizing juice yield.
- Mixture Composition: Combine strained peach juice, sweetened tea, and cold water in a large pitcher. Add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize potential tea bitterness, mixing thoroughly.
- Chilling and Serving: Refrigerate the mixture to develop flavors. When ready, fill glasses with ice, pour the chilled peach tea, and garnish with previously frozen peach wedges for an elegant presentation.
Notes
- Freeze Peach Wedges Strategically: Ensure peaches are completely solid after 4 hours of freezing for perfect ice garnish and chilled flavor enhancement.
- Tea Steeping Matters: Let tea bags steep precisely 10 minutes to extract maximum flavor without becoming bitter or overly tannic.
- Strain Peach Puree Carefully: Press puree through fine mesh sieve to extract smooth liquid, removing fibrous pulp for a silky, refined beverage texture.
- Reduce Tea Bitterness Hack: Add a tiny pinch of baking soda to neutralize potential harsh tea undertones, creating a smoother, more balanced drink.
- Prep Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg