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    Milk and Pop » Recipes » Tea Drinks

    Tea Ice Cubes for iced teas, lattes and cocktails

    Published: Aug 28, 2023 by Tatiana Kamakura · Leave a Comment · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Using Tea Ice Cubes is the easiest way to make iced tea more flavorful! Made with simple ingredients, this is my favorite way to avoid a watery beverage, and add more flavor to iced teas, lemonades, and even cocktails!

    Black and herbal tea ice cubes inside glass.

    These tea ice cubes are perfect for my Earl Grey Iced Tea Lemonade!

    Jump to:
    • 🧊Why make ice cubes with tea
    • 🫖Ingredients
    • 💦How to make it
    • ✔️Expert tips
    • 🙋🏻‍♀️Questions you might have
    • 🍶Where to use them
    • 📖 Recipe

    🧊Why make ice cubes with tea

    I’m a slow drinker, and my iced beverages are always watery after some minutes, especially during summer. One day I thought: what if I added more tea instead of frozen water?

    So I did that with my earl grey milk tea, and never went back to water ice cubes!

    Using tea ice cubes (as well as lemonade ice cubes) is great to avoid watery drinks. It’s also an easy way to add a twist to your favorite iced beverage!

    🫖Ingredients

    Water. Filtered or tap water are both fine for this recipe.

    Tea. To keep it as simple as possible, I use tea bags when making tea ice cubes. Both bags or loose tea work for this recipe, but with loose tea, you’ll need to strain the leaves out, or have a mesh tea ball/stainless steel tea holder.

    For making tea ice cubes, you can also use:

    • Ready to drink tea, or
    • Cold brew tea.

    These ice cubes can be made with any type of tea. I usually make them with black tea or Earl Grey, as that is what I use more in my drinks. But I already made it with chamomile, chai, and even ginger tea. You can use my honey ginger iced tea recipe to make these ice cubes: it's delicious, and perfect to add a twist to my coffee lemonade!

    It really depends on where you’ll use the ice cubes. For drinks with black tea, black tea or Earl Grey ice cubes are probably a better fit than herbal ice cubes.

    💦How to make it

    Black tea bags steeping into hot water.

    Step 1. Using tea bags or loose leaves, steep tea. For black and green, steep for 4 to 5 minutes, and for herbal and flavored, do it for 6 to 8.

    Tea cooling in a glass jar.

    Step 2. Remove tea bags/leaves, and let the tea cool for 20 minutes.

    Ice cube tray filled with black tea.

    Step 3. Pour tea into a clean ice cube tray, and store in the freezer until it sets.

    Tea ice cubes set in ice tray.

    Step 4. Tea ice cubes should be completely set after 4 to 5 hours.

    Remember that the smaller the ice cubes, the faster they will melt. So think about it when choosing an ice cube tray.

    ✔️Expert tips

    Brew the chosen tea properly. Don’t steep for too little, or over steep it: check the instructions of the tea to do it right. Black tea needs to be brewed for 4 to 5 minutes, while herbal tea needs a few more minutes. Also, don’t pour boiling water over the tea: water needs to be hot, but it can’t be boiling.

    Making it with milk. You can transform these ice cubes into tea latte ice cubes using milk. For that, brew a stronger tea using only half the amount of water, then mix with the same amount of milk.

    Example: if using enough tea for a cup, brew it using only half a cup of hot water. When ready, remove the tea bag/leaves and add half a cup of milk. Mix, and pour into the ice tray.

    You can also use my brown sugar milk tea for delicious and sweetened tea ice cubes.

    Milk pouring into tea.

    Making it with sugar. I don’t like adding sugar to these, as it can make a drink too sweet after the cubes melt. However, it’s possible to make sweetened tea ice cubes. Sugar and artificial sweeteners work for that, just avoid adding too much or they cubes won’t freeze properly.

    When choosing to add milk and/or sugar, prefer silicon ice tray moldes where you can "pop out" the ice. Ice cubes can be harder to remove from the tray when made with these additional ingredients.

    🙋🏻‍♀️Questions you might have

    Can I freeze iced tea?

    Yes, you can make tea cubes using iced tea. Just remember when adding these ice cubes to a drink that they'll probably add more sweetness to the recipe.

    How long does it take make ice cubes?

    It takes around 4 hours for these ice cubes to set.

    How many ice cubes make a cup?

    That really depends on the size of the ice cube. If using a regular rectangular ice cube tray, it takes about 6 ice cubes to fill a cup.

    How do I store tea ice cubes?

    These ice cubes can be transferred to a resealable plastic bag or airtight container and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. They might start to develop some off flavors after that time.

    🍶Where to use them

    I love adding these to my Thai Tea Lemonade, but they are also fantastic with any milk tea. Here are some of my favorite recipes that are great with tea ice cubes:

    • 2bottles of Earl Grey Milk Tea.
      Earl Grey Milk Tea
    • A glass of iced london fog over ice.
      Iced London Fog (Earl Grey Tea Latte)
    • close up on brown sugar milk tea
      Brown Sugar Milk Tea (Without Tapioca Pearls)
    • Iced chai tea latte in a tall glass over ice cubes.
      Starbucks Iced Chai Tea Latte Recipe

    If you tried my Tea Ice Cubes, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

    📖 Recipe

    Black and herbal tea ice cubes inside glass.

    Tea Ice Cubes

    Tatiana Kamakura
    Using Tea Ice Cubes is the easiest way to make iced tea more flavorful! Made with simple ingredients, this is my favorite way to avoid a watery beverage, and add more flavor to iced teas, lemonades, and even cocktails!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    4 hours hrs
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
    Course Teas and Lattes
    Cuisine American
    Servings 10 Ice Cubes
    Calories 1 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 Ice Tray

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 bag black, green or herbal tea
    • 236 ml water

    Instructions
     

    • Using tea bags or loose leaves, steep tea. For black and green, steep for 4 to 5 minutes, and for herbal and flavored, do it for 6 to 8.
    • Remove tea bags/leaves, and let the tea cool for 20 minutes.
    • Pour tea into a clean ice cube tray, and store in the freezer until it sets.
    • Tea ice cubes should be completely set after 4 to 5 hours.

    Video

    Notes

    Storing: these ice cubes can be transferred to a resealable plastic bag or airtight container and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    Making it with milk: You can transform these ice cubes into tea latte ice cubes using milk. For that, brew a stronger tea using only half the amount of water, then mix with the same amount of milk.
    Making it with sugar: I don’t like adding sugar to these, as it can make a drink too sweet after the cubes melt. However, it’s possible to make sweetened tea ice cubes. Sugar and artificial sweeteners work for that, just avoid adding too much or they cubes won’t freeze properly.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1ice cubeCalories: 1kcalSodium: 1mgCalcium: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Tea Drink Recipes

    • Thai Tea lemonade in a mug with lime slices and ice.
      Thai Tea Lemonade (Thai Lime Iced Tea)
    • Thai Tea Syrup (Thai Tea Concentrate)
    • Small matcha ice cubes.
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    • Earl Grey whippe cream on top of whisker.
      Earl Grey Whipped Cream (Tea Infused)

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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