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!
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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 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.
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
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.
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.
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 addition ingredients.
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. They might start to develop some off flavors after that time.
Where to use them
Here are some of my favorite recipes that are great with tea ice cubes:
📖 Recipe
Tea Ice Cubes
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.
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