The Best Lychee Iced Tea

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Fusion

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 5

Chill Time: 2

Total Time: 2 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Delightfully fruity lychee flavored iced green tea made with real lychee fruit, honey, and citrus

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 small saucepan
1 kitchen spoon
1 cutting board
1 knife
1 Blender or food processor
1 pitcher or beverage container

Ingredients

8 cups water
1 cup honey
10 green tea bags or 10 tablespoons loose leaf green tea
15 ounces lychees in syrup about 20 lychees
½ lemon
1 lime
ice and/or frozen lychees
fresh mint optional garnish
lemon slices optional garnish
lime slices optional garnish

Instructions

Add honey and four cups of water to saucepan and bring to a boil.
Remove pot from heat then add green tea bags and steep them for three minutes. Remove the tea bags (don't squeeze or press them!) and skim off any foam.
Pour in remaining water then allow the tea to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the lychees, lychee syrup, juice of half lemon, and juice of the lime to a blender or food processor and pulse until a smooth puree forms (about 30 seconds).
Pour lychee puree and cooled green tea into a pitcher and place in the fridge to chill for at least two hours (the longer the better).
Stir the chilled tea again then serve with ice, fresh and/or frozen lychee fruits, lemon and lime slices, and fresh mint, if desired.

Notes

Preparation

Do not squeeze or press the tea bags as you remove them! Doing so would release extra tannins into the liquid, which can make the tea taste bitter and/or look cloudy.

You can make this tea up to three days ahead of time, if you store it correctly. Don't add any of the garnishes or ice until you're ready to serve.

This tea gets better with time so let it sit overnight for the best flavor, if you can.

Storage

Store lychee tea in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. This lychee iced tea keeps for up to five days and you'll be able to tell when it's gone bad by an overly sweet smell and kind of sour taste. This is because the sugar and fruit in the syrup will start fermenting.

Serving

I like to freeze some of the lychee fruit to serve with this lychee-green tea, which helps keep it chilled without diluting the flavor!

Nutrition