Whether you wish to make caffeinated iced tea with herbs or simply herbal iced, the possibilities are endless and are limited only by one's imagination! The choice of herbs depends on personal preference and method of preparation since there are several ways of making iced tea.

Drink them plain or sweetened, or mixed with juices, sparkling waters, or natural sodas. For special occasions, add sliced citrus, fruit or even edible fresh flowers.

Basic Methods

Part of the fun in creating your own teas is to experiment using different herbs to customize your tea.

Before you begin with the experiments, you will need to choose the appropriate method of making the Tea. This depends on the part of the plant you will be using in your brew. As a rule of thumb, if you are using roots, barks and seeds you will first need to make a decoction using hot water. Once this is prepared you can add chilled water and refrigerate the tea for a couple of hours. This decoction step is only necessary if you are using these fibrous plant parts. If you choose leafy parts or flowers, you can simply make an infusion as you would a regular tea.

The other option is to make a sun tea, which is a slower process as it is heated by the sun. This method works only with very leafy herbs and flowers and will not work with roots, barks, seeds and herbs with lots of stems.

Recipe for Sun Tea

Ingredients

• large glass jar or pitcher
• 2 large tablespoons of herbs
• 1 quart of fresh water
• Optional: Conventional tea bags for sun tea

Directions

1. Place the herbs in the container and fill with cold water.
2. You can tie the herbs in cheesecloth or place them in a muslin bag or tea infuser first for easy removal after the tea is brewed.
3. Cover the container and place it in a sunny place to allow the herbs to infuse.
4. When the tea looks and tastes ready, squeeze the herbs and tea bags to release the entire flavor into the tea.
5. Store the container in the refrigerator and serve over ice.

Note: There are concerns that brewing tea in the sun can harbor bacteria, and this is a possibility. To minimize the risk, use a perfectly clean container (scrub it in soap and hot water and rinse well) and don't leave the tea to steep for more than a few hours. Make just enough tea for the day, and keep it refrigerated. If the tea becomes thick or syrupy, discard it.

Herb Suggestions

Infusion or Sun Tea Method

• Refreshing herbs: Peppermint leaf, Spearmint leaf, Rose Hips fruit, Red Clover tops, Rosemary leaf, Nettle leaf, Alfalfa leaf and Red Raspberry leaf
  
• Relaxing herbs: Lavender flowers, Lemon Balm leaf, Passionflower tops, Chamomile (German) flowers, Skullcap herb, Holy Basil tea blend and Catnip leaf & flower

Decoction Method

• Energizing herbs:  Lemongrass leaf, Ginger root, Licorice root, and Hibiscus
• Relaxing herbs:  Valerian root
  

Combination Ideas

• Mint goes particularly well with many herbs, but especially notable are; Green Tea leaf, Chamomile (German) flowers, Elder flower and Alfalfa leaf. Any of the lemon-scented herbs also partner well with mint-for example; Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass leaf and Lemon Balm leaf.
• Hibiscus is a delicious tea with a flavor similar to cranberry juice. It partners well with Rose Hips fruit, and Lemon Verbena.