For everyday iced tea, brew it hot at double strength, remove the bags or leaves, then dilute and chill. This lets you control how much flavor you extract and how strong the finished tea is. If you prefer a smoother, less brisk tea, try cold brewing in the refrigerator.

"Loose tea" and "tea leaves" usually mean the same thing. Bags are simply packaging. The differences that affect brewing are the type of tea, such as black, green or oolong, and whether the leaves are finely broken or whole.

To make 1 litre of black iced tea:

1. Use 8 to 10 g of tea, or about 4 to 5 ordinary tea bags, depending on their size.
2. Pour 500 ml of freshly boiled water over the tea and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Follow the package instructions if available. Generally, steep the tea without boiling it in the saucepan.
3. Remove the bags or strain out all the leaves.
4. Add 500 ml of cold water and refrigerate. For quicker cooling, pour the strained concentrate over 500 g of ice in a heatproof vessel. As the ice melts, it supplies the remaining water.

Adjust these quantities to taste. If the finished tea is too weak, use more tea next time. A longer hot steep can make it bitter. [Harney & Sons’ iced-tea guide](https://www.harney.com/blogs/news/how-to-brew-iced-tea) also describes brewing a concentrate and diluting it.

| Method | What to expect | Things to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Hot brew, then refrigerate | Easy to control, with the familiar body and briskness of hot-brewed tea. A good choice for a pitcher of black tea. | Takes time to cool. Brew at normal strength if you won't dilute it, and allow for any ice you'll add when serving. |
| Hot concentrate poured over ice | Quick cooling with hot-brewed flavor. | Measure the ice so the final strength is predictable. Remove the leaves before pouring. |
| Cold steep in the refrigerator | Usually smoother and less astringent, with forgiving timing. Works with bags and loose leaves. | Needs advance planning. The flavor differs from hot-brewed tea and may lack the briskness you want from black tea. |
| Hot tea poured slowly over one large ice block | Chills and dilutes the tea, and looks appealing. | How much ice melts depends on the block, the tea's temperature and the pouring speed. Measured cubes give more consistent results. A large block is more useful for keeping already chilled tea cold. |

For cold brewing, start with 8 to 10 g of tea per litre of cold water. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours, then strain when it tastes right. Taste fine-cut bagged tea earlier because smaller particles extract faster. The 6 to 12 hours suggested in [Harney’s guide](https://www.harney.com/blogs/news/how-to-brew-iced-tea) is a starting range; individual teas may need different times.

The type of tea matters more than whether it's bagged or loose:

- Black tea makes a strong, brisk iced tea when brewed hot. Cold brewing gives a gentler result.
- Green tea is a good candidate for cold brewing if hot brewing makes it bitter. To brew it hot, start at about 70 to 80°C / 160 to 175°F for 1 to 3 minutes, unless the maker gives different instructions.
- White tea can be cold brewed or steeped hot at a moderate temperature. About 80°C / 175°F for 3 minutes is a reasonable starting point.
- Oolong works with either method. Follow the instructions for your particular tea when brewing it hot, since lightly oxidized and heavily roasted oolongs vary considerably.
- For herbal infusions, follow the package's hot-brewing directions, then chill. Many benefit from boiling water and longer steeping.

The green and white tea temperatures above follow [Harney’s brewing guidance](https://www.harney.com/blogs/news/10-rules-for-making-tea). Specialized recipes can differ considerably. [Ippodo’s sencha recipes](https://ippodotea.com/collections/all/products/hosen-150), for example, include a brief boiling-water brew over ice and a concentrated 15-minute cold infusion.

Give whole loose leaves room to expand in a roomy infuser, or strain them after brewing. Watch the steeping time more closely with ordinary fine-cut tea bags. Both can make excellent iced tea.

To repeat a batch you like, use the same amount of tea and steeping time, and include melted ice in the total water. Keep overnight steeps refrigerated. Bacteria can multiply in warm "sun tea"; [Virginia Department of Health guidance](https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/13/2017/03/VEB-Feb-1996.pdf) discusses the difference between warm and refrigerated steeping.