**For a dependable everyday method, brew the tea hot at double strength, remove the bags or leaves, then dilute and chill it.** This gives you control over both extraction and final strength. For a smoother, less brisk tea, refrigerated cold brewing is a good alternative.

“Loose tea” and “tea leaves” usually mean the same thing. Bags are a packaging format; the more useful distinctions are **black versus green versus oolong tea, and finely broken versus whole leaves**.

A reliable starting recipe for **1 litre of black iced tea**:

1. Use **8–10 g of tea**, or roughly **4–5 ordinary tea bags**, depending on their size.
2. Pour **500 ml of freshly boiled water** over the tea. Steep for **3–5 minutes**, following the package instructions where available. You generally want to steep the tea, rather than boil it in the saucepan.
3. Remove the bags or strain out the leaves completely.
4. Add **500 ml of cold water**, then refrigerate. Alternatively, pour the strained concentrate over **500 g of ice** in a heatproof vessel; the ice supplies the remaining water as it melts.

Treat those quantities as a starting point. If the finished tea is too weak, increase the amount of tea next time; extending the hot steep can introduce bitterness. Brewing a concentrate and diluting it is also the method described by [Harney & Sons’ iced-tea guide](https://www.harney.com/blogs/news/how-to-brew-iced-tea).

| Technique | Advantages | Drawbacks and best uses |
|---|---|---|
| **Hot brew, then refrigerate** | Easy to control; produces the familiar body and briskness of hot-brewed tea. | Takes time to cool. Brew at normal strength if you won’t dilute it; account for serving ice if you will. A good choice for a pitcher of black tea. |
| **Hot concentrate poured over ice** | Ready quickly; gives hot-brewed flavor with immediate cooling. | Unmeasured ice makes the final strength unpredictable. Use a measured quantity of ice and remove the leaves before pouring. |
| **Cold steep in the refrigerator** | Usually smoother and less astringent; forgiving of timing. Works with bags and loose leaves. | Requires advance planning and produces a different flavor profile, sometimes lacking the briskness you want from black tea. |
| **Hot tea poured slowly over one large ice block** | Chills and dilutes the tea; visually appealing. | The amount melted depends on the block, tea temperature, and pouring speed. It offers little advantage for consistency over measured cubes. A large block is more useful for keeping already chilled tea cold. |

For **cold brewing**, start with **8–10 g of tea per litre of cold water**, cover, and steep **in the refrigerator for 6–12 hours**. Strain when it tastes right. Taste fine-cut bagged tea earlier, since smaller particles extract faster. Refrigerated steeping for 6–12 hours is the general method in [Harney’s guide](https://www.harney.com/blogs/news/how-to-brew-iced-tea); it is a starting range, not a requirement for every tea.

The tea type matters more than whether it comes in a bag:

- **Black tea:** Hot brewing suits a strong, brisk iced tea. Cold brewing suits a gentler version.
- **Green tea:** Cold brewing is particularly useful if hot brewing gives you bitterness. For hot brewing, start around **70–80°C / 160–175°F** and **1–3 minutes**, unless the maker specifies otherwise.
- **White tea:** Try cold brewing or a moderate-temperature hot steep; around **80°C / 175°F for 3 minutes** is a reasonable starting point.
- **Oolong:** Both methods work. Follow its particular hot-brewing instructions, since lightly oxidized and heavily roasted oolongs vary considerably.
- **Herbal infusions:** Follow the package’s hot-brewing directions, then chill; many benefit from boiling water and longer steeping.

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

With **whole loose leaves**, use a roomy infuser or strain afterward so the leaves can expand. With **ordinary fine-cut tea bags**, watch the steeping time more closely. Either format can make excellent iced tea.

The most useful habit is to **measure the tea, time the steep, and count melted ice as part of the water**. Once you like a batch, repeating those three things makes it reproducible. Keep overnight steeping refrigerated; warm “sun tea” provides conditions in which bacteria can multiply. [Virginia Department of Health guidance](https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/13/2017/03/VEB-Feb-1996.pdf) discusses that distinction.