For tea lovers, this set it and leave it recipe is a great way to prep for the week. You can prepare a big batch of sun tea all at once and enjoy it all week over ice or with added flavors.

What is Sun Tea?

Sun tea is a tea beverage, and rather than steeping the tea the traditional way by submerging the tea leaves in hot water, sun tea is steeped by leaving tea leaves in water in the full sun.

Do I need to put boiling water in Sun Tea?

No boiling water is necessary to make sun tea.

What kind of container should I use to make sun tea?

I recommend using a clear glass jar or pitcher for best results. I used a 64 ounce mason jar, but I also love the vintage sun tea jars like this one. I’ve also seen some really nice infuser pitchers like this one that would work well if you are using a loose leaf tea.

Does the sun need to directly hit the tea?

Sunlight does not need to directly hit the jar, however, the tea will steep much quicker if left in direct sunlight. You can also leave tea to steep in the refrigerator and it will steep, but you’ll have to wait twenty four hours to enjoy it. This is because steeping happens when the water comes into contact with the tea leaves, however, heat will draw flavor and color from the tea leaves quicker. The warmer the water, the quicker the tea will steep. This is where the clear glass jar I recommended above comes in handy.

What kind of tea should I use in Sun Tea?

You can use basically any tea! Some of my favorites are this Harney and Sons Vanilla Comoro Decaffeinated Black Tea, Celestial Seasons Country Peach Passion, and Tazo Passion Tea. And if you use loose leaf tea, make sure it’s in a bag or tea strainer. Otherwise you will need to strain it once it’s ready to serve.

I like to serve it over ice with a dash of brown sugar simple syrup and milk. Let me know you tried it in the comments below, I’d love to hear how you flavored it up!

How to make Sun Tea

Ingredients

• 8 Tea Bags (or 8 teaspoons loose leaf tea)

• Filtered water the size of jar you have (mine is 64 ounces)

Directions

Step One - Place teabags in jar and fill jar with filtered water. Cover jar with lid or foil (so bugs don’t get it).

Step Two - Place jar in the full sun for two hours or until tea has steeped to the desired color (the darker the tea, the stronger the flavor).

I love to throw sun tea over ice with a slice of lemon. Perfect refresher!

Cheers!

- Jessie