Looking for ideas on what to serve for you next party, BBQ or brunch? Try an iced tea bar! It is a fun way to get your guests to experiment with different flavors and have a choose-your-own adventure drink. A tea bar is so easy to set up, but you will need to plan ahead to give time for the tea to steep and cool.
I like to steep several tea bags inside a large bowl for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Steeping the tea inside a bowl helps to cool it faster (alternately, you can also cold brew your tea ahead of time). You can also include lemonade so that guests can make Arnold Palmers as well. To serve, I set up small bowls of sliced fruits and citrus and have fresh herbs available so that guests can pick and choose whatever they like to infuse with their iced tea. It’s also a good idea to have several spoons and tongs around so that guests can use them to pick up the sliced fruits or citrus. Add-ins and garnishes like peaches, mint, cucumber, pineapple, rosemary, or even jalapeños are quite tasty infused in iced tea.
In general, I don’t add sweeteners to my iced tea, so I make sure to select tea blends that have interesting flavors. Numi’s Herbal Teasans are perfect for the tea bar and can be enjoyed anytime since they are caffeine free! Each teasan contains a unique blend of herbs, flowers, spices and citrus that have great flavors and will leave your guests happy.
What You’ll Need
5 bags of Moroccan Mint
5 bags of Rooibos
5 bags of Hibiscus
5 bags of Honeybush
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup sliced cucumber
2 lemons, sliced into wedges
2 limes, sliced into wedges
small bunch of fresh mint
small bunch of fresh rosemary
ice
How to Create Your Iced Tea Bar
Boil 5 quarts of water inside a large pot with the lid on.
Pour 5 cups of water inside 4 large bowls and steep 5 tea bags of the same flavor inside each bowl. You can also do this in batches. Let the tea sit for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until it is lukewarm. You can let the tea steep longer until it reaches room temperature.
Using a funnel, pour the tea inside a carafe or pitcher.
Place the sliced strawberries and cucumbers inside separate bowls. You can mix or separate the lemon and lime slices. Place the fresh mint and rosemary inside small jars or short glasses that are filled with about 1/2 inch of water.
Set up your tea bar. Line up the 4 carafe (or pitcher) on a table. I recommend placing each tea right next to its corresponding tea box so that guests can know the flavors of the teas. Arrange the fruits, citrus and herbs around the tea however you like. Place a bowl of ice and several empty glasses or mason jars on the side. Let the fun begin!
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