How to Make Lychee Tea

Give your iced tea a refreshing update by adding lychees! These small fragrant fruits are packed in syrup, which you use to sweeten chilled black tea. The lychees give the tea sweet, fruity, floral notes. If you like your lychee tea less sweet, make lychee tea lemonade by combining iced tea with lychee syrup and lemonade. Add whole or sliced lychees to your drinks and enjoy!

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Classic Lychee Iced Tea

• 2 bags of black tea
• of water
• 4 pieces of canned lychee fruit in heavy syrup
• of drained lychee syrup
• Ice for serving

Makes 1 serving

[Edit]Cold-Brew Lychee Iced Tea

• of water
• 4 lychee tea bags or (8 g) of loose lychee tea
• Fresh mint sprig to garnish
• Ice for serving

Makes 4 servings

[Edit]Lychee Tea Lemonade

• of black tea
• 1 20-ounce (565 g) can of whole lychees in heavy syrup
• of lemonade or sparkling lemonade
• Ice for serving

Makes 4 servings

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Classic Lychee Iced Tea

1. Bring a kettle of water to boil. Fill an electric kettle with water and turn it on or pour water into a kettle and set it on the stove. Turn the burner to high so the water begins to boil.^[1]
   
   • If you don't have a kettle, pour the water into a saucepan on the stove and bring it to a boil.
2. Steep 2 bags of black tea in of water for 3 to 5 minutes. Place the tea bags into a small teapot or heatproof measuring jug. Slowly pour the boiling water over the tea and leave them to steep for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea.^[2]
   
   
   • You can substitute decaffeinated black tea if you prefer.
3. Remove the teabags and chill the tea until it's cold. Scoop out the 2 tea bags and discard them. Then, transfer the teapot or measuring jug to the refrigerator. Leave the black tea in the fridge until it's cold.^[3]
   
   
   • If you're making a single serving, the tea should be cold within 10 minutes.
4. Slice 4 lychees in half or in strips. Take 4 lychee fruits out of the can and place them on a cutting board. If you like large chunks of fruit in your tea, cut each fruit in half. If you'd rather have smaller pieces of lychee, slice each fruit into narrow strips.^[4]
   
   
   • Remember not to discard the syrup from the lychee can since you'll use it to sweeten the tea.
5. Place the lychees in a glass with of the lychee syrup and ice. Put the lychee halves or strips into the bottom of a tall iced tea glass and pour in the lychee syrup. Then, fill the glass with ice cubes.^[5]
   
   
   • If you like sweeter tea, add an extra of lychee syrup.
6. Stir in the chilled black tea and garnish the drink with another lychee. Pour the chilled black tea into the glass and stir it so it combines with the lychee syrup. Then, taste the tea and stir in extra lychee syrup if you like. For an optional garnish, push a lychee fruit onto the rim of your glass.^[6]
   
   
   • You could also add fresh mint sprigs to your glass if you want a lighter, herbal flavor.
7. Heat equal parts of sugar and water if you'd like to sweeten the tea with simple syrup. If the lychee syrup doesn't add as much sweetness as you'd like, put 1/2 cup (100 g) of sugar into a small pan. Pour in of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir the syrup occasionally so the syrup dissolves. Then, let it cool before adding as much of the syrup to your tea as you like.^[7]
   
   • Refrigerate leftover simple syrup in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

[Edit]Cold-Brew Lychee Iced Tea

1. Place 4 lychee tea bags or (8 g) of loose tea into a pitcher. Get out a pitcher that holds at least of liquid and put the tea bags into it. If you'd rather use loose leaf tea, put the tea directly into the pitcher.^[8]
   
   
   • If you don't have a large pitcher, infuse the tea in a large measuring jug instead.
2. Pour of cold water into the pitcher. Use cold water instead of boiling water to prevent the tea from developing a bitter taste as it brews. If you don't like the flavor of your tap water, use bottled water.^[9]
   
   
   • You can tie the tea bag strings to the handle of the pitcher if you don't want them soaking with the tea.
3. Cover the pitcher and refrigerate the tea for 4 to 5 hours. Put plastic wrap over the top of the pitcher to seal it and place it in the fridge. Chill the tea so the water infuses with the flavor of the tea. If you used tea bags, remove the pitcher after 4 hours. If you used loose leaf tea, let it infuse for a total of 5 hours.^[10]
   
   
   • The tea will become stronger and more flavorful the longer it infuses.
4. Remove the tea bags or pour the loose-leaf tea through a strainer. Taste the tea to decide if it's as strong as you like. If it is, take the tea bags out of the pitcher. If you infused loose leaf tea, set a fine-mesh strainer over another clean pitcher and slowly pour the tea through it.^[11]
   
   
   • Discard the used tea bags or tea leaves.
   • Cover the pitcher and refrigerate the lychee tea for up to 4 days.
5. Pour the cold lychee tea into a serving glass with ice and garnish it with mint. When you're ready to serve the tea, fill a tall glass with ice. Slowly pour the chilled tea into the glass and top it with a sprig of mint.^[12]
   
   
   • If you prefer to sweeten your lychee tea, stir in your choice of sugar or honey. Keep in mind that some lychee teas are also sweetened so taste the tea first.

[Edit]Lychee Tea Lemonade

1. Chill of black tea until it's cold. Brew your favorite loose leaf black tea or use tea bags. Strain the tea and put it in the refrigerator until it's completely cold.^[13]
   
   • For a lighter lemonade, use green tea or an herbal blend. You could also substitute decaffeinated tea for the black tea.
2. Drain a 20-ounce (565 g) can of lychees in heavy syrup and reserve the syrup. Open a can of lychees and drain the heavy syrup into a measuring jug. Set the whole lychees aside while you prepare the tea lemonade.^[14]
   
   
   • It's important to use lychees packed in heavy syrup because this syrup contains more sugar than light syrup.
3. Pour the black tea, lychee syrup, and lemonade in a large pitcher. Take the chilled black tea out of the fridge and pour it into a serving pitcher. Pour in of drained lychee syrup and of lemonade or sparkling lemonade.
   
   
   • You may have leftover lychee syrup. Set this aside in case you want to make the tea lemonade sweeter.
4. Stir the beverage and chill it for at least 1 hour. Use a long spoon to gently stir the tea, syrup, and lemonade until they're combined. You can taste the tea lemonade and stir in extra lychee syrup if you'd like it sweeter. Then, put the pitcher in the refrigerator and chill it for at least 1 hour so the flavors combine.^[15]
   
   
   • If you're using sparkling lemonade, stir very slowly so the lemonade doesn't lose its carbonation.
5. Fill serving glasses with ice, tea lemonade, and whole lychees. Once you're ready to serve the drinks, fill 4 serving glasses with ice. Take the pitcher out of the fridge and pour the lychee tea lemonade into each glass. Then, put 3 whole lychees into each serving glass.^[16]
   
   
   • Refrigerate leftover lychee tea lemonade in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

[Edit]Tips

• Purchase canned lychees from Asian markets or online.
• If you enjoy drinking hot tea, you might be able to find black tea that's been scented with lychee peels. Brew the tea as you would any other black tea, about 4 minutes.

[Edit]Things You'll Need

[Edit]Classic Lychee Iced Tea

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Knife and cutting board
• Kettle or saucepan
• Heatproof measuring jug or teapot
• Spoon
• Serving glass

[Edit]Cold-Brew Lychee Iced Tea

• Pitcher
• Serving glass
• Fine-mesh strainer, optional

[Edit]Lychee Tea Lemonade

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Knife and cutting board
• Kettle or saucepan
• Heatproof measuring jug or teapot
• Spoon
• Serving glasses
• Pitcher

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.rivertenkitchen.com/sweet-tea-lychee.html
2. ↑ https://www.food.com/recipe/lychee-iced-tea-300720
3. ↑ https://www.rivertenkitchen.com/sweet-tea-lychee.html
4. ↑ https://youtu.be/M3zjeFBaGQ4?t=48
5. ↑ https://youtu.be/M3zjeFBaGQ4?t=53
6. ↑ https://www.food.com/recipe/lychee-iced-tea-300720
7. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-simple-syrup-240337
8. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/06/cold-brewed-iced-tea-recipe.html
9. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/06/cold-brewed-iced-tea-recipe.html
10. ↑ https://youtu.be/eObdUEnBRpw?t=52
11. ↑ https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/06/cold-brewed-iced-tea-recipe.html
12. ↑ https://youtu.be/eObdUEnBRpw?t=102
13. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lychee-black-tea-lemonade-recipe2-1922252
14. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lychee-black-tea-lemonade-recipe2-1922252
15. ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lychee-black-tea-lemonade-recipe2-1922252
16. ↑ https://youtu.be/cNBZbTipuJY?t=45