Sweet Vanilla Iced Tea
Black tea is chilled with a homemade vanilla bean syrup for a smooth, gently sweet iced tea with a fragrant finish.
Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min · Total 1 hr 20 min · Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups water, divided
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 3 good quality black tea bags
Directions
- In a small saucepot, combine 1/2 cup water with the sugar and warm it over medium heat. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, then run the knife tip along the inside to loosen the seeds. Stir both the seeds and the bean into the sugar mixture. Cook until the sugar is fully melted and the liquid looks clear, then take it off the heat and let it cool completely.
- While that cools, pour the remaining 6 cups water into a large saucepot and heat it until it is just shy of a boil. Turn off the heat and add the tea bags. Leave them to steep until the tea has cooled all the way.
- Take out the tea bags and vanilla bean, then discard them. Add the vanilla syrup to the tea and stir well with a large whisk or wooden spoon. Transfer the tea to a pitcher filled with ice and serve immediately.