Instant or Brewed Iced Tea?

Yes, I've been brewing my own iced tea for a couple of years now after I stopped drinking sodas regularly. In the beginning I was buying gallons of brewed iced tea from the store, but when comparing costs, at $3 a gallon, it just wasn't worth it, when I can brew about 6 gallons of it at home for about $1.50. Plus I am not having to carry all these heavy bottles into my house.

I suppose if I really wanted to get fancy, I could filter my water first before brewing the tea and still be well under what I was paying for it already brewed. But as of right now, I just make it from tap water and it's fine. Once in a while I need to use some cleaning strength vinegar to clean out the brewer and my jug because it starts building up a heavy tea residue, but that's only like once or twice a month.

I tend to brew mine extra strong, since I'm pouring it over ice and it will get to the right dilution within a couple minutes. I will throw in two extra tea bags - 6 vs. the recommended 4 of the large size bags. Then I will squeeze them out real good at the end of brewing to get all the concentrated tea flavor out of them.

I tried the instant stuff and quickly tossed it. I don't like the filler that they put in it, dextrose I believe. It gives it a chalky taste. Also the instant tea mix doesn't have the same flavors as freshly brewed tea, it's missing the bitter tanins and slightly fruity notes of freshly brewed tea.

 

I have never personally used instant teas. I see them all over the shelves of grocery stores these days, but I don't think they would be that good. Maybe I should say that by saying they don't seem like they would be as good as brewed teas. When I was very young, my mother taught me to brew tea with her and I've always done it that way since. Instant tea seems like it might taste watered down (yuck).Brewed teas just seem like they would probably taste more authentic and stronger than instant teas.

The only "instant" tea I ever get is the tea at McDonalds drive-thru. Order, pay and get a tea instantly.

 

I tried both. The instant ones are what I take with me to work because I can't brew anything there. At home, I brew my own. As for iced teas, it's more common here to use the powdered iced teas. I stay away from those though because they are too sugary.

 

I always brew my tea, whether hot or cold. I don't care for the instant packages, they usually contain other ingredients I don't want to consume. I think it's pretty easy to brew iced tea if you keep a fair amount of ice on hand. Otherwise you can just make it ahead and put it in the fridge for a few hours and it will be nice and cold for you. I would say it only takes a few extra minutes to make iced tea than it does hot tea.

 

Depends, sometimes I'm in the mood for brewed iced tea and sometimes I just want some instant tea. A lot of the times I prefer brewed iced tea when I'm able to make it, always tastes so much better and much more refreshing, doesn't leave you thirstier then before you took a drink like instant seems to do.

 

I stopped drinking soda and replaced it with iced tea. I was drinking a lot of Snapple and realized that was almost as bad as soda. Now I brew my own iced tea and love it. Sometimes I make a big pitcher in the morning and it will last me a day or two. I like to brew the tea, add a little simple syrup to sweeten it up a bit and some lemon. I have also started experimenting with iced herbal teas, green and mango are very good if you are looking for something different. I don't care for instant iced teas because I have always thought they were very sweet.

 

Of course those instant teas are already added with flavors that have gone through thorough researches to ensure that they would taste appealing to prospective consumers. So basically, and it's a mus, they taste really well. But if you really have good taste-bud and mixing skills, then you would really be able to make a better tasting tea by making your own homemade tea using the tea that you have brewed.

 

I think brewed iced tea is infinitely better as well. I used to like drinking powdered iced tea but after a while I just grew out of it and having gotten used to brewed tea, I now feel like powdered iced tea just tastes too much like chemicals and the sweetness of it is just too odd. I can still drink and enjoy it though, but just not that much anymore and I almost never order it these days.

 

I enjoy home brewed iced tea. It just tastes so much better than instant tea. I have tasted instant tea only once or twice at a friend's house and I absolutely despised it. I honestly don't like anything that is instant. It just tastes too weird to me. But, when you brew tea, you get all of the nice flavors from it.

 

I absolutely love Lipton Iced Tea instant mix. I always have. I enjoy not having to sweeten tea as it's always a tedious thing for me. I'll do it for hot tea, but not cold. I'll drink an instant mix, bottled tea, anything that says tea, I'll give it a shot to see if it's any good, I like drinking tea just that much.

 

I think brewed tea is seriously worth the wait!! And you always get a lot of it so it isn't like you are only getting a cup full and that is it. The best part of brewing it is you can make it the flavor that you want. If you like a lot of sugar then bam! No one is going to drink that unless they like it too. I think overall, the cost for brewing is way cheaper than actually buying the individual packages. They are just made to hold you over until you can make brewed tea.

 

The instant mixes can have quite a high sugar content, and they are more costly than brewing your own tea. If you have the time, I would definitely recommend brewing your own iced tea instead. You could add your own flavors into your ice tea as well, according to your preference! I like adding some lemon juice or apple juice into mine.

 

I don't remember drinking brewed ice tea, I always have drunk the instant one. I guess I'm content with drinking those instant teas in tea bags, so I guess I won't be trying to brew my own tea anytime soon.

 

Brewed iced tea is always better but I don't have many opportunities to drink it. Wherever I go, whether it be in fast food chains, restaurants or at home, they always serve instant iced tea. There's one fast food that serves brewed tea and they even add milk and sago (commonly called pearls) to give the beverage a more festive look. The problem? It's often sold out.

 

Brewed tea, definitely. Every time I have tea, if possible, I would want it to have been brewed. For brewed tea, I add two tea spoons of creamer. But I also have a preference for a cold iced tea drink. The best tasting iced tea is the one mixed with lemon and a bit of honey. So to really save money on these tea drinks, my idea is to not add anything to the brewed tea and have it plain or add white sugar instead of brown sugar. If you take sugar with your iced tea, choose white sugar over the more expensive refined white sugar.

 

Brewed tea for me as well! Instant powder mixes just cannot beat the flavour and aroma that freshly brewed tea offers. Brewing your own tea also allows you to determine how strong you want the tea to taste and how sweet it is. Like what the others have mentioned, the commercial instant mixes are often laden with sugar, not to mention preservatives and flavouring. If you fancy iced lemon tea, why not get a fresh lemon, slice it up and add it to cooled and chilled freshly brewed tea? I give you my word that tea you've made yourself would be far superior that those you get off the shelf.

 

Now, I brew Lipton's tea on top of the stove. It takes less than 3 minutes to heat up the water during these winter months. During the summer months, I can use the sunshine to heat a glass jar of water with the tea bags stepped in that hot water for hours. Then I add lemon and sugar.

 

I used to buy the mixes and were absolutely addicted to them. So much sugar! omg lol. Loved them. I'd probably vomit if I drank one now lol, I wouldn't be used to it at all. I do make it myself from time to time, but I don't prefer it. I still need it to be sweet, but I'll sweeten it naturally by making a fruit tea or something. Otherwise I find them too bitter.

 

I brew my own tea, as mentioned the instant brews have way too much sugar in them. I like to brew two flavores to get a special tea. I put the apple cinnamon with regular black tea to get a refreshing ice brew. I also like to add peach tea with the black tea.