Nitrate & Nitrite Free Coffee Maple Iced Tea
This drink is a stunning collision of two beloved beverages — bold cold-brew coffee and deeply steeped black tea, brought together with the warm, earthy sweetness of maple syrup. The layered presentation alone is enough to stop a scroll, with dark coffee floating dramatically over amber tea and a glass packed with ice. What makes it especially clever is how clean the ingredient list is — just tea, maple syrup, cold-brew concentrate, and water, with zero processed sweeteners or additives to worry about. For anyone navigating preserved or cured ingredients in their diet, a simple iced drink can still be a minefield at coffee shops, but making it at home with these straightforward components keeps everything transparent and worry-free. The cold-brew layer is poured slowly over the back of a spoon to create that gorgeous float, which means it looks as impressive as anything you'd pay too much for at a café counter. Stir it together just before sipping and you get a smooth, complex drink that's sweet without being cloying, caffeinated without being harsh.
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Learn more →Ingredients
2 servings
For the tea
- 2 cups water
- 2 black tea bags (such as english breakfast or assam)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
For the coffee layer
- ½ cup cold-brew coffee concentrate
- ¼ cup cold water, for diluting coffee (optional)
For serving
- 2 cups ice cubes
Instructions
- 1
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 4–5 minutes, until the tea is deep amber and full-flavored.
- 2
Remove and discard the tea bags. Stir in the maple syrup until fully dissolved. Let the sweetened tea cool to room temperature, then transfer to a pitcher or jar and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, until thoroughly chilled.
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