BHA & BHT Free Ginger Lemon Iced Tea

Total time50 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

Bright, zingy, and deeply refreshing, this iced tea is the kind of drink that makes you want to sit on a porch and do absolutely nothing for an hour. Real ginger is simmered low and slow until the water turns fragrant and golden, giving the base a gentle warmth that pairs beautifully with the tartness of fresh lemon juice. Maple syrup steps in as the sweetener, keeping everything clean and free from the synthetic preservatives — like BHA and BHT — that sneak into so many commercial bottled teas and flavored syrups. Every single ingredient here is whole and recognizable, which is exactly what you want when you're being careful about what goes into your glass. The method is straightforward: steep, strain, chill, and pour over ice. Optional lemon slices and fresh mint make it look like something from a fancy café, but the effort is genuinely minimal. It's the kind of homemade staple you'll want to keep a pitcher of in the fridge all week.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the tea

6 cup water
4 black tea bags
Lipton Black Tea, 8 oz Twinings of London Black Tea English Breakfast - 20 Count Twinings of London Black Tea English Breakfast Decaffeinated - 20 Count PG Tips Black Tea - 40 Count Stash Black Tea English Breakfast - 20 Count
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1 oz fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece), peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

For serving

ice, for serving
lemon slices, for serving (optional)
fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine 4 cups water and the sliced ginger in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the water is fragrant and lightly golden.
2
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 4 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bags.

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