Name: Gingered Iced Tea
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 5 tea bags of your choice; 1 inch piece fresh ginger , sliced into thin coins and smashed with broad side of large chef's knife; 1 quart spring water (see note); 1 - 6 tablespoons granulated sugar or natural cane sugar (depending on desired sweetness); 1 quart ice cubes (see note), plus additional cubes for glasses

Why This Recipe Works

We determined that a good iced tea recipe depended on doing a lot of little things right. The key to strong but not bitter flavor was water temperature. And unless the quality of your tap water is very, very good, spring water is the way to go; it produced tea with the freshest, cleanest, clearest look and taste. We found that a ratio of 5 teabags to 1 quart of water worked best in our iced tea recipe. The amount of sugar can be varied from 1 to 6 tablespoons, depending on taste.

Instructions

Heat tea bags, ginger, and water in medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until dark colored, very steamy, and small bubbles form on bottom and sides of pan (an instant-read thermometer will register about 190 degrees), 10 to 15 minutes. Off heat, steep for 3 minutes (no longer or tea may become bitter). Remove and discard tea bags and strain tea through fine-mesh sieve to remove ginger; pour tea into pitcher. Stir in sugar, if using, until dissolved; stir in ice until melted. Serve in ice-filled glasses.