There are a number of different types of raspberry iced tea, a delicious, chilled drink that is especially popular in the summer months. The first variation is the type of tea that is used to prepare the iced tea, such as black, green, or white. Some people choose to sweeten their raspberry iced tea with sugar, while others find that the natural raspberry flavor makes it sweet enough. Raspberry juice, purchased in stores, may be added to give the tea its raspberry flavor; another option is simply to boil fresh or frozen raspberries and reserve the juice, adding that to the tea instead.
The tea that is used to prepare raspberry iced tea can really change the flavor. It may be possible to buy raspberry flavored tea bags, which is the easiest way to prepare it; however, there are many other ways. In most cases, a basic black tea is used to prepare it. Green tea or even white tea can also be used for the base, though. Green tea has a slightly more earthy flavor, whereas white tea is very light and will really help to bring out the flavor of the raspberries. This is entirely a matter of personal taste preference.
The raspberry flavor is then added to the tea. There are a few different ways to do this; raspberry juice may be found in stores and mixed in, or another option is to boil raspberries for about twenty minutes and then strain out the juice. For the strongest flavor, blending whole raspberries is an option, but then there will be seeds in the raspberry iced tea. These options are all fairly healthy, however, and add a nice bit of sweetness and flavor to the drink without adding calories.
Unsweetened and sweetened raspberry iced tea are both popular; sugar or simple syrup can both be used to sweeten it, as well as other options like honey or agave. Of course, since tea is prepared with boiling water, it needs time to cool in the refrigerator; most people will add ice cubes to speed the cooling process along. Another option for serving raspberry iced tea is to add alcohol to it, such as vodka or another preferred liquor. It may be served with a slice of fresh lemon or a sprig of mint. All of these different varieties of raspberry iced tea can be a delicious way to cool off on a hot summer day.