Mango Iced Tea Recipe for the Hot and Lazy

Iced tea is something that tastes good no matter what time of year it is. Tea has a lighter and refreshing flavor and character than coffee does and I feel is much easier to make consistently well than most other iced beverages. In my college years I was about efficiency in my food and drink consumption because I was grossly inefficient in everything else I did. My famous trademark amongst friends was that I would make coffee or tea at night before bed and drink it down cold the next day as fast as I could because I was usually quite late from oversleeping. I found in that coffee left to sit overnight in a pot is quite nasty and while drinkable, not too polite on the palate or digestive system. Tea, on the other hand tasted quite good in the morning after sitting overnight and cooling off. Sometimes the caffeine was too much, but with some ice the dilution was just right.

This lead me to try a recipe that I had never used before. One of the Lipton packs of Orange Pekoe tea that my mother had in her house, I poured an overfilled kettle of boiling water onto five tea bags in a large pitcher. I let it sit for several hours as I watched television, went for a job and ate a snack. When I came back to it, the beverage resulting from my experiment was strong and bitter and not my cup of tea. I happened to be quite fond of mangos at the time and found the exercise of peeling them to make the consumption of the stringy fruit to be all the more enjoyable. As I got hungry and peeled a couple mangos I dipped on slice into the tea and bit into it. The bitterness of the tea with the sugar of the mango was delicious.

So, mango iced tea is what I make for my friends and here is how I'd make it for you:

6 cups of boiling water

4-5 bags of tea (any tea you like, preferably green or orange pekoe)

4 peeled and sliced mangos

Pour the boiling water over the tea bags in a large pitcher. Wait until the tea cools (approximately 2-3 hours at room temperature) and then squish the mango slices with your hands into the tea. You shouldn't need any sugar, but add some if you feel it is too bitter. Put the crushed mangos and tea into the refrigerator and cool until time to serve.

Mini-umbrella garnish adds a nice touch as well.