Iced lemon ginger rooibos

By emadethis • June 24, 2012 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: When I was a kid iced tea came in one variety only--Lipton. I came to understand that the outside temperature was directly related to my consumption of said Lipton, extra ice please. But these days, at my advanced age of 31, I will admit that I can't handle the caffeine in a gallon of iced tea, so I came up with something herbal that still looks like my beloved Lipton with some added flavor for kicks. - emadethis

Serves 4-12 depending on the heat outside

3 liters spring or filtered water
1/2 cup loose rooibos leaves
1 lemon
1 piece of ginger, about 1" long
1 handful of candied orange peel or the peel of 1/2 orange

Pour the water into a large pot and bring it up to a boil.
Peel the zest off of the lemon in large strips with a vegetable peeler.
Slice the lemon into rounds and set aside.
Peel and slice the ginger into thin wafers
Toss lemon peel, orange peel and ginger into the pot as the water is coming up to a boil.
Add the rooibos and steep everything for about 30 minutes.
Strain everything through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and let cool before you package it back in a bottle and really let cool in the refrigerator. As you're straining it, you might want to pack a couple of coffee filters in the bottom of the strainer as rooibos is a tiny leaf and tends to leak through even the finest mesh.
Strain the chilled tea into a pretty jar and float the lemon slices in it. Serve it with extra ice and try not to be too depressed that it's 100 degrees outside.