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4.84 from 6 votes

Starbucks Iced Black Tea Lemonade

Recreate this summer classic iced tea drink at home in only 5 minutes!
Prep Time2 minutes
Steep Time3 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 serving (16 ounces)
Author: Jee Choe

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put tea bags and hot water into a teapot.
    Use simmered water to steep tea instead of boiling hot water. Simmer water on the stovetop or use an electric kettle with a temperature setting. Set the water temperature to 190°F when using the electric kettle.
  • Cover and steep for 3 minutes. Discard tea bags.
    Steeping for longer may make your green tea bitter.
  • Put lemonade, ice, and hot tea into a cocktail shaker. Shake 10 times.
    Put lemonade and ice in first, then the hot tea. If you don't have a cocktail shaker, use a large jar with a tight lid.
  • Pour drink into a cup.

Notes

  • Teavana’s Royal English Breakfast tea concentrate that Starbucks uses to make their iced tea isn't available for purchase anywhere. A good substitute is Tazo's Awake English Breakfast tea, which is very similar. 
  • Starbucks uses a black tea concentrate to make the drink but the tastiest way to recreate the beverage is to brew hot tea then cool it down quickly with ice using a cocktail shaker. 
  • If you don't have English Breakfast tea, any black tea blend (Irish Breakfast, Scottish Breakfast, etc.), or just plain Assam tea will work.
  • To use loose tea, replace the 2 tea bags with 1 heaping tablespoon of English Breakfast tea.
  • Use an electric kettle to set the correct temperature and time to boil your water.
  • Starbucks doesn't sweeten their Iced Black Tea but their lemonade is already sweetened. If you want to make yours sweeter, or adjust the flavors, use a simple syrup or a flavored syrup. It mixes way easier into a cold drink than regular sugar.
  • The more you shake the iced tea, the more foam you’ll see on the surface. If you like a lot of foam, keep shaking it, about 40 times.
    Starbucks uses their own sweetened lemonade in this drink, which isn't available for purchase. Use your favorite lemonade to make the drink. My favorite is from Trader Joe's.

Nutrition

Calories: 60 | Carbohydrates: 15g | Sodium: 31mg | Sugar: 14g | Calcium: 14mg