Iced Tea with Lemon

Bring 1 litre of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan, then remove from the heat to let the temperature drop to around 90 °C. Boiling water would draw out excess tannins from the black tea and make the drink bitter.

Place five black tea bags in the hot water and steep for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the strength you prefer. Gently press the bags with a spoon from time to time so the flavour releases evenly.

Remove the tea bags without squeezing them dry. Wringing them out hard releases bitter tannins that would ruin the flavour.

Stir 80 g of granulated sugar into the hot tea and mix thoroughly until completely dissolved. Sugar dissolves much more easily in a hot liquid than in a cold drink.

Wash the lemon thoroughly with hot water, squeeze half of it directly into the tea, and set the other half aside to garnish the glasses.

Add the remaining 500 ml of cold water to cool the tea quickly, then pour it through a strainer into a pitcher containing 200 g of ice cubes. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to develop its truly refreshing flavour.

Slice the remaining lemon half into four thin rounds to use as garnish in the glasses.

Place a few ice cubes in each glass, add a lemon slice and a sprig of fresh mint for fragrance.

Bring the pitcher of iced tea to the table and pour into the glasses. Serve immediately while thoroughly chilled.