Refreshing Raspberry Iced Tea

Ingredients

• Water (4 cups)
• Raspberry tea bags (4)
• Fresh raspberries (1 cup)
• Sugar (1/2 cup (adjust to taste))
• Lemon juice (1/4 cup (freshly squeezed))
• Ice cubes (as needed)
• Fresh mint leaves (for garnish (optional))

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Once boiling, remove the saucepan from heat and add the raspberry tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your desired strength.
3. While the tea is steeping, prepare the raspberry mixture. In a blender, combine 1 cup of fresh raspberries and 1/2 cup of sugar. Blend until smooth.
4. If desired, strain the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, pressing down with a spatula to extract all the juice.
5. Once the tea has steeped, remove the tea bags and stir in the raspberry mixture and 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the warm tea. Taste and adjust sweetness if necessary.
6. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
7. To serve, fill glasses with ice cubes and pour the chilled raspberry iced tea over the ice. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a few whole raspberries, if desired.