Blackberry Lavender Iced Sun Tea 🍇🪻☀️

A refreshing, naturally fruity iced tea infused with floral lavender and sweet blackberries. This recipe can be brewed traditionally or using the sun on a warm day.

Servings: 6–8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Sun Brewing Time: 2–4 hours (or 5 minutes for hot brew)
Total Time: 2–4 hours

Ingredients

For the Tea

• 8 cups filtered water
• 6 black tea bags (or 4 black tea bags + 2 hibiscus tea bags for extra color)
• 1 cup fresh blackberries, plus extra for garnish
• 1 tablespoon culinary dried lavender
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Sweetener (Optional)

• ¼–½ cup honey
• or ¼–½ cup simple syrup
• or maple syrup, to taste

Garnish

• Fresh blackberries
• Lemon slices
• Lavender sprigs (culinary, pesticide-free)
• Ice cubes
• Fresh mint leaves (optional)

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Sun Tea Method

1. Place the water into a clean, clear glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Add the tea bags, blackberries, and dried lavender.
3. Seal the jar and place it in direct sunlight for 2–4 hours.
4. Once the tea has reached your desired strength, remove the tea bags.
5. Strain out the berries and lavender through a fine-mesh sieve.
6. Stir in the lemon juice and sweetener while the tea is still slightly warm, if using.
7. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
8. Serve over plenty of ice with fresh blackberries, lemon slices, and lavender sprigs.

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Quick Hot-Brew Method

1. Bring 8 cups of water just to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat and steep the tea bags for 5 minutes.
3. Add the blackberries and lavender, then steep for another 10 minutes.
4. Strain, stir in the lemon juice and sweetener, and chill before serving over ice.

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Homemade Blackberry Lavender Syrup (Optional)

Ingredients

• 1 cup blackberries
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon culinary lavender

Directions

1. Simmer everything together for 10 minutes.
2. Mash the berries gently.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
4. Cool completely and add 1–2 tablespoons to each glass of tea for extra flavor.

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Flavor Variations

• Sparkling: Replace half the chilled tea with sparkling water just before serving.
• Peach Blackberry: Add sliced ripe peaches while brewing.
• Berry Blend: Mix in raspberries or blueberries.
• Citrus Twist: Add orange slices with the lemon.
• Herbal: Use green tea instead of black tea for a lighter flavor.

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Food Safety Note for Sun Tea

Traditional sun tea is popular, but food safety experts generally recommend cold-brewing in the refrigerator or using the hot-brew method, as the water in a sun tea jar may not get hot enough to prevent bacterial growth. If you do make sun tea:

• Use a thoroughly cleaned glass container.
• Limit brewing to no more than 4 hours.
• Refrigerate the tea immediately after brewing.
• Discard any leftovers after 48 hours.

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Approximate Nutrition (Per Serving, Unsweetened)

• Calories: 8
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Sugar: 1 g
• Protein: 0 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Fiber: <1 g
• Sodium: 5 mg

This tea is lightly floral, naturally fruity, and especially refreshing served ice-cold on a warm afternoon.