Mastering the chasen: how to use and care for your matcha whisk

Your chasen does more work than it looks like. Hand-carved from a single piece of bamboo, its tines curved inward by heat and tension to create the even foam that makes a properly whisked matcha so distinct.

Treat it well and it keeps rewarding you. Here's how.

How to make iced tea

Welcome to the T2 iced tea guide. With years of iced tea brewing under our belts, we’ve picked up a trick or two on how to get it just right – we’re passing on everything we’ve learned, so follow our lead!

Different ways to make iced tea

There’s two ways we make iced tea, we either use what we call our classic method or the Cold Brew method. The classic method uses any of our blends – black, green, fruit or herbal tisanes, in either tea bags or loose leaf.

Recommended teas for iced tea

Every blend can be made into iced tea, but some work particularly well chilled. Black tea is famously delicious with ice, the bold taste of black tea leaves is softened when iced, and it mixes well with sweet fruits and garnishes. Fruit tisanes are our most flavour-forward blends; these are great for kids and a great alternative to overly sweet soft drinks. Green tea is a lighter option, naturally slightly sweet and loved for its refreshing notes.

Brew tip from our tea sommelier

To make iced tea with a strong, vibrant flavour, the process is like making cordial. First, you need to brew an extra-strong tea concentrate, then you can add ice while maintaining that full flavour.

How to store iced tea

Always keep iced tea chilled in the fridge. Store it with a tight seal in jugs or jars with lids to prevent picking up food odours. Note that fruits, garnishes, and sweeteners will decrease the shelf life, so add them to each glass or consumed within a day.

1 hour

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

Tea of choice
Water
Ice
Fruit to garnish

Tools

T2 Tea Jug-a-Lot or Chill Me Glass Iced Tea Jug
Glasses to serve

Method

1. Remove the lid of your Jug-A-Lot and add 2+ teaspoons of tea, or 2+ tea bags, per 250 ml to the infuser. That’s 14 teaspoons or tea bags for 1.75L Jug-a-Lot.
2. Half fill the jug with hot water and infuse for the recommended time. Stick to tea’s recommended water temperature to allow the tea to release it’s very best (and non-bitter) flavours. Brew black tea, herbal and fruit tisanes are at 100°C, brew green and white teas at 80°C.
3. Once the tea is brewed into a strong concentrate, remove the tea infuser from the Jug-A-Lot, discarding the used tea leaves. Let the tea fully cool before moving onto the next step – this can help give your iced tea a stronger flavour by preventing the ice from melting when added.
4. Add ice and fruit to garnish. Screw the lid on, leaving open just enough to pour into glasses. Different garnishes can bring out tea’s most complex and delicious tastes. Start simple with a slice of lemon, then experiment with berries, citrus varieties and even tapioca pearls to make a boba iced tea.