Orange Chai Iced Tea will make your summer cool and sweet. There isn’t a more classic way to relax with friends on a hot day.
You’re going to love the flavors in this Orange Chai Iced Tea. It’s homemade, lightly spiced and served with a generous amount of ice and fresh orange wedges.
This week I’m in Miami and it is HOT HOT HOT! It’s a mix of pleasure and work here as I bask in the scorching Florida sun.
I’ve traded one hot place for another, as the Memorial Day weekend was scorching at home too. But just because it’s hot, doesn’t mean I can stay inside. My summer is already packed with gardening, home improvement projects, and luckily, travel!
Summers are meant to be busy, but when the thermometer soars, you have to take breaks to cool down. That’s when I start to crave iced tea drinks like our peach tea mint julep and skinny iced tea cocktail. But sometimes you want something nonalcoholic that you can enjoy midday.
Poolside cocktails are fabulous but I’m really craving another glass of this spiced iced tea. This orange chai iced tea recipe is my new favorite beverage.
This is a from scratch type of recipe, so instead of using a premade chai tea mix, we combine the spices ourselves. Fresh orange zest and ginger are steeped with dried cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cardamom and black tea.
Then we add sugar. I like mine a bit sweet because I grew up drinking sweet tea. Ironically, Kevin grew up a little further south than me, but is used to unsweetened tea so he likes to go light on the sugar. So, as you make the recipe, the amount of sugar you add is up to you.
But I’m sure we can all agree that iced tea should be served over a generous amount of ice! Add a squeeze of fresh orange juice and you have a summer treat!
Sometimes, I’ll make this chai iced tea even more posh by using my favorite vintage glassware. There’s just something romantic and old fashioned about iced tea that deserves a little tongue in cheek grandeur.
But the glasses just take you part of the way. Garnishing this iced tea with a fresh sprig of mint from the garden and a cinnamon stick take you all the way to la tea da! Get what I did there?
This summer if you’re at home resting, bathed in the shade of a porch, do make yourself a pitcher of this orange chai iced tea.
But this tea is too good to drink alone. Invite your friends over and and share a moment of vintage hospitality!
Orange Chai Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients
Tea
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 6 cloves whole
- 6 cardamom pods
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger , chopped
- 2 teaspoons whole black pepper
- 1 cup turbinado sugar (half if you like less sweet tea)
- zest of 2 oranges
- 8 cups water
- 8 black tea bags
Garnish
- Mint
- Cinnamon sticks
- Orange wedges
Instructions
- Place spices in a large pot and crush them a little bit with a spoon or muddler.
- Add water, zest and sugar and bring to a boil.
- Boil for about a minute and then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Allow the spices to steep for about 10 minutes and then add tea bags and turn off the heat.
- Steep the tea bags for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove tea bags and strain tea through a fine mesh sieve or a reusable coffee filter.
- Serve over ice with fresh mint and orange wedges.
Nutrition
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Pang says
I will choose your iced tea over cocktail, too, Kitty. What a great recipe (& photos) filled with refreshing orange zest & ginger; both ingredients are my favorite. LOVE LOVE LOVE
Julie Menghini says
This is one timely recipe! I’m entertaining on Sunday and had planned on making some tea. This recipe is so much better than what I had planned. The Chai and orange sound like a great combination and it would made a perfect refresher for a special occasion or just a nice treat.
Kitty says
I hope your Sunday get together is a great success and that your guests love the tea!
Gloria says
I am so looking forward to the warm sunny weather. This sounds perfect. Make a huge pitcher and enjoy it all day long. Great for the weekend brunch too.
Kitty says
Gloria, This really is a great sunny weather drink. Here’s hoping that they start coming soon!
Annemarie says
When the weather gets warmer I’m always making big containers of iced tea and I love to switch up the flavors to keep it interesting. This orange chai tea will certainly add some zing to our iced tea drinking! In fact, with those flavors it may end up in heavy rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Vintage Kitty says
I’m all for the keeping things interesting for the taste buds! Enjoy!
Daniela says
I’m obsessed with tea (I drink at least 3 cups a day), but I never thought to mix chai with orange. It sounds like a lovely combination though, and I can’t wait to try this drink now that the weather is finally warming up. Great recipe!
Vintage Kitty says
It’s so good. You’re going to love it Daniela!
Sean says
I feel like a light bulb just went off in my head. I love chai (I have my own recipe that I try to make semi-regularly), and I love oranges, but I’ve never thought about how well the two flavours go together. It makes perfect sense – orange is so good with so many spices. Mind blown. Love this recipe, and it sounds like a fantastic beat-the-heat kind of drink. Great stuff. :)
Marisa F. Stewart says
What a terrific beverage to sip on warm days. I like to do the same as you — put my drinks in nice glasses. It makes the drink taste so much better. I have some chai waiting for me to do something with it — making it into orange chai iced tea is just what I want.
Debra says
This is my idea of a fun and tasty summer drink. I wonder if I make it now if the warm weather will show up? Ah…I couldn’t wait to taste it and it’s still wintery here. It is DELICIOUS hot, so I’m really looking forward to the iced version!
Vintage Kitty says
The weather has been fickle here too. Hopefully warm days arrive soon because I need some fun in the sun!
Trish Bozeman says
This sounds absolutely amazing! I have a warm chai orange whiskey cocktail that I make in the winter, but I am in love with this idea of iced chai for the summer. A must make! I’m bookmarking this for our next barbecue. :)
Vintage Kitty says
Oh my that cocktail should great Trish!