How To: Homemade Ice Tea

My new addiction is homemade ice tea.  I can't stand how sweet store bought ones are, and who can afford Starbucks iced tazo tea (unsweetened is actually pretty good though).  So I won't let my kids drink juice or ice tea from a store but I'm totally ok with letting them have some of my homemade stuff.  It's easy enough to make, but it does have to be prepared ahead of time so that it has time to cool properly.  I do lightly sweeten it with agave and a bit of natural fruit juice but we are talking a few tsp of agave and about an ounce or two of juice per pot of ice tea.  My kids and Mark's favorite is a bit of a special whole leaf herbal blend.  It's a mix of berry berry (currants, blueberries and cranberries)  and bublegum (this has strawberry,apple and orange flavours).  I buy is from a local tea shop. 

I mix in 2 tsp of agave while the tea is hot, and I put the whole pot and tea mixture in the fridge for a few hours.  Eventually when it cools down I add a bit of fruit juice (this batch I used pomegranate juice).  

Add ice and a bit of water (if you want)  and enjoy.

Since I can't have booze, I made this drink in honour of one of my favorite summer beverages.

 The Mojito!  I added 2 tsp of agave to the hot tea, let it cool off in the fridge and when I wanted some I took out the tea bags, poured the tea mixture over ice, added a splash of lemon juice and some water.  Voila!

I am currently working on a sangria version...  using a "ice wine tea" blend that I found locally and some white grape juice.   I'll let you know how it turns out.

What is your favorite way to make ice tea?  secret ingredients?