I love tea.

All varieties in all ways. Always and forever.

I really like fruit flavored teas but I don’t like how they tend to be full of dyes, corn syrup, and have a tendency to be overly sweet almost to the point that they feel syrupy.

Gross.

So I made my own version. It’s fruity, light, and super refreshing. Not heavy or too sweet.

It’s also easy because Lord knows I’m not messing with it if it isn’t.

I almost always have a bag of frozen fruit in my freezer so I just use whatever happens to be in there. Blueberries, mango, pineapple, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, and cherries all go really well with tea.

You probably noticed that I didn’t mention raspberries and you’re right – and observant. Raspberries are the worst so they’re never in my kitchen but if you like them, by all means, use them.

It’s important to mention that this post isn’t about the tea itself but about the refreshing fruity goodness that we’re making to flavor it, so just use whatever tea you prefer. I usually go with lightly sweetened green or black teas for iced tea.

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 tbsp agave or honey

1 1/2 cups frozen fruit of your choice

brewed iced tea of your choice

Directions

Add 2 cups of water to a sauce pan along with about a tablespoon of agave or honey and bring to a boil. I usually just give a good squeeze of agave twice around the pot. Sweeten to your taste.

Add frozen fruit and continue gently boiling for 5-7 minutes until the fruit is super tender and pale, and the water is heavily colored and smells fruity.

Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.

Pour the fruit into a blender and give it a whirl until it’s smooth.

Pour the blended mixture through a fine mesh strainer to catch the pulp. Use a spatula or spoon to press it through so you get every last drop of juice. I usually strain a couple of times to really get out all of the pulp.

Speaking of pulp, don’t throw yours out. You can mix it into some softened butter or cream cheese and spread it on toast or bagels. Stir it into cake or muffin batter, use it in a smoothie, fold it into some yogurt, or top a bowl of vanilla ice cream with it.

Store your fruity simple syrup in the refrigerator, a mason jar works great for this purpose. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and add it to your tea this way.

And by the way, don’t limit this fruity goodness to just tea. It’s great for pepping up water, lemonade, lemon-lime soda, champagne, anything that can use a little fruity goodness.

To spruce things up even more:

Add a slice of ginger to your boiling water (ginger and peach are best friends).

Add some fresh herbs like mint, basil, or thyme. Thyme goes really well with lemon and blueberries. Basil and strawberries play well together. Mint gets along with pretty much everyone. You can add the fresh herbs right to your glass or chop them up, stir them into your cooled fruit syrup, and freeze in ice cube trays.

Having a party soon? Make different flavor combinations and pour into pretty decanters so your guests can flavor their own drinks.