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Grandma's Iced Rhubarb Tea

Grandma's rhubarb tea is a homemade iced tea made by simmering chopped rhubarb, steeping tea bags, then chilling until it turns lightly pink. Serve it tall over ice with fresh mint and lemon slices for a classic summer drink.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
cooling and chilling 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Drink
Cuisine: American
Calories: 190
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Rhubarb tea base
  • 6 cups fresh rhubarb Chopped
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 tea bags (black or green tea) Use black or green
  • 1 lemons Juice of 2 lemons
  • 0.5 fresh mint leaves For serving
  • ice for serving As needed
  • 1 lemon slices for garnish For garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 fine mesh strainer

Method
 

Simmer the rhubarb
  1. In a large pot, combine fresh rhubarb and water, then bring to a boil over high heat with active bubbling.
  2. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the rhubarb is very soft, with small bubbles across the surface.
Steep, strain, and sweeten
  1. Remove the pot from heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes, leaving the tea bags fully submerged.
  2. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing firmly to extract all liquid and keeping the pulp back.
  3. Stir sugar into the hot strained liquid until fully dissolved, with the liquid becoming clear and uniform.
  4. Add the lemon juice and stir until evenly combined and bright-tasting.
Chill and serve
  1. Let the tea cool to room temperature until it no longer feels hot when you touch the container.
  2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until thoroughly chilled and ready to pour.
  3. Serve over ice in glasses, then top each with fresh mint leaves and lemon slices for garnish.

Notes

For the best pink tint, simmer until the rhubarb is very soft before steeping. Refrigerate covered up to 3 days; do not freeze, as the rhubarb tea can become grainy after thawing. For a lighter version, reduce sugar to 3/4 cup while still dissolving in the hot liquid.