For those of you who love it but don't like to make it, here is a method straight from the Fire Station.

Needed:

One new electric coffee pot. I prefer the $10 Walmart special.
1- 1 gallon pitcher for mixing and storage.
Tea bags. I like Lipton, but choose the one you like best.
Sugar. 1½ cups per making.
Ice
¼ cup of chopped Mint leaves. (Optional)

1) Place four single tea bags in the coffee maker's basket.

2) Fill the coffee maker to the 10 cups line. At this point place the Mint leaves in the pot.

3) Turn the coffee maker on.

4) Measure 1½ cups of sugar and place in a 1 gallon pitch.

5) Pour the brewed tea through a strainer to filter out the Mint leaves, or straight into the pitcher if you did not opt for the mint.

6) Stir the hot tea till all of the sugar is absorbed, then fill the pitcher ⅔ full of ice. Stir till the tea is cool. Top with tap water.

I like to keep the spoon in the pitcher till almost all of the ice has melted.

That sounds good. I'll give that a try.

I'll have to give that a try as well, I hadn't thought about adding the mint while the tea is brewing.

Be sure and use a new pot, and not one that has had coffee brewed through it. You won't like the taste.

I usually rinse my coffee maker out with White Vinegar when i do this. one cup distilled white vinegar and 23 cups of water (2 full pots), just mix it down as needed. followed by washing the pot and basket in the dish washer (having a really expensive coffee maker that breaks down into little dishwasher safe pieces comes in handy, thank goodness Mom gave up on coffee before she ruined it)

the ratio is 1:24 vinegar to water

This post has been edited by blackspyder: Aug 15 2007, 12:36 AM

Since I have a mint garden, I usually pick it fresh. I boil it, though, separately from the tea and use a ricer to squeeze what's left of the mint back into the pot. It is extra work, but then you have enough for several brews and visitors can adjust the amount of mint to their preference.
Z

I find a ¼ cup, per gallon. give it a light clean taste. Any more and the mint over powers the tea. Strain it through a press (which I use to do) give the tea a bitter taste. I am weird like that.