Easy Kumquat Iced Tea
Irresistible iced tea with the most agreeable citrus taste. No cooking involved!
Ever since I’ve discovered kumquat, I’ve been obsessed with making tea with this citrus fruit: the resulting beverage has a very agreeable taste that reminds me of something between lemon and orange, but with more nuances.
And now that hot kumquat tea has become a regular recipe at our home, I’ve decided to make iced tea with this small fruit as well.
And it turns out, it tastes even better as I suspected!
So, in this post I’ll show you how to make iced tea with kumquats: no cooking or long cooling down time needed.
Also, I’ll share some tips in case you prefer to try it with green tea instead of black tea.
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What you’ll need
*Since the tea is hot when you sweeten it, even granulated sweetener will dissolve quickly.
You can use regular sugar or sugar-free alternatives such as xylitol or erythritol.
Time needed: 15 minutes
How to make kumquat iced tea in under 15 minutes
- Prepare kumquat
Wash the fruit and cut each approximately into six pieces: first cut in halves, then cut each half into 3 slices.
Remove big seeds.
- Steep
Put the kumquats and tea in a heat resistant container (like a teapot).
Cover with freshly boiled hot water.
- Remove tea
Remove the tea after 4-5 minutes.
This is very important so the tea doesn’t get bitter and it doesn’t overpower the kumquats.
Leave the kumquats to steep longer, at least 10 minutes.
After that, gently muddle the fruit with a spoon so they fully release their aroma and taste.
If desired, sweeten.
- Cool down
Serve over ice.
You can also let it cool down and chill in the fridge.
Tips & Tricks
- Don’t forget to remove the tea in time!
The kumquat don’t need to be removed – you can even serve some in the glass if you want. - Since you’ll have to remove the tea before the kumquats, I recommend either using tea bags or an infuser for the tea.
- You can eat the remaining kumquat.
But take into consideration that the outer skin has a distinctive bitterness.
I personally enjoy the inner side of the skin (the fleshy part), but don’t enjoy the orange outside.
- You can freeze your kumquats and use them to make tea when you are ready.
I recommend cutting the fruit before freezing.
Thaw then just by leaving it for a couple of hours at room temperature.
Variations
Since kumquats are citric fruits, like lemon, they go wonderfully with black tea.
But you can also prepare this recipe with rooibos or with green tea:
Kumquat rooibos tea
Just follow the same instructions as when you make this tea with black tea – only substituting the real tea for rooibos.
Kumquat iced green tea
You can also make this kumquat iced tea with green tea.
It’s super refreshing!
But since green tea needs other steeping temperature and times as black tea, you’ll have to make some adjustments:
- First steep only the kumquats in freshly boiled water
- Let the water cool down for around 5-10 minutes so it reaches the recommended temperature for the green tea you are using (140°F – 185°F or 60°C – 85°C).
Then add the green tea. - Once the recommend steeping time for your green tea is over, remove the tea.
- Drink as is or sweeten to taste (I personally drink my iced kumquat green tea as is).
You can also drink this warm or cool down serving over ice cubes.
Kumquat iced tea – easy recipe
Equipment
- Water cooker Feel free to bring water to a boil following your preferred method
Ingredients
- 8-10 Kumquats
- 3 Teabags (black tea or green tea*) or 3 teaspoon loose tea
- 1 Cup Fresh boiled water
- 1-2 Tbsp. Erythritol or preferred sweetener
Instructions
- Wash the kumquats, cut them and remove the bigger seeds (if they are very small, I often leave them)
- Steep the kumquats and the black tea in hot water.
- IMPORTANT: remove the black tea after 4-5 minutes.The kumquats remain steeping for at least 5 minutes more.Once the kumquats has steeped for around 10 minutes in total, smash them with a spoon to allow them release their aroma and taste.If desired, sweeten to taste while the tea is still warm.
- Serve over ice.
Notes
- The ingredients amount in this recipe card were calculated considering that you will cool down and/or serve this tea over ice.
This means, in this recipe, the tea is quite concentrated.
If you prefer drinking the tea hot (it also tastes good) or letting it cool down without using ice (just at room temperature and then in the fridge), feel free to adapt by using more water (up to double the amount written above). - *IF USING GREEN TEA
You can also make this tea with green tea instead of black tea.
In this case:- First steep the kumquats
- Wait for the water temperature to drop to 140°F – 185°F (60°C – 85°C) to add the green tea.
Remove the tea after 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition
I hope you enjoyed this kumquat iced tea recipe!
If you are in the mood for refreshing drinks, you may also like:
This kumquat iced tea recipe is simply amazing! The combination of sweet and tangy flavors is so refreshing and perfect for a hot day. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe and leaving such a kind comment, it means a lot to me!