Iced Lychee Mint Green Tea with Strawberries

Iced mint green tea sweetened with lychee and strawberries, a perfect beverage for a warm summer day. 

Have you ever had lychee before? It’s a sweet Asian fruit with a tough reddish brown outer skin and a big black seed in the middle. No? You should really try it.

I’ve been craving it. Unfortunately, lychee is a summer fruit so it’s too early to be in season right now. At least, where I live. I haven’t even seen them at the supermarket, and if they are sold right now, it’s probably very expensive because it’s not in season. Therefore, I had to resort to the next best thing, canned lychee. Once, fresh lychees are in season, I plan to revisit this recipe and adjust it. =)

Easy to follow with only a few simple steps, my recipe will allow you to enjoy your summery beverage ready in no time. This iced green tea will have the exotic flavor of lychee, the refreshing taste of mint, and the familiar sweetness of strawberries. Since you are making this drink at home, you can customize it to your taste, unlike the fruit flavored teas that you find at Asian milk tea shops.

Speaking of those Asian milk tea shops, I have a confession. I’m a milk tea addict. I love the taste of honey milk black tea with tapioca pearls. But I’m trying to get myself off it. The good news is that many of those Asian milk tea shops now allow you to customize the level of sweetness, which is a lot better than before, right? And half of those shops use real brewed tea, while the other half uses powder mixes. So if you want to try certain milk tea shops, make sure to look at reviews to see what people say.

Anyway, in a small pot, boil about two cups of water and add in two bags of green tea. This part, you can adjust to the amount of tea you want. Remember, about one cup of water per tea bag per person. So you can increase the amount according to the number of people you’re serving.

Remove the pot from heat. Add in mint leaves. Allow the tea bags and mint leaves to steep for a few minutes. The longer you leave in the water, the stronger the taste. Once the mint green tea has reached your liking, remove the mint and tea bags and allow the tea to sit for a few more minutes to cool. This is how I make my homemade mint green tea. If that’s what you want, you can stop right there and enjoy your hot mint green tea. I added a few lychees to see if it would enhance the lychee flavor, not really. So don’t do it.

But if you want to continue for a more exotic iced tea… =)

Open the can of lychee. Measure about ½ – 1 cup of the lychee syrup and pour it into the mint green tea. Stir to evenly mix the flavors. I added about a cup of the lychee syrup, but you should add it to your taste. If you prefer your drink less sweet, add less of the lychee syrup. If you like your tea sweeter, add more of the syrup. The lychee syrup is pretty much the same as simple syrup except that it tastes like lychee. You won’t use all the syrup or the lychee. That means you can use it for a different recipe or you can eat as is.

Divide the lychee mint green tea into 2-3 glasses. Add in 3-4 lychees per glass.

Add in chopped strawberries.

Add in a few mint leaves for garnish and a more refreshing taste.

For decoration, slice a strawberry in half, leaving the top intact. That photo did not come out well. Unfortunately, it was the only one I took. But you get the picture =) Place the sliced strawberry over the rim of the glass.

Add a few ice cubes or chill the tea in the refrigerator for at least a half hour.

Serve the beverage cold and enjoy!

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