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The Dunkin’ Cup

A while back I got this cup from my work.  It's a 24 ounce BPA free insulated tumbler.  On the outside it's covered bottom to top with Dunkin' Donuts logos and various refreshing beverages that they sell.  And between all the logos and such, at the bottom, in very small print, it states that I am entitled to 99 cent refills until June 20th.  Pretty awesome!  I've taken advantage of this several times over for both iced tea and coffee.  But, given that after June 20th, I'd no longer get a deal on iced tea or coffee... Well, I wondered how it would work if I made my own iced beverage?

I decided a little while back, soon after I got the cup, to try it out.  This idea actually originally came out of me not being able to find the green iced tea, that they have on their website, in a store.  So my initial batch ended up being an iced green tea.  But then I tried other types of teas too.  And, eventually,  it worked great!  I've been experimenting with steep times, how much ice to use, to put a lemon in or not.  To use green tea, or black tea.  After several failed and successful attempts I've figured out the perfect amount of everything....

So this is my own version of homemade iced tea, made in what I will call "The Dunkin' Cup".

If it's morning, to add a little extra kick, I start with two different black teas (I just use the bulk loose tea they have at Wegmans), or if it's afternoon I'll do two green teas so that the caffeine content is less, but it's still got some kick.  Evening time is a white tea, because that tea has almost nothing as far as caffeine goes.  Then I'll add a mint tea (also available in bulk at Wegmans).  I tried other herbal teas, such as lemongrass, or chamomile (chamomile is only really good hot, and works best on its own or with mint or lemongrass, it definitely doesn't ice well), but mint is really the one that works best.  I brew about half the amount that I normally do for hot tea and double the steep time.

Once that is all set it's time to add the ice.  Now, I like to put the lemon in first.  That way it stays at the bottom and really flavors things up.  I decided to go with organic lemon since pesticides lurking in or on the peel can be bad for your health.  I cut up a whole bag of organic lemons and froze them.  Then when I go to grab my ice, I put a frozen lemon in first, and add ice on top.  I fill the cup to the brim with ice.  The ice is Brita filtered water.  As well, I used Brita filtered water for steeping the tea too.  I'm a fan of Brita.  Keeps the taste pure, and it's super cheap to replace those filters!

Anyways, so then you pour the hot steeped black or green tea, and mint tea, over the ice.  It makes its way down to the lemon and starts to mix and match together.  I like to let it sit for a good 15 minutes to really start to thaw the lemon and soak it up.

Then, drink up!  You can add sugar if you'd like.  I just do it straight up unsweetened.

As far as steeping the bulk loose tea, I recommend buying disposable one time use tea bags.  The problem with loose tea is that it can get messy.  I used to steep in all sorts of containers and then try to dump the leaves in the trash, but they get EVERYWHERE.  It's a pain.  Just use the paper tea bags.  You can buy them at Wegmans, or Whole Foods or order them online. They are about 6 dollars for 100 bags.  So 6 cents per bag, and they are spacious, so you can only need one bag per steep.

I didn't try making iced coffee because I only drink it every so often.  I drink iced tea sometimes a couple times a day, so I decided to go with that.

Since The Dunkin' Cup has a bit of a disposable feel to it, I'm considering replacing it soon with a much more robust alternative.  I'm probably going to go with a 24 ounce Tervis Tumbler.  Like, maybe this fun turtle one: http://www.tervis.com/designs/Form-Collection-24-Best-Sellers-Turtle/074346846c0ac6e72581829d3c4ac2fc/e18ba06a2035d44a1ed6198158bb59bc/#upc=093597844904