Iced Lemongrass Tea

Three ingredients: lemongrass, boiling water, and sugar. Steeped for 8 to 10 minutes, strained, cooled, and poured over ice. This is the refreshing herbal tea served at Vietnamese restaurants alongside pho and banh mi, and it’s absurdly easy to make at home.

Lemongrass tea tastes like lemon without any of the sourness. It’s bright, floral, and slightly sweet even before you add sugar. The flavor comes from the essential oils in the stalks, which release into hot water the same way any good herbal tea does.

Preheating the teapot isn’t fussy ceremony. A warm pot keeps the water at steeping temperature longer, which extracts more flavor from the lemongrass. Cold ceramic drops the water temperature immediately and you get a weaker, more watered-down tea.

Pro Tips

• Fresh lemongrass gives a brighter, more complex flavor than dried. If using fresh, bruise the stalks with the back of a knife before steeping to release more oils.
• Steep the full 10 minutes for a stronger brew that holds up to ice dilution. A weak steep will taste like slightly flavored water once the ice melts.
• Sweeten while the tea is still warm so the sugar dissolves completely. Cold tea won’t dissolve granulated sugar well.
• Make a double batch and keep a pitcher in the fridge for up to three days.

Variations

• Add a few slices of fresh ginger to the steeping water for a lemongrass-ginger tea with warming spice.
• Stir in a tablespoon of honey instead of sugar for a rounder, more floral sweetness.
• Squeeze in half a lime just before serving for a citrus-forward iced tea that’s closer to a Vietnamese limeade.