This copycat Tim Hortons Steeped Tea is creamy, smooth, and easy to make at home. It only requires three ingredients and is ready in 5 minutes.
Can't get enough of Tim Horton's? Try my Homemade Timbits next!
☕ About This Recipe
The steeped tea at Tim Hortons has to be one of my favorite drinks. It’s very fragrant but much less strong than other teas, and it has a slightly floral finish.
I've tried a bunch of different teas, but Ceylon tea and Orange Pekoe (both black teas) are my favorites. The taste isn’t exactly the same, but it satisfies my craving enough that I don't have to buy it anymore.
According to former employees on Reddit, the steeped tea is made in a similar way as drip coffee, which is why it has a more delicate taste. I don't have a drip machine, so I just steeped the tea at a lower temperature (around 180℉ for 3 minutes). It turned out pretty good and wasn't bitter at all. I used an instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature.
🧂 Ingredients
- Tea: I'm using Red Rose Orange Pekoe tea today. It's less bitter than other teas. You can use either tea bags or leaves for this recipe.
- Cream: When you ask for cream, I'm pretty sure Tim Horton's uses heavy cream (whipping cream). Some people might want to use milk or half and half, but I don't think it tastes as good. Heavy cream is much better for hiding the bitterness.
- Sugar: Just add this based on your preference.
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Combine tea bags and water in a small saucepan. Bring the water to a gentle simmer (around 180°F). The water should be gently steaming with bubbles floating to the surface.
STEP 2: I recommend steeping the tea for only 3 minutes to reduce the bitterness. Remove the tea bags and make sure not to squeeze them as that will make the tea bitter as well.
STEP 3: Pour the tea into serving cups and add heavy cream and sugar to taste. For a standard-sized medium, I'd say "one cream" is two tablespoons of heavy cream, and "one sugar" is one teaspoon of sugar. It might seem like a lot of amount of cream, but their steeped tea is quite creamy. Enjoy!
💭 Cold brewing
Another method you can try is cold brewing the tea. This will make the tea much less bitter. Heat releases tannins in the tea, but by doing a cold brew, you end up with a much smoother finish.
To cold brew, just soak one tea bag per 2 cups of water in the refrigerator for about 8-12 hours. You can test the tea at 8 hours and see if it needs longer.
📋 Recipe
Tim Hortons Steeped Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 bags Orange Pekoe or Ceylon Tea (or 2 teaspoons of leaves)
- heavy cream (to taste)
- sugar (to taste)
Instructions
- Combine tea bags and water in a small saucepan. Bring the water to a gentle simmer (about 180°F). The water should be gently steaming with bubbles floating to the surface.
- Steep the tea for 3 minutes, and then remove the tea bags (do not squeeze them).
- Pour the tea into serving cups and add heavy cream and sugar to taste. For a standard-sized medium, I'd say "one cream" is two tablespoons of cream, and "one sugar" is one teaspoon of sugar.
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