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Summer is just around the corner and that means it’s the season for iced tea! How do you usually enjoy yours? Pure Leaf Canada sent us a few bottles of their unsweetened iced tea, and we came up with a few recipes for your everyday occasions.

The unsweetened tea has 0 sugar, 0 artificial sweeteners and 0 calories, so it is the perfect base to add your own ingredients and make your own iced tea creations.

Sunday Brunch

A fruity iced tea is perfect for any brunch dishes. Mr. and I love having waffles for brunch. Now that mangoes are in season, we made some waffles and topped them with super sweet Ataulfo mango and maple syrup. To go with it, we made some strawberry & mango iced tea with the unsweetened lemon tea.

Recipe (4 servings)

• 1 Ripe Ataulfo Mango, Diced
• 1/2 lb Strawberries, Fresh or Frozen
• 1L Pure Leaf Unsweetened Lemon Iced Tea
• 4 Teaspoons of Maple Syrup (optional, to taste)

You can prepare this ahead of time, to allow the fruit to be infused into the tea. We actually froze the strawberries so they served as ice as well! When you drink the tea, muddle the fruit a bit to allow the flavours come through even more. Add some mint for some freshness and colour.

A Day in the Park

Whether you are out for a stroll, or having a picnic by the water, this refreshing green tea would make a great beverage in your cooler bag.

We did this little trick by making ice balls (which typically are used for whiskey) with some orange supremes. As the ice melts, additional orange flavours can be tasted in the tea.

Recipe (4 servings)

• 1 Navel Orange, Sliced
• 1L Pure Leaf Unsweetened Green Tea

Muddle the orange slices at the bottom, pour the tea, and top it with ice or some orange ice balls. Voila! Citrusy, refreshing and so pretty to look at!

Movie Night At Home

What would go well with some popcorn and your favourite movie? How about a spiked iced tea? Similar to the orange ice balls, we also made some ice balls with some mint chiffonade.

Recipe (1 serving)

• 200ml Pure Leaf Unsweetened Black Tea
• 1 oz Vodka (or your favourite spirit, Rum, Whiskey, etc.)
• Some Mint Chiffonade, Muddled
• 1 Tablespoon of Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup (we used the Noble brand)

We chose the black tea for this recipe because it would stand up against any spirit. The bourbon barrel aged maple syrup added some smokiness and sweetness to the drink. Of course, if you are having a rough day at work, feel free to dial up the amount of spirit to 2 oz (and promise you won’t drink and drive).

Pure Leaf is brewed from real tea leaves so the tea flavours are prominent in each bottle. It tastes good on its own or tweak it to your own liking. With fruit, herbs or your favourite spirit, the possibilities are endless here.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. However, the views and opinions expressed in this post, as well as recipes and images, are purely my own.