Make it yourself - Starbucks Iced Green Tea

I absolutely love Starbucks Iced Green Tea and have a bit of an addiction to it.  However, I once sat down in wonder of what I was spending on a yearly basis and discovered that a Venti a day (my habit) came to $1095/year....IN TEA CONSUMPTION!! I am way too thrifty to spend that, "who am I Rockefeller?" So I began the process of mastering the recipe so that I could make it at home.  It took me a number of batches over a 3 week period but I am happy to say that I have perfected it and even happier to share it with you all!

What you will need:
An Iced Tea Maker ($20-$40 - the one seen in this post was $39.99 on Amazon)
Tazo Zen Green Tea (Amazon has 6 boxes of 24 bags for $25.07.  This will yield 96 Venti servings)
4-6 Pint Size Mason Jars ($8-$14 - the blue ones in the post were $13.99 for 6 on Amazon)
28oz Shaker ($8.95 for the pink on Amazon or blue and black combo pack for $14.55)
Water
Ice

Directions:
1) Fill iced tea maker with 4 cups of cold water  
2) DO NOT ADD ICE to the pitcher as you would normal tea (this is secret number one, it needs to be concentrated)
3) Use 6 tea bags of Tazo Zen Green Tea

 

 4) Brew at the highest strength (if your brewer gives you the option)

5) Using 4 mason jars add 1 cup of concentrate to each and let cool, if you can (I often do this at night and have put them away warm)

6) Cover each with lids and store in fridge, up to 7 days (second secret, it needs to be in an air tight container)
7) When ready to drink fill your cup with desired amount of ice, add the cup of concentrate and the rest water then transfer to a shaker - DO NOT USE THE SHAKER BALL

8) Shake well (this is the final secret, it must be shaken)
9) Put back in your desired cup and enjoy!
**I saved some of my Starbucks cups so I wash them and use those over and over and I feel like I'm drinking the real thing.

Special Note: This recipe is for UNSWEETENED Green Tea - As a health conscious person I am not a fan of sugar or the 120 cal, 30g of sugar it would add to sweeten it (not to mention the taste).

SAVINGS:  Ready for this - the tea alone will cost you $95/year (if you drink a Venti a day like me)!  A SAVINGS OF $1000 a year!!! Think of what else you can buy with that! 

Looks the same, right?