Starbucks copy-cat

I am NOT a big coffee drinker, yet I can't help but succumb to the call of Starbucks every once in a while. When Starbucks is calling it's not usually for a crazy coffee beverage...it's for iced tea! But not just ANY kind of tea - Tazo Passion shaken iced tea lemonade. (Isn't it annoying that names are so darn loooong at coffee shops?!)

I absolutely love the Passion tea concoction but I try not to buy it too often because, let's face it, my life is lived on a budget. I gave into the call of Starbucks this week because I have a gift-card so it's like getting it for free, right? When I got home and my drink was all gone I was sad, so I decided to do a search online and see if someone else had come up with a cheap-o imitation of my delicious indulgence.

Honestly, I think it's possible to find ANYTHING you want on the internet!!! My mom makes fun of me because I reference Pinterest or Google in so many ordinary conversations, but it's TRUE! (and at least I cite my sources! I could pretend that I'm a know-it-all genius instead...)

THIS is what my search came up with. Seemed easy enough and we had all the ingredients at home already, so why not give it a try? (CONFESSION: I didn't find this link through Pinterest, but I did pin it to share with the rest of the pinning world, so it counts for the sake of the blog, right?!)

My grandmother swears by Aldi grocery stores,

and she swears by the electric tea kettle she bought there.

I now boil water for my tea in this instead of on the stove

and I guess I swear by it too!

I bought this tea from Starbucks a while ago

hoping I would be able to make it at home

but didn't find a good recipe until now.

I think you can find it at Target and grocery stores as well.

The directions on the website made a 3 quart batch of this tea and I only wanted to make one glass-worth in case it was terrible...I didn't want to waste the precious tea bags! I boiled water in my electric tea kettle and then poured it into my cup. I used only one tea bag and that was plenty. I let it steep for 10-15 minutes.

Country Time Lemonade is always present in our house!

After letting the tea steep I removed the tea bag and added 1 scoop of lemonade powder. (I have a very big cup! I would definitely adjust the lemonade to the size of your cup.) Also, I forgot to leave room for ice so I had to transfer some of the tea to another cup for the cooling process. oops.

Here's my cup of Tazo tea lemonade, the homemade way!

SIDENOTE: I LOVE TERVIS TUMBLERS! I was introduced to them when I lived in South Carolina and I brought them back north with me. I lovelovelove my "big cup" (as my preschoolers call it) and carry it with me pretty much everywhere. I bought mine at Bed Bath & Beyond but you can also find them HERE.

Final verdict on the tea: I think I definitely made my life more difficult by trying to make this in a cup instead of a pitcher, and next time I will remember to leave room for ice. The first sip was encouraging but not exact. Not to be discouraged - the longer I let this sit the more it tasted like the original! After it was thoroughly chilled and the flavors meshed a bit it was absolutely delicious and I wished I had made the big batch!