Iced Tea

Pour 8 cups of cold water into a pitcher with a lid.
Place tea bags inside the pitcher, with tea tags hanging out of the pitcher.
Place the pitcher in the refrigerator overnight or up to 12 hours.
Remove tea bags and discard. If tea bags burst, strain tea mixture through a screen sieve.
Heat the remaining ½ cup of water to a simmer, and remove from heat.
Pour sugar into heated water, stir to dissolve.
Pour sugar mixture into cold tea. Stir to incorporate sugar mixture
Serve over ice.
Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.

To make the hot brewed version:

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
Add tea bags to water. Remove from heat and steep 10-12 min., depending on desired strength.
Carefully remove tea bags.
Add sugar to the hot tea mixture. Stir to completely dissolve sugar.
Add the hot tea mixture to the remaining 4 cups of cold water.
Refrigerate until cooled.