Pour 1 & 1/2 cups of water into a medium pot or tea kettle. Bring the water up to a boil over high heat.
Add the tea bags and the sugar/honey to the boiling water. Stir until the sweetener is fully dissolved and the tea has slightly colored the water. * Keep in mind when sweetening that we're still going to add more water, which will dilute the sweetness slightly. So sweeten based on how much sugar you'd like per 1 cup of tea. I like 2 tablespoons per cup, so I added in a total of 8 tablespoons of sugar to my hot water. Set aside to steep for 5 minutes or up to 30 minutes for a stronger flavor. Once steeped to your liking, pull the tea bags out, and discard them.
In a large pitcher, combine the steeped tea and the remaining 3 cups of cold water. Mix together. Serve with ice, and (if you like) a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and mint!