Heat 1 litre of water to 90–95°C. Add 8 or 9 black tea bags — 8 for a clearly present but not dominant tea structure against the orange juice's generous body; 9 for a more assertively tea-forward preparation where the black tea's structure is the unambiguous lead register against the orange's warm sweetness. Steep for exactly 3 minutes. Remove all bags simultaneously without squeezing. Ceylon's specific natural character is particularly well-suited to orange: Ceylon's citrus-adjacent, lighter aromatic profile resonates with orange's own warm citrus sweetness in a way that Assam's more malty, more robustly tannic character does not. The briefing note — clean structure, not harsh tannins — is the precise description of what 90–95°C for 3 minutes with Ceylon or light breakfast tea specifically produces.

Stir 100g of light brown sugar into the hot tea immediately after bag removal. The lower starting quantity (100g rather than 140g of the Lemon Iced Tea Pitcher) reflects the substantial additional sweetness contribution from 750ml of orange juice in the final build — the combined sweetness at 100g of sugar plus 750ml of orange juice's natural sugar is specifically calibrated for the preparation's target balance. Adjust up to 120g after the complete pitcher is tasted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the lemon and orange zest simultaneously to the warm tea. Cover and steep for 5–8 minutes. The dual zest in this preparation performs a specifically different bridging function than in the green tea citrus preparation. In the green tea version, the dual zest bridges the delicate green tea and the warm orange juice across a wide aromatic gap. In this preparation, the black tea's own warm tannin character is already closer to the orange juice's warm register — the dual zest specifically provides aromatic depth and the volatile oil complexity that makes the finished preparation taste more specifically composed. The lemon zest's contribution is the brightest element in the preparation's aromatic profile; the orange zest's contribution deepens and warms the orange juice's own aromatic character by adding the more concentrated, more specifically aromatic peel oils that cold-pressed juice lacks. Strain the zest completely through a fine-mesh sieve. Allow the extract to cool.

Pour the cooled citrus black tea extract into the large pitcher. Add the 750ml of fresh orange juice, 1.5 litres of ice-cold water, and the 2 pinches of fine sea salt. Stir gently. The total combined liquid at starting quantities is approximately 3.25 litres. The starting water quantity of 1.5L is lower than the Lemon Iced Tea Pitcher's 1.8L because the 750ml of orange juice is providing substantial additional liquid — the combined extract-plus-juice-plus-water volume already exceeds 3 litres at 1.5L. Taste with the black-tea-orange crowd assessment. The first impression should be specifically of iced tea — the warm, amber, structured black tea character — with orange's round, sweet, warm citrus dimension providing the immediately identifiable fruit register. Unlike the Lemon Iced Tea where the lemon provides contrast, here the orange amplifies and warms the tea's own character rather than contrasting with it. The relationship is specifically more unified and more harmonious. If the orange's sweetness at 750ml has tipped the balance away from the tea's structural identity — if the drink specifically reads as lightly tea-flavoured orange juice rather than tea with orange depth — additional cold water (up to 1.8L total) dilutes the orange's dominant sweetness while preserving the tea structure. If the orange's sweetness makes the preparation feel flat or specifically round without any brightness — the optional 30–60ml of lemon juice provides the acid dimension needed.

Cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours. The warm tea-and-orange aromatic integration specifically improves during the cold rest — the tea's tannins interact with the orange juice's flavour compounds over the refrigerator period, producing a more cohesive, more specifically unified result. Stir once before the first pour. Garnish with orange slices. Serve cold.