Heat 1 litre of water to 75–80°C. Add 8 or 9 green tea bags — 8 for the correct balanced green tea presence; 7 if the specific tea is particularly grassy or strong. Steep for exactly 2–2½ minutes. Remove all bags without squeezing. The same strict temperature and timing principles from the Green Tea Citrus Pitcher crowd preparation apply here — and the same consequences of getting them wrong. But in this preparation the risk of over-extracted green tea is specifically more damaging to the overall character because cucumber's primary pleasant character is clean, cool, and specifically non-bitter. Any residual green tea bitterness in the extract will specifically conflict with the cucumber's clean freshness rather than being moderated by a strong juice component as in the Green Tea Citrus Pitcher's 500ml of orange juice.

Stir the 70g of sweetener into the warm green tea immediately after bag removal. The lower quantity (70g starting) reflects both the preparation's specifically restrained, clean character and the cucumber's own mild natural sweetness. White sugar produces the most transparent, most specifically clean result — any flavour contribution from the sweetener is minimised, allowing the green tea and cucumber to be the only clearly perceptible flavour dimensions. Mild honey (acacia) produces a faintly floral warmth that is pleasant but specifically less clean. Light brown sugar's molasses-adjacent warmth is the least appropriate for this preparation's specifically cool, clean green character — but it is acceptable for gatherings where the subtle warmth is welcome. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the lime zest to the warm green tea. Cover and steep for 4–6 minutes only — the shortest zest infusion window in the crowd tea collection. The shorter window reflects two compounding urgencies: lime peel's bitter compound extraction rate is faster than lemon's in any warm liquid medium; and green tea's existing catechin background means any additional bitter compound from the lime peel is specifically less tolerated and less correctable. At 4–6 minutes the lime zest's volatile aromatic oils provide a specifically clean, tropical, bright citrus lift; beyond 6 minutes the lime's bitter fraction begins contributing to what is already a preparation that walks carefully at the edge of its own bitterness threshold. Strain the lime zest completely. Allow the extract to cool completely.

Add the 750g of skin-on cucumber chunks, 90ml of lime juice, and 120ml of water to a blender. Blend at high speed until completely smooth — approximately 45–60 seconds. The result should be a uniform, pale green, fully liquified cucumber purée. Strain this blend through a fine-mesh sieve or nut milk bag, pressing gently on the solids to extract the clean cucumber liquid. The straining step is the most specifically non-negotiable quality action in this preparation: un-strained cucumber blend in a drink pitcher produces a thick, opaque, slightly foamy, specifically vegetal result where the cucumber's chlorophyll-containing cell fragments and its fibrous pectin produce an increasingly murky, increasingly flat character over the refrigerator rest. Strained cucumber liquid is specifically pale green to clear, clean-tasting, cool, and specifically the refreshing quality the preparation requires. The skin-on blending specifically provides the most aromatic result — cucumber skin contains the highest concentration of the hexanal compounds responsible for fresh cucumber's characteristic coolness — while the subsequent straining specifically removes the skin's fibrous fragments from the finished liquid.

Pour the completely cooled lime green tea extract into the large pitcher. Add the strained cucumber base and 1 litre of ice-cold water. Stir gently. The total combined liquid at starting quantities: approximately 1 litre tea extract, plus approximately 700–750ml strained cucumber liquid (from 750g cucumber, 120ml water, and 90ml lime juice after straining losses), plus 1 litre cold water — approximately 2.8 litres total. The lower water quantity (1–1.4L starting) compared to most other crowd preparations reflects the substantial volume the cucumber base contributes. Taste with the clean-cool-green-tea assessment: the drink should be specifically pale, specifically cool in aromatic register, and clean in flavour — green tea's grassy-fresh depth and cucumber's specifically cool freshness sharing the same aromatic space and amplifying each other. The lime provides the acid brightness that prevents the cool-and-green combination from tasting flat. If the lime is insufficiently present, additional lime juice (up to 120ml total in the cucumber base, or a separate 30ml directly to the pitcher) sharpens the balance. If the green tea is too assertively grassy despite the correct steep time, the cucumber's cool character is being overwhelmed — more cold water (up to 1.4L) dilutes the tea's grassy fraction.

Cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours. Stir before the first pour — the strained cucumber liquid, despite being clear and clean post-straining, still has slightly denser components that settle. Prepare cucumber garnish slices immediately before service. Serve cold.