Welcome to June!
Warm weather, the opening of swimming pools, the official first day of Summer, and National Iced Tea month!
Ice tea began appearing in the U.S. in the 1860’s and continued to grow in popularity through the late 1800’s. But it was the debut of iced tea at the 1904 World's Fair that caused its popularity to soar, and cemented it’s standing in our nations beverage market. Of the tea consumed in the U.S., 80% is iced (Tea Association of the USA’s 2022 fact sheet).
How to make iced tea
1. Basic Iced tea: brew tea according to package instructions or to your taste. Let it cool or pour over ice immediately.
2. Cafe Method: this quick prep ice tea method is what is usually used in coffee shops and cafe's to make iced tea. The tea is brewed at 3x the suggested strength to ensure the flavor remains vibrant when poured over ice. The hot tea is then stirred or shaken (in cups or a cocktail shaker) in ice. Then poured over ice and served..
3. Cold Brew: just as it's name implies the tea leaves are steeped in cold water rather than hot water. To do this, the leaf and water combination is put in the refrigerator to steep for the desired amount of time. The leaves are strained out, resulting in a smooth and flavorful iced beverage.
4. Sun Tea: similar to cold brew, tea leaves and water are combined and left in the sun to steep for the desired amount of time, then strained.
My favorite way to prepare iced tea is cold brewing. In my opinion, cold brewing is the ideal way to prepare iced tea. If you like iced tea, I encourage you to give it a try. For more information about How to cold brew, check out our Iced Tea STEAPing Guide.
Samantha
