Ice Tea! It’s cool and refreshing. The nicest thing is that it’s so easy to make, you can whip up a big batch and store it in the fridge. We always have a pitcher of some variety or another on the go in our house. As soon as it starts to warm up outside, the tea in the house cools down. Make a jug in the morning and drink it all day. Start fresh the next day. Another nice thing about Ice tea is that unlike juice, it’s cheap. Although it only lasts 8 hours in the fridge, if there’s any left (yeah, right) you don’t have to feel bad about throwing it out. Pro tip: Make extra and freeze it into ice cubes; then when you pour yourself a tall glass, it doesn’t get diluted as the ice melts!
We’ve tried so many flavours, from your standard regular black tea in a bag, right up to the super, fancy-pants loose leaf from the high end tea shop. They’re all pretty delicious. Over the next couple blogs, I'm going to tell you a few of our families favourites, starting with the black teas;
Basic Black (loose leaf or tea bag, you pick!):
This one is the simplest, although still very tasty, of the bunch. It’s kind of the “relaxing at home” version of Ice Tea. I have a girlfriend who calls my house “the jogging pants home”, because she says our home has the same feel as your favourite pair of jogging pants; just super comfy and cosy, and you always know what you're gonna get. That’s kind of where this tea falls on the list. Don’t get me wrong, there are a thousand ways to dress it up; just like those jogging pants. Throw a decent tea-shirt on and some jogging shoes and everyone will be impressed with your gym attire, right? Adding some fresh mint, a little lemon or lime juice, or even steeping it with a bit of fresh ginger can add a whole new twist to your basic black Ice Tea. Like I said, it’s the simplest; boil the water, pour over bags; steep; cool; Ice, ice baby!
My husband’s raison d'être. Anything and everything pina colada in the summer (it’s Rootbeer in the winter). This black, loose leaf tea falls into that “fancy pants” tea I talked about earlier; the process for this one is a little more involved, but totally worth it. Due to its being a loose leaf tea, you’ll need equipment for this brew, but don’t worry, it needn’t be fancy stuff from a tea shop. Once on holiday I was unequipped and still managed a rather delicious jug of loose leaf Ice Tea using a teapot, juice jug and a tea towel. I really don’t recommend that; however cheesecloth, or, even better, a fine mesh strainer will do quite nicely.
Marquis de Gris (Tea Desire - loose leaf):
This one was such a fantastic surprise the first time I tried it. I was really hankering for a big mug of proper tea, but during a heat wave, that’s a little crazy! With the flavor of mango being the stand out taste, the gentle notes of bergamot follow and leave you feeling like you’ve had your proper cuppa, even on the hottest day!
Peach Apricot (Winston's Tea - loose leaf):
Peach and Apricot, what’s left to say? So delicious and fruity; it reminds me of our BC Okanagan, where we would gorge on these fruits fresh from the trees all summer.
Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista… This tea will make you sing for sure! I drink it all year. Fruity and sweet, packed with papaya, apple and a hint of ginger, it’s delicious both iced and hot. It’s my go-to when I want a burst of flavor; an afternoon treat.
There are so many varieties of tea out there, all of them delicious hot or cold. These are just a sampling of our favourites. We love to see unique brews; share your favourite ways to make iced tea by tagging us @anothercupofteashirts on Facebook and Instagram! Join me next blog for a tasting of Iced Green teas!
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