Iced tea

[Robin Garr]

Sure, I can be a tea snob. Sometimes only Pu Erh or Darjeeling First Flush 327 Whatever Yada Yada will do. But for iced tea, give me this old standard.



With summer's heat in full roar, what's your favorite brand or leaf for making iced tea?

It's Lipton for me, although I don't drink much iced tea these days. Haven't tried the Luzianne.

We like either Mark Wendell's Russian Caravan or his Black Current.

Red Rose or Bigelow Constant Comment.

China Mist... a couple of different varieties. I have to order this off the internet.

Tim

Iced tea a favorite summertime beverage. I enjoy my iced tea primarily from Suchong Lapsang tea or Earl Grey (good breands), often make a pitcher and then freeze cubes. Later, when in the mood, fresh tea, lots of ice cubes to add concentration. At times to be served in single highball glasses, at times to be poured from pitchers, sometimes with Mediterranean mint in the glass (lightly, lightly crushed). Occassionally a bit of sugar syrup. Never, never milk or cream.

Best
Rogov

I love southern iced tea made with orange juice, tea bags, fresh mint and a bit of sugar. Then adding orange and lemon slices to the pitcher. It is pretty as a picture!

[Jenise]

Red Rose or Bigelow Constant Comment.

We could be married! For iced tea (of which I'm an admitted addict) I've been drinking Lipton all my life and not liked any other brand as much, but an overnight stay in Canada wherein the hotel tea was Red Rose converted me 100%. Best tea for iced tea I've ever had by a mile. In fact just this past Monday, I discovered I'd be out by Wednesday and panic set in--I was over the border an hour later, restocking.

Can I say 'no' to this poll? Hot or cold, drinking tea reminds me of being sick.

Now, iced coffee is a whole 'nother thing!

Red Rose or Bigelow Constant Comment.

We could be married! ...

Sometimes I will add strips of the zest of an orange, peeled using a potato peeler, to the brewing container with the tea bags. The Constant Comment has a similar orange flavor.

Can I say 'no' to this poll? Hot or cold, drinking tea reminds me of being sick.

Now, iced coffee is a whole 'nother thing!

Yeah, I much prefer iced coffee to iced tea these days.

For iced tea, I really prefer some of the blends from Republic of Tea and from Teavana.

[Jenise]

Can I say 'no' to this poll? Hot or cold, drinking tea reminds me of being sick.

Now, iced coffee is a whole 'nother thing!

Yeah, I much prefer iced coffee to iced tea these days.

I was once in love with a man who loved iced coffee, and so I learned to like iced coffee*. However, as soon as the relationship was over I admitted to myself that I really didn't like it and went straight back to tea.

*Providing it was made from fresh hot coffee poured directly over ice; coffee that had been allowed to cool down naturally had a different and disagreeable flavor.

Yup, Red Rose, or if I am in an exotic frame of mind, a Lapsang, never add sugar.

Red Zinger, Rooibos or ginger lemon teas can make pleasant ice teas as well.

For me, this thread connects to the Air Conditioner thread

Growing up in Virginia without A/C, iced tea was an absolute necessity. And my family didn't drink much wine, and they wouldn't have given it to us kids even if they did, so iced tea was what there was with meals, period.

I had one of my first culture clashes when I got married, my wife is from VT. We registered with china and silver, our silver pattern was Royal Danish and I assumed we would want the iced tea spoons. Louise vetoed that. If you grew up with iced tea, you know what those are. Teaspoons with a handle about twice as long -- you need those to stir the sugar in the bottom of the tall glass when you are drinking iced tea. I have been married 40 years and I still feel slightly affronted not to own any iced tea spoons. I have in fact looked at them on eBay, but the combination of a $35 price and the realization that I will be scorned by Louise for using them have kept me from buying.

The other thing you need if you are drinking iced tea in a hot climate -- in three minutes you have a giant puddle around the bottom of your glass. So what they would do in the South was to knit little "socks" especially for the iced tea glasses. These were great, they would hold quite a bit of condensation water and you wouldn't get the puddle that would ruin the furniture. Usually this was in addition to a coaster. I don't have those either and I can tell you I need them. We don't use our minimal AC very much and I have to put a paper towel on the top of the coaster to avoid damaging the side table, which is mahogany or cherry or something and looks great and is very ruin-able.

Good topic.

PS Lipton or Tetley

I love iced tea! Always plain though, or with fresh lemon, never sweetened.

However, I'm in the camp who has grown to love the seduction of iced coffees much more! It fills the same void but is much more of a "lingering" pleasure, if you will. I can enjoy a (large) iced coffee over a couple of hours as I sit here and type for example. Whereas I simply drink an iced tea.

So it's really not an apples to apples thing. I would say I enjoy iced tea because it is more refreshing. I enjoy iced coffees because they are more "comforting".

I can't say that I have a favorite brand of iced tea. Nor have I tried all of them. And I often have them at restaurants more so than home.

Jeff

From my days living in Japan, I still maintain the habit of always having a jug of mugicha (roasted barley tea) in the fridge during the summer.

I have in fact looked at them on eBay, but the combination of a $35 price and the realization that I will be scorned by Louise for using them have kept me from buying.

Tho we usually drink our ice tea straight, we have always had ice tea spoons in the house. Don't think we've ever bought a set of stainless that didn't include them. They are useful for all sorts of tasks.

Can I say 'no' to this poll? Hot or cold, drinking tea reminds me of being sick.

Now, iced coffee is a whole 'nother thing!

Yeah, I much prefer iced coffee to iced tea these days.

I was once in love with a man who loved iced coffee, and so I learned to like iced coffee*. However, as soon as the relationship was over I admitted to myself that I really didn't like it and went straight back to tea.

*Providing it was made from fresh hot coffee poured directly over ice; coffee that had been allowed to cool down naturally had a different and disagreeable flavor.

I am CURRENTLY in love with a man who loves iced coffee (will drink nothing hot). I go back and forth, mostly drinking hot coffee, sometimes hot tea, and every once in a while some iced coffee. I only Especially like a glass of iced coffee mid afternoon. I think you know I brew it cold for him in a toddy maker. (I surely must be in love with him because this process is such a P.I the A. that I would never do it otherwise.) P.S. I only drink iced tea at lunch in restaurants.

OK, it is clear that a lot of us like iced tea, especially in the summer. I also like iced coffee, but only drink that alone never with a meal. I do have one problem though, and that is, it turns cloudy. I use the brand that Robin featured in his pic above and like it a lot. When I first make it, it is clear, but after a few hours the tea becomes cloudy. I have read up on it and it is said that this happens when the tannins separate in the pitcher, and if hot water is added it will clear up again., but this seems that it would also dilute the tea. My recipe is to use 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, and immediately turn of the gas, and put 2 family size tea bags in the water. Leave it covered to steep for 30 minutes. I then take 5 cups of tap water and sweeten it with a half cup of Splenda. Then I let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature before putting it in the fridge. I have tried doing this in several ways, no sweetner, real sugar, Equal, the pink stuff. Seems that no matter what I do, it gets cloudy.

How do you make yours, and does it get cloudy after a time in the pitcher?

[Jenise]

I have a friend who always makes tea in a pan and it turns cloudy. I make mine in glass and it doesn't. I don't know what chemical reaction is going on there, but I've learned that glass is best. And let me tell you what you already know: cloudy doesn't affect just looks, it affects flavor. The best tea of all is tea that's poured over ice while hot. It has the freshest tea flavor made from what brews in the first, oh, say five minutes. For that reason I make very strong tea (I use two regular tea bags to one 12 ounce coffee cup of hot water), allowing for the fact that all that ice will dilute it. I want what's left to still be quite assertive.

sounds reasonable to me Jenise. Do you drink much iced tea, or mostly hot tea?

We put two heaping tablespoons of tea leaves into a one liter teapot. We fill it with boiling water and seep five minutes. We strain into a clear glass pitcher and boil anther pot of water. We pour it into the leaves in the teapot and seep for ten minutes. Then strain into the pitcher. It makes perfect, clear ice tea every time. I'm sitting here right now sipping on a glass of iced Russian Caravan.

[Jenise]

sounds reasonable to me Jenise. Do you drink much iced tea, or mostly hot tea?

I drink iced tea all year long, even here in the chilly Pac NW. I'll have hot tea or coffee in the morning, but by afternoon I'm into iced tea. Almost never leave the house for a trip of half an hour or more without a glass on board. I don't just like it, I LOVE it!