Chilled and iced tea season is here! Summer is time to bask in the sun's rays and enjoy iced tea. Experience your favorite hot teas as a cold refreshment with your outdoor adventures.
Chilled Tea Pairings
85% of all tea consumed is chilled or iced tea in the U.S., and black tea makes up a whopping 80% of this! Black tea has a myriad of polyphenols, which may aid gut and heart health. The caffeine keeps you focused and can spark motivation. Chilled black teas make great Arnold Palmers (half tea/half lemonade) for afternoon get-togethers or a non-alcoholic beverage. Our favorite sugar-free chilled black teas are:
Birdsong Black | Mammoth Red | Sunshine Daydream | Mango Love Not War | Orange Cream Soda | Rift Valley Currant | High Country Huckleberry
Green Tea
Green tea comprises 16% of all iced tea consumed. This is due to the added benefits it provides, like antioxidants, caffeine, and other invigorating properties. Chilled green tea boosts endurance and energy levels while participating in activities such as: mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, or any sport.
Some of our favorite chilled green teas are:
Moroccan Mint | Sakura Cherry Green | Apricot Green | Jasmine Green | Green Tea Colada | Para Sara Peach | Tropical Fruit Green
China was the world’s dominant tea exporter in the 20th century. However, once chilled and iced tea became popular in the U.S., stiff competition for tea exports developed in Africa and South America. Other popular tea types to include in your chilled tea repertoire include oolong, rooibos, and herbal tea blends.
Oolong Tea
Oolong is partially oxidized tea and often considered the best tea in the world. Iced oolong can bring a nutty, creamy flavor to your chilled refreshment not found in other tea. Bring iced oolong on your next picnic!
Mimosa Oolong | Ginseng Oolong | Creamy Coconut Oolong | Strawberry Milkshake
Rooibos or Red Bush Tea
Rooibos, from South Africa, has a naturally sweet taste and is exceptional when iced. Caffeine-free rooibos options to bring along in your hydration thermos on your next outdoor excursion include:
Blood Orange | Go-Go Calypso | Gin & Cream | Cup of Good Hope
Botanical / Herbal Blends
Take time for non-caffeinated chilled herbal/botanical tea! Bring a good botanical chilled tea to an outdoor movie, an evening walk, or a backyard hangout as an alcohol alternative. A concentrated botanical infusion can also be a fun ingredient in cocktails or mocktails. The health benefits of drinking herbal infusions are vast, so pick a blend that calls to you:
A Few of My Favorite Things | Sun-Kissed Huckleberry | Skin Glow | Sweet Rhapsody | Spicy Ginger Snap | Pleistocene Peach
Brewing Chilled Tea
Check out this tutorial video. We brew our chilled tea as a double-strength concentrate, using 50% of the required hot water. We then strain into the remaining 50% of cold water or ice and refrigerate! This ensures flavor enhancement from premium loose leaf tea, compared to cold brewed teas in pouch packaging, such as Lipton and Nestle.
If you like to experiment, then try cold brew! Simply add tea to cold water, place in the fridge overnight, and enjoy the next day! During the summer, we carry a Hario cold brew bottle that easily strains the tea as you pour. Expect a different flavor profile from cold brew; you might need a higher tea : water ratio for full flavor.
We can't recommend sun tea; bacteria flourish in warm conditions. Whether you start with hot or cold water, your chilled tea should go in the fridge and stay there, for the safest, longest-lasting brew.
The possibilities are endless with chilled tea. There is a chilled tea for every occasion, whether you want to cool down during your summer activities or elevate your afternoon relaxation!
Written by Boo Curry & Adam Lunday