Why do we like fruity teas in the summer? If you looked at our chilled tea list for the summer, most are fruit based teas. What is so special about orange, peach, or strawberry when it’s hot out? Why do they taste so good when served cold? Hopefully this blog will answer some of these questions!

Heat and Aroma

Aroma is a key factor when tasting teas. The higher the temperature, the more oils release in the food, resulting in more aroma. When the temperature is reduced, the aroma goes down. Because aroma affects taste, when there is less of it, it can enhance the more dominant flavor when drinking cold tea.

Taste and Flavor

Taste is what happens on our tongue with our 2,000-5,000 taste buds. There are 5 basic tastes: sour, bitter, sweet, umami and salty. Flavor is what happens when our brain perceives a combination of taste and other sensations like aroma, heat, and texture. When you drink cold tea, aroma and heat are absent, making the flavor perception different compared to drinking hot tea.

Fruit Flavors Shine in Cold Tea

When we say fruity flavors make the best cold tea, we know it’s related to temperature, taste and aroma. Two of the basic tastes are affected when food and drink are cold. Sweet tends to be enhanced while bitter is subdued.

The next time you reach for a fruity iced tea like Lychee Black, Mango Love Not War, Sakura Cherry Green or Apricot Green, know that you are in for a fruity treat! Any bitterness will be light, while the sweetness of the fruit will intensify. If you are drinking a Rooibos blend, you know the Rooibos plant is naturally sweet—much more so than the tea plant—and when combined with fruit like our Blood Orange, it pops on your tongue.

Iced tea in the summer is a little trick of the tongue, so to speak. The chill hides the bitterness and our brains perceive more fruity sweetness! Without odor informing out brains what flavor we are tasting, we are left with the dominant, luscious fruit flavors in the tea!