Iced Tea! Summer is here and with us come barbeques, evenings on the lake, and good times on the lawn. We offer many tea varieties that are especially suited to iced tea, but first, here's how to achieve crystal-clear iced tea, guaranteed!
To explain tea clarity, let's get nerdy : The reason hot tea never gets cloudy is that larger particles, such as tannins, if they are moving quickly enough (as in warm or even room temperature tea) are well distributed and don't catch the light. However, when the tea cools (think: left in the refrigerator for a few hours), the large particles slow down and just sort of "hang" in the liquid. Those particles catch the light and distort the way light passes through - what we perceive as cloudy.
To make clear tea:
Brew it at room temperature overnight OR brew it in hot water that's just a little less hot than usual. Then - most importantly - keep tea at room temperature until you pour it over ice.
If you prefer chilled tea, as I do, you'll drink cloudy tea from the fridge. That's okay - cloudiness is not a sign of poor quality nor is the taste affected. Drink up!
Our favorite iced teas:
Ginger Peach Orange white tea (May's tea of the month); use code MAY24BOGO to buy-1-get-1- free!
Ceylon - classic, unflavored iced tea from Sri Lanka! The photo is of freshly-brewed Ceylon
Strawberry Basil white tea - another fruity, refreshing, low-caffeine option!
Peppermint herbal - need a caffeine free refresher? Our peppermint herbal tea is a year-round pleaser: delicious over ice or comforting in a warm mug.