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Gourmet Iced Tea

Enjoy a better tasting, healthier glass of iced tea when you start with whole, loose-leaf tea leaves. Most iced teas begin with tea bags, which are full of "tea dust" rather than whole leaf tea leaves. So they produce a lower quality tea that just doesn't have the taste you should expect. You can see more on why loose-leaf tea is better here.

Making iced tea is very similar to making hot tea, however there are a few differences. First, you should double the amount of tea used in your brew (as compared to hot tea) and, if you prefer sweet iced tea, use our Rock sugar while steeping (rather than adding white sugar to the finished tea) for the best taste. Second, immediately after the tea is brewed, pour it into a glass filled (almost to the top) with ice. The sudden cooling keeps the flavor and scent of the tea intact, so don't let it sit there. Finish it off with a lemon or sprig of mint for the perfect glass of cool, refreshing iced tea.

Here are a few of our favorite iced teas:

	Sour Cherry Serenade Black Tea: This fruity delight has just a touch of tartness for an exceptional glass of iced tea! Once you try this, your old bagged iced teas will go out the door! Add a touch of Silver Needle White Tea for a health kick (it won't change the flavor). Rooibos Tropica tea: This is a delicious, refreshing iced tea with a fruity flavor. Perfect on a hot summer day (or any day for that matter). It will change the way you feel about iced tea! This can also be mixed with other teas for a health kick. Moroccan Mint Green Tea: Kick your iced tea habit up a notch with this minty green tea. All the health benefits of hot green tea that works great in a glass of ice. Perfect with or without sugar. Rooibos Peach Bloom tea & Blueberry Bliss Rooibos tea: This divine concocotion is a fruit-lovers delight! Use 1/2 of each tea. Perfect during a hot, Summer day, it will keep you coming back for more. Recommended with a touch of sugar. Samurai Chai Mate tea: With enough caffeine to wake you up, this slightly spicy tea makes a great iced tea. It's a bit different than your standard fruity teas, but is very refreshing and delicious with or without sugar. Jasmine Oolong tea: Take a break from sweet and fruity teas with this richly scented Oolong. As an iced tea, it is refreshing and calming, which makes it perfect as the sun is setting on a Summer evening. Recommended without sugar. Imperial Acai Blueberry White Tea & Apple Lemon Pomegranate Rooibos Tea: This one is super- healthy and delicious. Use 1/2 of each tea. It makes a great fruity tea that works well with a touch of honey. Recommend using a little extra tea and steeping for only about a minute. Japanese Wild Cherry Green Tea: The green tea mixes beautifully with the taste of cherries in this luxurious tea. And it tastes wonderful iced! Kamiya Papaya Oolong Tea & Sweet Fruit Garden Herbal Tea: This combination is so good we're putting in our stores as a sample. Use 1/2 of each tea. It makes a rich, delicious iced tea that works best with a little sugar. The fruity taste works all year long! Utopian Jewel Oolong Tea & Rooibos Key Lime Tea: Think of the islands as you enjoy this tropical iced tea. Use 1/2 of each tea with sugar. The Key Lime Rooibos makes it taste exceptional and the Oolong adds a health kick. In general our Rooibos teas, Black teas (which are traditional over ice) and Herbal teas are great over ice. But others, such as flavored green teas tend to work well also, provided you choose a flavor or scent you enjoy. And mixing two or three teas together will get you a unique treat that is often better than any single tea. So try something new!