Iced Tea Month is almost over, but we're just getting started: A refresh on this refresher!

Iced Tea Month is almost over, but at BTS, we're just getting started. 

 

Though Iced Tea Month is coming to end this week, we're just getting started on this delightfully delicious drink. With temps soaring into the 90's in the upcoming days, it's time to serve up our favorite brew on the rocks.

In June 10 of 2023 - actual Iced Tea Day - we featured a brand of teas made for just that purpose: iced tea - although almost any tea can go from hot to cold, and we found one that is exceptional.

But first a little libation lore:

As noted in our blog Happy National Iced Tea Day, iced tea is said to have been inspired by the quick thinking of tea merchant Richard Blechynden on very warm day in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair. Hot tea was not too appealing to fair attendees, so Blechynden added ice to make it more refreshing.  The cold version took off and over one hundred years later, it continues to be a summer favorite.

However, some sources, including Bruce Richardson, tea guru and featured TeaTime Magazine writer, note that, though this story may be true, there's evidence of cold-brew tea recipes dating back to pre-Civil War America. (see TeaTime's article "June is National Iced Tea Month")

Once water is added to the tea bags, refrigerate overnight

How to prepare:

Though we typically brew up a concentrated loose leaf tea in the kettle, for more options, we turn to a recent article from Martha Stewart, How to Brew the Best Iced Tea, where it lists four ways to prepare iced tea.

    1. Hot brew tea bags

    2. Hot brew with loose tea

    3. Cold Brew

    4. Sun tea 

1. and 2. Tea bags and loose tea pretty straightforward. Essentially use twice as much tea, steep, then add ice. 

3. Cold brew, which we made back awhile ago (see picture of pitcher), and added tea bags to a pitcher of cold water and let it steep in the refrigerator at least 12 hours.

4. Same as 3. but place the pitcher outside (or on a window ledge) in direct sun light for approximately 6 hours. 

Roses of Silverbell's Green Rooibos Blueberry & Wildflower Honey, a new favorite!

Our latest favorite iced tea for Roses of Silverbell:

Earlier this month, Kevin West, who, with wife, Bonnie, own Roses of Silverbell in Lake Orion, joined us on Barb's Tea Service podcast and brought Green Rooibos Blueberry tea for us to sample. He served it up hot and sweetened it with their Wildflower Honey. It was fabulous! But, Kevin also shared that it's great as an iced tea.

This weekend, we prepared Green Rooibos Blueberry as a cold brew and also added the Wildflower Honey. It was amazing and we'll be turning to it a lot this summer.

Another truly refreshing refresher.