How to Make the Best Iced Tea All Year Round

When it’s hot outside all you want is a chilled glass full of iced tea. The sound of the ice clinking on the glass, and the subtle fragrance of tea mixed with lemon and sugar is a cool respite on a scorching day. This might be especially true if you grew up in the southern United States — where sweet tea and iced tea run rampant. 

A Brief History of Iced Tea and Tea Punch in America

Chilled tea has been around for a very long time and spans across the globe and throughout history. It can be made from any kind of tea from white to green to herbal blends. Today in America, you will find that most people buy and make iced tea from black tea — but this is a very recent tradition. Green tea has been at the heart of US history from day one. 

It was green tea that was tossed into the Boston Harbor in 1773 that opened the floodgates to the Revolutionary War. From 1775 to 1783 green tea became widely unavailable because supplies were cut off. Americans turned to fruit, herbs, spices, and plants to steep their own herbal concoctions to replace their hot and iced teas. 

Green tea made its way back into the heart of the American lifestyle after the war. Tea punch recipes from the 1800s called for steeped green teas to be spiked with hard alcohol. Sugar and cream were added to these concoctions as well. During the prohibition era — in the 1920s and 30s — Americans gravitated toward iced and hot teas. Without alcohol, tea grew in popularity and it has been heavily consumed across the nation ever since. 

It wasn’t until World War II that green tea was replaced by black tea for go. While Japan occupied most of Asia, Americans rerouted their tea supply to India — which was controlled by Britain.  Green teas were primarily grown in Asia and black teas were grown in India. During the second world war, over 99% of tea that was consumed in America was India-imported black tea. To this day, black tea is a staple of North America. You can find ready-made tea in grocery stores everywhere, and every region area has its own favorite kinds of iced tea — from sweet southern tea to unsweetened tea finished with a lemon wedge. 

The Best Tea Pitcher For Hot and Iced Teas

If you love to make iced tea or want to start making your own iced tea, you will need to start with a quality tea pitcher. You can settle for porcelain, metallic, or ordinary glass tea pitchers, but these are not the best choices for iced tea. Ordinary glass runs the risk of shattering under the fluctuating temperatures if you flash chill your iced tea. And porcelain and metallic teapots can leech toxic chemicals into your tea.

Did you know that most teaware is painted with glazes that release harmful chemicals when they come into contact with hot water or food? You want to stay away from any kind of teaware that runs the risk of causing long-term health issues. The best kind of teaware material you should seek out is borosilicate glass. 

Borosilicate glass is incredible and extraordinary. The glass is non-porous, it is stain-free, taste-free, and it is super easy to clean. It is also created to withstand extreme fluctuating temperatures, which means you can steep your super hot tea and flash chill your tea without the risk of the glass cracking or breaking. This sturdy material creates the most fantastic and beautiful tea pitchers that you can use for both hot and iced teas. 

Delicious Iced Tea All Year Round

The sunny summertime months are a perfect time of year to enjoy a refreshing and cool glass of homemade iced tea. Sometimes that heat starts up a little earlier in the springtime. And sometimes that heat lingers into autumn as the leaves start to transform into gold and red hues. Iced tea is not just a summertime beverage. 

Chances are you live in an area where berries, pears, citrus, and other fruits aren’t available year-round. You have to make the most of every strawberry that crosses your path and every cherry or plum that makes its way to the market at the prime of its season. While you enjoy these seasonal delicacies, consider adding them to your iced tea. 

You can throw fresh fruit into your tea and let them infuse. You can also create homemade syrups from fresh fruits and add them to your hot tea before you chill it. Springtime is perfect for rhubarb, strawberries, apricots, and Meyer lemons. The summer months are great for fresh berries, watermelon, mint, basil, and peaches. Autumn is lovely for melons, apples, pears, and spices. And wintertime is delightful for citrus, cranberry, pomegranate, and cinnamon. 

You indulge in hot ciders and drinks during the cool winter months — Did you know you can make these in your multi-faceted borosilicate glass pitcher? But you might also find that a chilled glass of iced tea is the perfect compliment to that roaring hot fire. Make the most of your tea pitcher and create both hot and iced teas all year round. 

Where to Find the Best Tea Pitchers and Teaware

Borosilicate glass is a revolutionary material that is starting to make a huge impression on the world of tea. For too long this massive industry has used toxic glazes to create some beautiful — but harmful — teaware. There are very few tea businesses that are trying to make huge steps to change these bad habits. But, there is one company that is striving to change the tea world for the better. 

Teabloom’s founder — John Romano — has been on a mission to clean up the tea industry from day one. He is well aware of the toxicity that is found in most teaware and is striving to spread the word about this incredibly sustainable material — borosilicate glass. Teabloom has the largest selection of hand-crafted borosilicate glass teaware. But, teaware is only a portion of the problems that they confront in the tea industry. 

Teabags have been wreaking havoc on landfills for far too long. Teabloom’s teabags are far better than biodegradable — what most other tea companies create. Teabloom’s pyramid sachets are completely compostable and made with whole leaf teas. Their teas are also responsibly sourced and most of them are USDA Certified Organic. 

Explore hand-crafted and long-lasting borosilicate glass teaware, organic teas, and tea sachets. This is your new home for all things teaware. Start your clean and toxic-free tea journey today with Teabloom.

www.Teabloom.com