As a very prescriptive tea drinker who prefers piping hot Twinings tea brewed strong with a dash of milk and no sugar, iced tea has always been lost on me. But an unprecedented heatwave encouraged this sleepless mother to review her position on something as vital as tea.
History of Iced Tea
Many associate iced tea with the American south, but legend has it that English tea merchant Richard Blechynden popularised it there. At the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, he served tea over ice to visitors unwilling to drink hot tea in the summer heat. With the American penchant for iced drinks already well-documented—Mark Twain wrote that the national devotion to ice-water was truly American—it took off.
Modern Iced Tea Offerings
Iced tea has evolved in myriad ways, but the southern style—heavily sweetened black tea served on ice—reigns supreme in the mainstream. Until recently, I had tried only Lipton's iterations, which tick precisely zero boxes for me because they use only a faint trace of actual tea (0.12% black tea extract) combined with fruit concentrate and abundant sugars and sweeteners. Something that sweet is refreshing only if it's fizzy.
During my testing, I realised I could get on board with still, sweet iced teas if they had more tea about them. Harry Brompton's Peach Iced Tea contains 96% brewed Kenyan black tea along with sugar and peach concentrate, and it really delivers—the grip of the tannins is noticeable. The ChariTea range uses a similarly high proportion of tea, with agave syrup instead of refined sugar and organic fruit juices for flavourings. The Red one, made with rooibos, passionfruit and elderberry juice, is everything I want on a hot day.
The handful of sparkling teas I tried push the definition of iced tea a little. Twinings' Refresh describes itself as a juicy raspberry lemonade with hibiscus—unsurprisingly, I couldn't taste the 1% white tea infusion—and Holos' organic Jasmine Hops number is really more a kombucha.
Making Your Own
Anyone overheated and in search of a cuppa substitute might best be advised to make their own iced tea, perhaps using Brew Tea Co's kit, which I brewed hot and served over ice with no milk and a little dash of maple syrup.
Four Iced Teas for a Hot Summer's Day
- M&S Peach Iced Tea No Added Sugar (£2.10, 750ml, Ocado): White tea infused with real peach juice. Still too sweet for my palate but, unlike Snapple and Lipton's, it has no added sugars or sweeteners.
- ChariTea Red Iced Tea (£1.95, 330ml, Waitrose): An original and moreish blend of South African rooibos and organic passionfruit; a percentage of proceeds goes to social projects in the tea-growing region.
- Harry Brompton's Peach Iced Tea (£1.25, 500ml, on offer at Sainsbury's): Satisfyingly tannic and very refreshing. Serve with lemon wedges and a good fan.
- Brew Tea Co Peach & Orange Iced Tea (£12.50): Ceylon tea meets dried peach and citrus rind in a giant bag designed for home infusions, so great for determining strength and sweetness yourself.
