Searching for a summer drink that offers a sophisticated flavour without being laden with sugar? Iced Tea is your answer! Iced tea offers a refreshing way to enjoy tea. Simply brew up a batch and sip on it for the rest of the day. You can choose an iced tea blend that suits your particular taste, whether that be a straight iced green tea, a cloudy iced matcha tea, something a little fruity, like an apple or peach iced tea, or a mellow blend with a smooth, gentle flavour.

Let’s run through the reasons to enjoy drinking iced tea and look at which types of iced tea you might like to have on rotation at home.

Why iced tea is the beverage of choice this summer

Whether you’re traditionally a tea lover or not, there are a range of reasons to enjoy drinking iced tea. Let’s run through some of iced tea’s major drawcards.

Why Choose Iced Teas:

It quenches your thirst!

If you’re looking for a refreshing drink, iced tea is a great option. And the great thing about iced tea is that you can easily adjust the temperature by adding fresh ice or just by keeping your brewed tea cold in the fridge.

(Interesting fact: Drinking hot tea actually cools you down more than drinking iced tea. Why? It triggers your body to sweat, and the sweat works to keep your body cool. So in hot, dry weather, you might want to consider drinking your tea hot. However, in humid weather, iced tea is the preferable choice, as you’re likely already sweaty so the chilled tea will feel immediately cooling!)

It’s more exciting than water

Let’s face it, drinking straight water can be a little dull, so brewing a nice cold iced tea can add a little something to your day. Your palette will be entertained, plus, you get to enjoy the process of brewing iced tea exactly as you like it. You can add slices of citrus or fruit like peaches and pineapple. You can also add herbs from the garden like mint, basil, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, or anything else you enjoy. You can also make an iced tea in a large batch that can last you a number of days, or make it for friends and family and enjoy together!

You can save money on drinks

Don't forget, you can brew iced tea at home and carry it with you in a handy thermal drink bottle or glass tea bottle. This way, you get all the reasons to enjoy home-brewed tea, and save money on store-bought drinks at the same time!

It can be sugar free!

You don’t need to add sugar when you make iced tea at home, which means you can enjoy an entirely sugar-free cold beverage. Try finding something like that in the shops! Most cold drinks on the shelves at your local supermarket will be sugary soft drinks, fruit juices loaded with sugar, and sweetened chocolate milks. Home brewed iced tea is a suitable option if you prefer drinks without added sugar.

Of course, you can add sugar to your iced tea if you want it, or add freshly chopped fruits to your iced tea to contribute a little flavour without upping the sugar content too much.

You can brew to your preferred tea strength

You decide whether you want your iced tea caffeinated or not. There are plenty of herbal and fruit teas that contain zero caffeine, and work great as iced teas. You can also choose an iced tea that contains caffeine, and brew it however strong or weak you prefer.

Tea Characteristics

Different types of tea contain naturally occurring plant compounds such as polyphenols, catechins and flavonoids. These contribute to the flavour, colour and overall profile of each tea variety. Black, green, white and oolong teas each offer distinct taste characteristics, while herbal and fruit teas provide a wide range of flavour profiles depending on the ingredients used.

The importance of brewing rather than buying iced tea

When we talk about iced tea, we’re not talking about store-bought iced teas. There’s a big difference between the store-bought iced tea that usually comes in a plastic bottle, and home-brewed iced tea. Why?

Some of the beverages in stores labelled as ‘iced tea’ have minimal tea content. Most often, they use an extract of tea, rather than pure tea. The extract often has a higher caffeine content than tea you would brew yourself, which might be inviting if you love a caffeine-rich drink, but may not suit those who prefer a caffeine-free option. These ready-made ‘iced teas’ also contain excessive amounts of sugar, as well as artificial ingredients and preservatives, which, frankly, you could do without if you brew your own iced tea instead.

The iced teas available at Tea Tonic come in either loose leaf or teabag forms (you can even buy giant tea bags to brew in a pot). Most of our teas use organic ingredients and if flavours, sweeteners or preservatives are added to any of our tea blends, they’re made using natural ingredients.

Which Tea Tonic teas work as iced tea?

Pretty much any tea you find at Tea Tonic will be delicious as iced tea. We’ve made it easy for you to find them, by creating an ‘Iced Tea’ page that directs you to our pure teas and blends. Favourite types of iced tea in our collection include:

• Apple Tree Tea - Tin Loose Leaf (A caffeine-free blend featuring apple pieces giving it a crisp, sweet fruit character.)
  
• Mango Elixir Tea - Giant Iced Teabag (Contains rooibos, mango leaf & mango pieces, natural flavour, calendula petals and monk fruit, giving a sweet mango flavour with rooibos base and plant-derived botanicals.)
• Berry Green Tea - Tin Loose Leaf (A lightly caffeinated mix of sencha green tea, oolong tea, black tea, with strawberry pieces, red currants, raspberry and natural berry flavour for a fruity brew.)
• Fruity Tutti Tea - Tin Loose Leaf Organic (An organic fruity blend featuring apple pieces, orange peel, rosehip shells, hibiscus, lemongrass with a tangy, colourful, caffeine-free flavour profile.)
• Bright Spark Tea - Tin Loose Leaf Tea Organic (A very low-caffeine tea with white tea, ginkgo, bacopa, papaya bits, apple bits, marigold blossoms, mulberries and natural flavour, blended for a light, balanced flavour.)
• Fruity Tea Selection Sampler - Box 33 Teabags (A curated mix of fruity favourites including Apple Tree, Berry Green, Bright Spark, Blue Magic, Fruity Tutti, Oriental Twist, Thirst Quencher, True Calm and more — ingredients vary by individual blend but follow the same organic, natural-flavour approach.)
• Blue Magic Tea - Travel Tin Loose Leaf Tea (A caffeine-free floral tea known for its deep blue hue and soft floral profile. It includes butterfly pea flowers, chamomile, rose petals and natural flavour.)
• Oriental Twist Tea - Tin Loose Leaf Organic (Blends green tea leaves, jasmine flowers and lychees, giving a lightly caffeinated, floral and subtly sweet profile that’s refreshing hot or iced.)
• True Zen Tea 20 Teabags Box Organic (A herbal, caffeine-free blend with tulsi/holy basil, moringa, monk fruit and cornflower blossoms, crafted for a rounded, gentle herbal flavour.)
• Raspberry Quench Tea - Tin Loose Leaf Organic (A caffeine-free, refreshing, naturally fruity blend featuring organic raspberry pieces, hibiscus, apple, and rosehip, creating a vibrant, tangy-sweet flavour that’s delicious hot or cold brewed.)

How to brew iced tea

There are two main ways to make iced tea. The first is to brew using hot water, before chilling the tea. The second is a slower steeping in cold water. They both have slightly different results. Let’s look at the differences.

The hot-to-cold brew: For the strongest batch of iced tea, brew using hot water, and then allow it to cool to room temperature before chilling it in the fridge or adding ice. Why does this make a stronger brew? Brewing in hot water makes for a robust flavour and draws out flavour and colour. The ideal temperature of the hot water will vary according to the type of tea you choose. Here’s a quick guide:

• Black Tea and Pu-erh Tea: 95-100°C for 3-5 minutes
• Herbal Teas: 95-100°C for 5-7 minutes
• Oolong Tea: 85-90°C for 3-5 minutes
• Green Leaf Tea: 75-85°C for 2-3 minutes
• White Tea: 75-80°C for 4-5 minutes
• Matcha Green Tea: 70-80°C for 2-3 minutes

Note, though you need to wait for the water to cool before you can drink this tea as an ‘iced tea’, this hot-to-cold method can sometimes gain you a faster cup of tea than a cold brew method. This is because the hot water works fast to draw out the tea's tannins. You then don’t need to wait too long to drink it cold.

The cold brew: A slow yet effective method for making iced tea is by brewing in cold water. Tea leaves are steeped in cold water for anything between 20 mins to 8 hours, depending on how strong you want your tea.

The features of a cold brew tea are that it produces a naturally sweeter and less bitter tea flavour. Cold brewing produces a lighter, smoother flavour profile. It can take longer to brew, however, so brew in advance if you know you need iced tea on hand at all times.

For more information on cold brewing iced tea, read our post: How To Make The Best Iced Tea With Tea Tonic Teas.

Iced Tea at Tea Tonic

Whether you hot-brew and chill or opt for a slow cold brew, iced tea is a refreshing, flavourful way to stay hydrated all summer. With full control over flavour, strength and ingredients, home-brewed iced tea lets you tailor each cup to your preference. Check out Tea Tonic’s Iced Tea options, and fix yourself a lovely cold brew today!