Here in North America, we love iced tea. So much so that there’s a whole month set aside to celebrate this beloved beverage. June 10 is National Iced Tea Day — part of National Iced Tea Month in the United States and Canada. To celebrate, today’s post looks at the history of this refreshing summer drink. And, as a bonus, I share my simple iced tea recipe.

In 12 things I love about tea, I confessed my lifelong love of a hot cup of tea. Despite my passion for hot tea, iced tea is something that took me many years to embrace. Growing up in England, it just wasn’t a thing. These days, I can’t imagine a hot summer day without a refreshing glass of iced tea.

The history of iced tea

Iconic tea-maker Lipton shares that the first iced tea recipe to appear in print was in a book called Housekeeping in Old Virginia in 1879. Twenty-five years later, iced tea became popular thanks to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis where the plan was to give free hot tea to visitors. Extremely hot temperatures prompted plantation owner Richard Blechynden to add ice and serve it as iced tea. 

And the rest is history. Nestle reports approximately 80% of the tea consumed in the United States today is iced.

Sweet or unsweet? What’s your preference?

Here in Canada, all commercially prepared iced tea is sweet and syrupy. Not being a fan of sugary drinks, I never buy iced tea in stores. When I travel to the United States, I love how easy it is to find unsweetened iced tea. It’s always my go-to beverage when eating out.

To get my iced tea fix without all the sugar, I brew my own iced tea at home. In addition to being a more sustainable and less expensive option than prepared iced teas, home brewing lets me control the sweetness. And tea is full of healthy antioxidants, so it’s much better for us than sugary pop.

Are you ready to mix up a pitcher of delicious iced tea? You’ll need a kettle, a pitcher, tea, your favourite tea, ice, and your choice of sweetener.

Michelle’s home brewed iced tea

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1.7 litres (7 cups) of water
• 4 tbsp of black tea or 6 tbsp of herbal tea
• Honey, agave, or maple syrup
• Ice cubes

Here’s how:

• Boil the water.
• Put the loose leaf tea in a tea-ball or paper filter. (You can also use tea bags.)
• In a 3 litre (1 gallon) pitcher, pour the hot water over the tea.
• Leave to steep for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the tea ball or bags.
• Add a small amount of your desired natural sweetener. (I use about a teaspoon of honey for the whole pitcher.)
• Add enough ice to fill the rest of the pitcher.
• Refrigerate until fully chilled.
• Serve over ice.

More often than not, I use different flavours of herbal tea instead of black tea. Two of my favourites are raspberry lemonade and cranberry hibiscus from Bulk Barn.

Iced tea in a hurry

And on days where I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to wait for a whole pitcher to chill, I use this steeper that I bought at David’s Tea years ago. I simply put my tea inside, add hot water, wait 5 minutes and then sit the steeper on top of a glass filled with ice.

Are you an iced tea drinker? Do you prefer sweet or unsweet? Drop me a comment below and let me know. And if you have any favourite herbal teas that would make good iced tea, tell me about them too.

Cheers!