Get Twisted: Fun Upgrades to Your Iced Tea

It’s official! June is Ice Tea Month, and time to rethink America’s favorite beverage.

Whatever you enjoy hot, you can enjoy iced (and that goes for both camellia sinensis as well as Herbals and Rooibos).

Brewing teas for ice tea recipes is easy. Brew as normal, allow to cool. At this point, taste the tea. If it satisfies, drink as is. Otherwise refrigerate until cold and serve without ice. All teas are excellent chilled, but a few, like White teas and Greens, actually taste better at room temperature for many palates. Black tea and flavored black teas are time-honored choices for ice tea; the choice is yours to explore. We encourage you to experiment to see what pleases you.

Here are a few ideas to begin your ice tea journey:

Pu-Erh

Pu-Erhs are pretty intense, which is why they’re terrific for coffee lovers looking for a change of beverage. Brew as normal, then chill. Add a drop of coconut milk to elevate the pleasure or whip in some light honey. Try Adagio's Pu-Erh Tahiti with a dollop of milk. Oooooh.

Arabica

Coffee Leaf Tea is a new addition to the ice tea pantry. Its distinctive and assertive taste stands up to chilling, and goes well with coconut or cow’s milk, chilled or served over ice. Try the Arabica Chai for a delightful sensory taste experience.

Green Tea

Green teas with loads of chlorophyll taste yummy cool or with ice. Consider those from Japan such as Gyokuro, Sencha, Hojicha, or Genmai Cha. Refreshing, thirst-quenching, and especially delicious if you enjoy spicy foods during the season. If you love flavored greens, discover Apricot Green or Mango Green served cooled. Yum!

Matcha

Iced Matcha Lattes will totally change your idea of summertime refreshment. Taste best whipped with an immersion blender or in a countertop blender. Use 1 cup cold milk with 1 teaspoon powdered Matcha, 1 tablespoon sugar syrup or maple syrup, and 1 cup of ice. Blend until frothy, then sip with pleasure.

Herbals

Herbals are perfect, especially at night when the temperatures are still high. They can easily be brewed longer and with more intensity without bitterness. Our favorites are Peach Bellini, Berry Blast, and our new fave: Purple Papayaberry!

Make it simple! Try Adagio’s spectacular Ice Tea specialties. Easy to make, scrumptious to taste. If you prefer loose teas, Adagio's Iced Tea Pitcher is a breeze to use and not to mention elegant!

Add Ons and Garnishes

Fancy up the cubes. Pop a thin slice of lemon in ice cube tray sections, pour on the water, and freeze. They make a refreshing addition to any ice tea beverage. Wanna go fancy? Try sliced strawberries instead of lemons!

Cuke it! Choose a blemish-free English cucumber, slice in thin rounds with skin on, and add to your ice tea. Cucumber adds a clean, light, refreshing perk to your summertime drink, especially green teas.

Bee delicious with honey! Our Adagio's honey are made to bring out the best of teas and tisanes. And, honey mixes even better than sugars in iced teas.

Garnish with fruit! Call it tea sangria or ice tea punch, either way, it’s spelled de-licious! Brew up your favorite black tea, chill, then cut up tropical fruit, especially papayas, mangos, bananas, pineapples, or guava. Have an abundance of berries? Toss them in there. You’ll probably have some juice in the bowl. Pour it into the ice tea mixture, too. No need for sugar. Consider a mixture of 1 cup fruit for 3 cups of brewed tea, or to taste.

You can even cut into fruit slices only so far enough so that they stay on the top edge of your ice tea tumbler. Here are a few great ones to try: Remove the stem from strawberries, make a slit on top, place on the rim. For oranges, slice in thin round, slice in half, make a slit in the middle and put on the glass. Small triangles of watermelon, honeydoo or cantaloupe are fun, too!

Summer stone fruit are delicious as garnishes and as ingredients in the tumbler. Choose the ripest and you’ll never drink ice tea plain again. Start with plums, peaches, nectarines, and plucots.

Go nuts! Your favorite almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or Brazil nuts are perfect munchables to eat along with your summer tea beverage. Salted or unsalted, mixed or solo, they’re packed with good nutrients and tons of flavor.