10 Best Teas For Iced Tea That Taste Even Better Cold
It always surprises me when summer comes around and I try my hot tea over ice and it somehow tastes even better! I guess some teas were just meant to be enjoyed as cold tea all along!
These are my top 10 best teas for iced tea!
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Hot Tea Vs. Cold Tea… Why Are Some Teas Better Iced?
Nothing beats a good hot tea, especially in the winter. But, there’s something to be said about a tea that can also be enjoyed in the summer as iced tea.
Tea often become bitter when enjoyed cold because heat mask a lot of the bitter flavours. There’s nothing worse than drinking tea at room temperature after it’s cooled down… all of a sudden the flavours become really bad!
So cold temperatures can’t mask as much bitterness as heat does, which is why not every tea will work over ice. But it says a lot about a tea that can be used for both hot and cold tea (especially without any added sweetener!).
P.S. You might be interested in reading: How To Make Delicious Unsweetened Iced Tea For A Healthy Summer Drink
10 Best Teas For Iced Tea
These are my favourite loose leaf teas that I enjoy all summer long, with both caffeinated and herbal options.
1. Black Beauty #8 Traditional Unsweetened Iced Tea
Nothing beats a traditional iced tea in the summer. Try my sugar-free unsweetened iced tea recipe.
I use Black Beauty #8 from Tealyra and it is hands down my favourite black tea for a classic iced tea!
It’s an Assam tea from Taiwan which creates a beautifully smooth tea!
2. Wintergreen Mint Iced Tea
Mint tea isn’t my favourite iced tea, but wintergreen is the best mint tea I’ve ever tried and it’s even better as an iced tea.
Wintergreen is from a bush local to Quebec.
The leaves steep a refreshing, not overly strong, mint tea.
3. White Silver Needle Tea
If you want a bit of a caffeine kick in the summer, white tea is the best tea for iced tea!
Silver Needle white tea steeps a wonderfully refreshing tea that far less bitter than black tea.
P.S. Best Iced Tea Recipe: Wintergreen & Silver Needle Blended Iced Tea
If you love wintergreen, and silver needle white tea, then try both of them together! This is THE best iced tea recipe! It’s my go to cold tea that I bring to every dinner party in the summer.
I use equal part wintergreen and silver needle tea. So if I usually use 2 tsp of tea for 2 cups, I’ll use 1 tsp of wintergreen and 1 tsp of silver needle leaves.
4. Best Tea Bag For Iced Tea: Earl Grey Over Ice
There’s no denying that Earl Grey is the best black tea blend, so it’s really no surprise that it’s even better over ice!
But not all Earl Greys are created equal. My go to Earl grey tea bag is Ahmad London, but I did a full comparison between tea bags.
P.S. add a slice of lemon to make your iced Earl Grey even better and more refreshing in the summer!
5. Island Hopping Blend – Firebelly Tea
Island Hopping Tea Blend from Firebelly tea (discontinued)* is a mix of mango, coconut, hibiscus and so many more flavours that make this a perfectly refreshing iced tea!
I mean, if this tea doesn’t transport you to a tropical island, I don’t know what will.
A similar mix you can try is Caribbean Dream from Firebelly Tea instead, with Apple Pieces, Banana, Pineapple Pieces, Coconut Pieces, and Sweet Blackberry Leaves.
6. Iced Hibiscus (With Honey)
Flowers and summer just go hand it hand, so it’s really no surprise that hibiscus tea works better served cold than as hot tea!
Hibiscus tea tastes best cold with some honey. After you’ve steeped your tea, add 1-2 tsp of honey.
Make sure it’s mixed in before adding your ice and cold water!
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7. Secret Garden’s Secret
I fell in love with Secret Garden’s Secret tea when I steeped it for hot tea. But when the summer came around and I tried it over ice… let’s just say, my summers will never be the same!
You can taste so many more of its’ flavours when it’s iced instead of hot.
It becomes the perfect balance of bitter, sweet, and floral tea!
8. Peach Iced Tea
Using peach in hot tea always confused me.
Peaches are meant to be cold and refreshing – so it’s only natural that peach tea tastes way better over ice!
I’m also just a really big fan of peach juice, and peach tea is just a less sweet version!
9. Matcha (Lemonade)!
Don’t get me wrong, I love a classic matcha latte, but I wait all year for my iced matcha drinks.
Matcha is so much easier to make iced because you don’t have to whisk anything, I literally just shake it up in a mason jar with cold water!
There’s also a lot of fun to be had in trying different iced matcha recipes – I love mixing mine with raspberries and lemon!
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10. Cherry Blossom Green Tea
One of the best teas for iced tea is Cherry Blossom green tea from Whittard of Chelsea.
It’s somehow refreshing when steeped hot, so it’s no surprise that it become a delicious floral tea when cold.
Best Iced Tea Recipe: The Quick-Chill Method
The easiest way to make iced tea in the summer is with the quick-chill method. You can use this method for making any iced tea!
It’s when you heat half the amount of water to steep your tea. Then pour in the remaining amount of water as a mix of cold water and ice.
Make sure to follow the right temperature and steeping time for your tea of choice!
Psst! If you have time, make even smoother iced tea by cold brewing your tea.
Quick Chill Iced Tea For Quick Iced Tea
Makes 2 cup of iced tea to be mixed with any of the following cocktails.
What You Need
- 1-2 tea bags (if you want stronger tea, I recommend using 2 tea bags)
- 1 cup hot water (heat according to the instructions on your tea)
- at least a 1/2 cup ice cubes
- 1/2 cup cold water
What To Do
- Boil 1 cup water to desired temperature
- Let your tea steep in a heat safe glass for the recommended amount of time (usually 3-5 minutes). I recommend leaning on the longer steeping time for iced tea.
- Once steeped, remove the tea bag and cool down your tea by pouring over ice (about 1/2 cup ice cubes) and adding either cold water or more ice cubes.
You can also follow one of the other 4 ways to make iced tea.
What You Need For The Best Iced Tea Recipe
If you’re following the quick-chill method, you really don’t need that much to make iced tea at home.
Because this method uses hot water, you need a cup that can hold both hot and cold water. I really like using a glass measuring cup to make iced tea. It has a spout for easy pouring as well!
And you’ll also need a way to boil your water, I use the Cuisinart Electric Kettle for quick boiling.
This is also iced tea after all, so you’ll need some ice. I use simple ice cube trays (I prefer the ones with lids to easily stack them in my freezer). But you can also invest in some reusable ice cubes to also have ice cubes on hand.
And finally, you’ll need a serving vessel, a tall ice tea glass. I sometimes like service my iced tea in jars with covers and a straw. But you can also serve it in a more classy highball glass.
Pro Tip: Make Iced Tea Ice Cubes!
The worst part about iced tea is when your ice cubes melt… and water down your delicious iced tea.
To avoid the dreadful watering down, make some ice tea cubes with the same tea. Brew about 2 cups of tea as you normally would. Then fill 1 ice cube tray with the tea instead of water. Put it in the freezer and wait two hours!
Add them into your iced tea instead of regular ice cubes.
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Read More Related Posts
- How To Make Ice Tea At Home: 5 Easy Ways
- How To Make Delicious Unsweetened Iced Tea For A Healthy Summer Drink
- 10 Iced Tea Cocktails To Relax With All Summer Long
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