Once May hits, and the Portland sun comes out to play, I find myself thirsty for iced tea. Nice tall glasses, filled with ice and a deliciously flavorful blend. I’m crazy for tea. Hot tea in the winter and iced tea for summer. It’s just how I roll.
Each summer I usually have a favorite one, sometimes a nice iced Japanese barley tea, a fruity peach rooibos or a Moroccan mint with a splash of rosewater and just a hint of sweetness. This summer though, it’s something new entirely; a discovery that I hit upon by accident. I was planning on brewing a pitcher of peach rooibos tea (the same one that we serve at Native Bowl), and I mistakingly grabbed the wrong bag. I know, if I moved a little slower and actually read the label, this probably wouldn’t have happened. What I wound up with instead was iced rooibos chai. The first sip was a bit of a shock because, well, I was expecting a completely different flavor profile. But what I discovered was a deliciously refreshing iced tea. I think it may even be my summer tea of choice this year.
I’ve tried brewing iced tea a number of different ways, but I think my favorite is the contraption below. I found it at a tea shop in the mall, and had my doubts as to how well it works. I can say that I’m hooked. It works so well that I actually wound up buying a couple of large ones to brew iced tea at our cart. You place your loose tea in the bottom of the brewer, fill with hot water from the kettle, and let steep. Then you place it on top of an ice-filled pitcher, and voila, the bottom of the brewer releases the brewed tea over the ice. No muss, no fuss. Nothing to plug in.
I should probably also add that I am in no way connected with this company. I don’t get anything for posting the picture. It’s just a well-designed kitchen tool that I really like. Remember, I am all about my kitchen tools and toys. There may even be other brands of this same tea brewer. This just happened to be the one that I bought.
So what are some of your favorite summer beverages? Do you go for the same favorites, or mix it up? Do you like your tea with or without sweetening? Agave or sugar? Maybe we can have a iced tea contest, with everyone sharing their favorite. That would be fun! Anyway, I’d love to hear what your favorite iced summer beverage is.
Iced tea brewer
I’m not sure who designed it first, but that brewer looks an awful lot like the Ingenuitea brewer from Adagio. I’m betting it’s by another company who lets people stamp their brand on it. But yes, great design!
As for my tea, I love blending black or green tea with fruity flavors, especially raspberry and hibiscus. This time of the year, I usually start brewing it in the sun in quart-sized Mason jars. A touch of mint or agave, and it’s good to go!
I am *LOVING* the weather here in Portland. LOVING! it’s what we call “food cart season”… so I’ll come by soon! 😀
I’m just like you – crazy for tea: hot in the winter, iced in the summer. I may have to get one of those brewers!
that iced tea brewer looks really cool. I’m going to look into it for this summer.
Sugarplum from Remedy Teas is my favorite tea to have hot or iced. Sugarplum = A blend of cinnamon chips, ginger, hibiscus petals and plum. If you ever come to Seattle, check out Remedy’s cafe/shop. They haved veganizeable tea sandwiches & soup, plus they have test tubes of their dry (unbrewed) tea to sniff.
That looks awesome! I’ll have to go get one and try it this summer (once it gets here, that is).
I’m also going to play around with homemade lemonades. Meyer lemons, lavender, peach. Also going to do some “seriously easy” eye candy with the ice. Crushed peaches or strawberries in the ice itself.
Could do the same for the iced teas. Mint leaves, lemons…
Hibiscus tea is our new favorite. LOVE it! The color is beautiful and full of antioxidants. I can buy hibiscus flowers to brew the tea in the bulk section of my local co-op. The kids love it too!
I love to make sun tea in a big glass container with fresh mint leaves and slices of lemon or orange. no sweetener needed! brews pretty quickly in this south texas heat!
I love that teamaker – it’s perfect to use at work when I need a quick cup.
My favorite tea combination has to be blackberry mint – I’ve only had it once at a restaurant, but it was so good that I don’t even remember my meal. Hoping to recreate/find it one day!
Your new chai discovery sounds absolutely lovely!