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What would summer be without an icy cold iced tea?

Many important inventions in the world of tea often happened by a chance, and so did the iced tea.

While it’s no longer a secret that tea may be great for your health, is iced tea the same? What makes tea good or bad?

Is iced tea good for you?

What is iced tea?

Long time ago, on a hot summer’s day in 1904, a merchant called Richard Blechynden added ice to hot tea while serving it at the World’s Fair in St. Louis [1]. It was an instant hit.

118 years later, iced tea is still the most popular summer’s drink. In fact, it’s the most popular type of tea in the United States overall. The Tea Association of the USA states that 75-80% of all tea consumed in the United States is iced [2].

Saying that iced tea is simply tea served with ice wouldn’t be a correct definition. The original iced tea served in 1904 may indeed have been pure tea simply served over ice, but today, iced tea doesn’t even need to contain tea at all. And it usually has many other ingredients – from sugar to corn syrups and artificial flavors.

What makes iced tea good or bad?

Iced tea is as good as the ingredients used for making it. The second factor is the brewing method.

Tea for making iced tea

The most important ingredient for making iced tea is - the tea. All real and herbal teas may provide benefits, so it would only be natural to assume iced tea will provide benefits too. All Camellia sinensis teas contain polyphenols, caffeine, L-theanine and other beneficial compounds and each herbal tea may provide a myriad of benefits, too. A great example is rooibos, a caffeine-free herbal tea rich in antioxidants and strong enough to make amazing iced tea. Since iced tea is brewed like regular hot brewed tea, it should offer similar benefits.

However, there’s a difference between home-brewed iced tea and store-bought iced tea. While you can decide which base tea to use for making your homemade drinks, pre-made drinks don’t necessarily need to use high-quality teas or teas at all. In fact, studies showed that store bought iced teas may contain caffeine from tea compounds, but zero catechins [3].

What is the solution to make it healthier? Make your perfect iced tea at home with loose leaf tea.

Sweetener for making iced tea

The second ingredient for making a classic iced tea is a sweetener. You can make iced tea with any type of sweetener – from raw honey to white granulated sugar or almost calorie-free stevia and erythritol. Pre-made iced teas can contain any sweetener too. Sugar and corn syrup are quite common, but there are calorie-free pre-made iced teas out there too.  

What is the solution to make it healthier? Homemade iced tea can taste delicious even with no sweeteners. Brew it with fresh fruits instead. If you need a proper sweetness, use real honey [2] or healthier sugar alternatives.

Other ingredients in iced tea

Iced tea may contain other ingredients such as flavorings, colors and preservatives. They may be natural or artificial.

When making iced tea at home, you can add other ingredients too, for example:

·         Fresh fruits such as peach or lemon to add acidity or sweetness or to make black tea vibrant

·         Fresh herbs such as mint or rosemary to add even more freshness to green tea

·         Dried flowers to more delicate green or white teas

Caffeine or no caffeine?

If you love drinking lots of iced tea, be conscious about the caffeine content. All real teas contain caffeine, and if you make your tea with more tea leaves and steep it longer, the total caffeine content will increase. A great alternative for green iced tea is caffeine-free green rooibos tea, and caffeine-free earthy red rooibos for black tea.

Brewing method for perfect iced tea

If you want an iced tea that both tastes good and is good for you, check the ingredients list before buying or choose your own ingredients and make it at home.

Iced tea is usually prepared in the same way as regular hot tea – by steeping tea leaves in hot water. Use the same brewing method, adjust the temperature for different tea types, but steep it for 5-10 minutes depending on the type, and use double the amount of tea leaves. You can either use less water and top it up with cold water after steeping, or brew in the regular way and let it chill in the fridge. Or simply use more ice.

So, is iced tea good or bad for you? It’s as good as the ingredients used for making it.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Always consult your doctor if you suffer from any health issues and never use tea or supplements for self-treatment.

Sources::

[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780857090096/recent-trends-in-soft-beverages

[2] https://www.teausa.com/teausa/images/Tea_Fact_2021.pdf

[3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10644587_Catechin_Content_of_18_Teas_and_a_Green_Tea_Extract_Supplement_Correlates_With_the_Antioxidant_Capacity

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5817209/