How to pick an iced tea

Have you walked outside lately? The humidity is unbearable and the temperatures continue to soar. What you need is a great glass of iced tea. Not the sugary syrup kinds from grocery stores. Those kinds make you crash instead of being a refreshment. Instead, you need a home brewed iced tea. At the tea shop we have 2 favorite home brew methods.

#1 - Tea from the garden

While we don't sell fresh mint from the garden we still love it. A lot of homes in this area have mint patches. Nothing says summer like a freshly brewed meadow tea or spearmint tea. Today there are countless mint varieities including peppermint, spearmint, orange mint and mojito mint. All you have to do is boil water and throw in a handful of mint sprigs. Let it steep until you like the flavor. Then let it cool in the refrigerator and you'll have a great drink.

#2 - Loose Teas

Loose teas make for excellent iced teas. Making the tea is easy. Picking the flavor is hard. Our store has 300 options to pick between so here are some pointers

1 - Pick one that smells good. We have sniffer jars for you to smell the teas. If you don't like the way it smells you won't like the way it tastes.

2 - Stay away from "out of season" teas. Autumn is Paris is great in the fall, but it isn't the best iced tea. Neither is winter plum or hot cinnamon spice.

3 - What does work for iced tea are flavored black, green, and fruit flavors. Peach brandy and mango make great black teas. Steep like a normal hot tea and then refrigerate. Add in slices of peach or mango for extra flavor. Green teas that sound like summer are excellent choices: blossom ginger peach and green tropic are other popular flavors.

Of course, don't be afraid to ask for recommendations. The ladies in our shop talk to people ALL day about tea. They know what is popular, what tastes great, and what you should avoid for iced teas. They are great at asking you about your taste preferences and recommending flavors.