I think of my Gramma when I drink iced tea during the summer.  She always had two options on the kitchen counter for us to choose from: black tea sweetened with sugar and unsweet plain.  We would fill a glass with ice and pour the home brewed tea over in a refreshing pause to our active lives while visiting her farm.  When I make tea at home, it comes with many great memories which are highlighted by my understanding of the health benefits that drinking tea confers. 

Iced tea is a wonderful way to get a boost of antioxidants and polyphenols into your day while providing needed hydration during the hot weather.  I keep a few different kinds of iced tea in the fridge throughout the summer for my family to choose from when they need something refreshing to drink.  Since sugar-laden soda is limited to special occasions (usually outside of the house), iced tea provides a welcome taste change from water for all of us.  Making the switch from sugary soft drinks to iced tea is a small and simple lifestyle change that can help improve health and prevent disease when combined with other small dietary and lifestyle modifications. The lovely part is that the flavor options are only limited by the selections in your grocery store shelves or what is growing in your herb garden. 

As a busy working mom, I am always looking for ways to shave a few minutes off my to-do list items and last year I started doing cold-brew iced tea instead of the traditional approach of brewing with hot water.  I know it may seem like a minor time savings, but let me tell you, every little bit helps!  And I find that the cold brewed tea is more mellow, less bitter.  Further, studies show that green tea that is cold brewed for 12 hours has an equivalent polyphenol count as green tea brewed for 5 minutes.  And for those tea connoisours like me out there, we know that you should NOT brew green tea for 5 minutes as the tannin levels make the tea bitter and hard to drink.  

Here’s how to get started:

• Get a glass jar with a lid, some masking tape to write on, and some of your favorite tea flavors.

• In general, I use about 4 tea bags for a gallon of water but if I am using a strong flavor like mint, then 2-3 tea bags can suffice. 

• Fill your container with filtered water, add your tea bags, label your jar with the name of the tea and date brewed, and pop it in the fridge for 12 hours.  

• After 12 hours you can remove the tea bags

• Enjoy over ice!

There is a concern about tea having a high toxin load due to the nature of the leaves’ affinity to accumulate toxins.  If possible, purchase organic tea to reduce your toxin exposure.  I have been enjoying Pique tea which is a powdered tea that dissolves quickly in water and is tested to make sure it’s free of toxins.  

Some flavors to get your creative juices flowing:

• Mint Green Tea

• Tumeric Tea with Hibiscus

• Black Tea with Peach

• Lemon Ginger Tea with Turmeric

• Add sprigs of mint, slices of lemon or orange, and fresh fruit