Category: Iced Teas

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Iced Teas Kids Love

I don’t know a single family not trying to reduce the amount of sugar in their diets. I talk to my friends and family members and they’re concerned for themselves, but they are especially concerned about their kids. We hear all kinds of conflicting information these days on how sugar is impacting kids; everything from hyperactivity and childhood obesity to Type 2 diabetes. One thing we all can agree on is that it can’t hurt to reduce sugar consumption.

One simple way parents can help cut sugar from kid’s diets is by eliminating or reducing sugary drinks. The question becomes, what replaces them? Many kids love soda, soft drinks and sports drinks. Yet as any parent knows, kids can be finicky and resistant to change. It’s not easy to replace sugary beverages if you can’t get them to drink something else. Why not try iced tea?

Tea Phactory has several kid friendly teas that we have tried on kids of all ages. These teas are honestly delicious, full of flavor and some are even naturally sweet. Any of our teas can be made sweeter without the addition of sugar or artificial sweeteners by brewing them with the naturally sweet and calorie-free stevia leaf.
We typically recommend decaf or herbal teas for the little ones. These teas are completely caffeine free and some have other health benefits as well.

Kid Friendly Decaf Iced Teas

Ragtime Root Beer

It’s unmistakable…that unique combination of flavors…a hint a licorice, a touch of cherry, a dash of cinnamon, a bit of orange peel. It’s root beer, remarkably rendered with all of the pleasure and none of the guilt. Kids love this naturally sweet, calorie and caffeine free, herbal infusion treat. If you have a SodaStream, you can use it to add bubbles.

Splendiferous Rooibos

If your kids enjoy powdered drink mix this is the tea for them. Splendiferous Rooibos makes a flavorful impression with its extraordinary fruit flavor and light note of mint. Organic green rooibos is blended with hibiscus petals, peppermint and elderberries for a burst of fruit flavor followed by cool mint.

Raspberry Rush

If you’re a kid, or a kid at heart, try Raspberry Rush. This Tea Phactory Signature Blend has a burst of “fresh from the garden” fruit flavor and a light citrus twist that is sure to please everyone.
For older kids who can have some caffeine we have two teas that are great for tweens and teens. Even with the naturally occurring caffeine, these teas have less caffeine than many caffeinated sodas.

Kid Friendly Caffeinated Iced Teas

Carnival

This aromatic tea embodies the color and playfulness of a summer carnival. Sweet with a hint of tanginess, Carnival is a unique blend of black and green teas, dried papaya pieces, rosehips and sunflower petals.

Why not have a little fun and try one of these iced teas as an alternative to your kid’s favorite soda or sports drink? We suggest brewing the tea together following our brewing guide. It’s a fun family activity and helps your child buy into the idea of trying something new. It’s also more exciting than just mixing up your usual powdered beverage.

Let’s be sensible; always supervise children when using hot water brewing methods. However, kids can use our cold brew method to make iced tea on their own.

Oh, and hey, these teas aren’t just for kids. Adults love them too and find them a great substitute to regular or diet soda. As grownups, many of us not only want to cut down on sugar but are also looking to reduce the chemical craziness of artificial sweeteners.

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How to Cold Brew Loose Leaf Tea

Sometimes it’s just too hot to put on the tea kettle, which probably means iced tea is needed more than ever. Good thing there’s a perfect solution – cold brew. In addition to beating the heat, the cold brew method can produce superior results reducing both dilution and bitterness. The result is a sweet, smooth tea with increased clarity.

By not exposing tea leaves to hot water, fewer catechins and tannins are steeped out. The benefit is a less astringent brew which allows more delicate and elusive flavors to shine. However, the same holds true for caffeine, so keep that in mind if iced tea is a go to pick-me-up or an evening elixir.

Cold brewing works with most every type of loose leaf tea including green, white, black, and oolong. It’s a fantastic way to breathe new life into old favorites. The subtle to dramatic shifts in flavor achieved by cold brewing is worth the wait. Since the method can take up to eight hours it’s essential to plan ahead.

Other than the time spent waiting, cold brew is one of the simplest methods. Just place cold water and tea leaves in a vessel, refrigerate, wait, and strain. However, it doesn’t hurt to know the details.

How to Cold Brew Tea:

  1. Measure 2 tablespoons of loose leaf tea in a vessel.
  2. Add 48 ounces of cold, clean water.
  3. Place in the refrigerator and steep for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
  4. Strain and add sweetener if desired.
  5. Serve over ice or drink it cold, straight from the fridge without any ice to dilute the flavor.

Cold-brew Iced Tea Brewing Tips:

  • Use double the amount of loose leaf tea used for brewing hot tea.
  • Use fresh, cold water. The quality of water will affect the taste of the tea.
  • Be sure to strain the leaf from the tea once steeping is complete.

Now that basics are covered, experimentation is key to developing unique and delicious cold brews. Again, since the chances of bitterness and clouding are significantly reduced, it’s hard to go wrong. Feel free to increase the amount of tea, don’t be afraid to use more leaf, or vary the steeping time.

Already cold brewed a tried and true favorite? Try something new. This method is particularly suited to delicate white teas like White Peony or Snow Buds. The mild flavors of these refined and understated teas are truly enhanced by cold brewing.

For those who like sweet teas try our Tropical Breeze or Black Currant. Keep in mind this method brings out more of the tea’s natural sweetness, so sample the batch before adding additional sweetener. If needed, try honey or agave, both dissolve more easily in cold liquids.

Already have a pitcher of cold brew that’s not quite ready? Need tea now? Try this alternative hot brewing method for flavorful iced tea.

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7 Secrets of Superior Iced Tea

7 secrets great iced tea

We’ve all had the super sweet iced teas offered in restaurants or minute markets and they make our stomachs sour or our blood sugar spike from too much sugar. In many cases, there is just as much sugar or artificial sweetener in bottled tea as there is in soda. In the end, let’s be honest, these iced teas don’t really taste very good.

So how do you make a great iced tea that’s not only healthier for you and your family, but also one that everybody will love?

  1. Quality loose leaf tea. Start with a high quality loose leaf tea. Quality is essential but when a glass of iced tea made from loose leaf can be as little as $0.20, it seems too good to be true. You can make 2 gallons of iced tea for as little as $2 vs. $3 or more for a 12 ounce bottle. Essentially, a 12 ounce glass of fresh iced tea can cost you as little as $0.20.
  2. Value. Superior loose teas can be steeped more than once, giving you more bang for your buck in comparison to bagged teas. With bagged teas you can easily go through an entire box just to make enough tea for yourself or a small group.
  3. Purity. Loose teas typically are whole leaf and infuse more flavor and health benefits into your iced teas. Most bottled iced teas are made from instant powders with little to no health benefit. Add on that bottled teas are loaded with sugar and artificial flavoring. If you’re looking for a healthy alternative, loose leaf teas are a great option with many naturally sweet teas to chose from.
  4. Variety. There are thousands of flavors of pure loose leaf tea and tea blends so you’re bound to discover a favorite. Loose teas offer everything from minty to fruity flavors; pure teas like black, green and white teas; blends with different herbs and spices; and so much more. If you’re not sure where to start, I have a few recommendations below.
  5. Flavor control. With loose leaf teas you can determine the strength of flavor by simply measuring out more or less tea to be steeped. Begin with the amount of tea recommended on the brewing guide and make adjustments from there. For iced teas you want to brew them strong so the ice doesn’t dilute the flavor too much. I start with doubling the measured amount recommended for brewing the hot tea.
  6. Water. Water quality can have an impact on how your iced teas turn out. Especially in large cities where water is put through purification processes and can impart a chemical taste to your iced teas. To improve your water quality and the flavor of your iced teas, use a filtration or purification system to remove the chemical taste.
  7. Time. Steeping times are an important aspect of brewing tea. It is a common misconception that steeping tea leaf for longer periods of time will make the tea stronger in flavor. In reality, this actually makes the tea bitter in taste. Follow the brewing guide recommended by your tea supplier regarding steeping times.

Loose Teas that Make Great Iced Teas:

  • Pure Leaf Teas: Traditional iced teas are made with pure leaf teas like black, green, or oolong.
  • Black Tea – The traditional iced tea, tea. For making iced tea you want a strong flavored black tea blend. China Black Tea, English breakfast, or Irish breakfast.
  • Fruit Teas: If you’re looking for something that is naturally sweet, a loose leaf tea blended with real fruit pieces make delicious iced teas.
  • LGBTea, with a black tea base and endless fruit pieces, including apple, passion fruit, mango, and more. (We made this special Signature Blend to celebrate Pride and is only available for a limited time. You’ll want to get your hands on this before it’s sold out.)

    Best Loose Leaf Teas for Caffeine Free Iced Tea:

    There are a number of herbal blends that make great iced teas and all are caffeine free.

    Rag Time Root Beer – If you’re looking for something a little different, brew this tea extra strong, pour over ice and you will have a guilt-free pleasure.

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How to Make Iced Tea

Summer time is tea time and what better way to kick off the season than by brewing up your favorite iced tea? It’s easy, here’s how.

Start by choosing the perfect tea. While black teas are most commonly used for iced tea, almost any type of loose leaf tea or herbal blend can be chilled and made into a refreshing iced tea.

What You’ll Need:

  • Your favorite loose leaf tea
  • Fresh water
  • A way to heat the water: electric tea kettle, stove with a tea kettle, a campfire
  • A vessel to put the water and tea in for steeping: a large pitcher
  • A method of straining the tea: coffee filter, tea strainer
  • Cups, glasses
  • Ice

How to Make Homemade Iced Tea:

  1. Heat the water to just a boil and pour the hot water into your steeping vessel.
  2. Measure out the tea and add it to the pitcher of hot water. You want to double the amount of tea you would use for hot tea when making iced tea. Allow the tea to steep for 2-3 minutes and strain.
  3. Pour over ice and enjoy.

Once you’ve got that delicious beverage in hand find a cool, shady spot and enjoy the summer months.

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How to Keep Iced Tea Fresh

Once you’ve brewed iced tea, in order to maintain ideal taste, quality, and freshness, it’s important that it’s stored properly. If you’ve made iced tea for a crowd and find you have leftovers it can be saved to enjoy later.

While it’s nice to have a cold, refreshing glass of iced tea readily available, especially on a hot summer day, it’s best not to make more tea than you can consume in a reasonable amount of time. Stored properly, iced tea should remain good in the refrigerator for at least two days and up to a week, at most. Discard any tea that has turned cloudy or has an off taste or smell as it has likely begun to ferment.

Fresh Iced Tea Is Best

Let’s face it, fresh brewed iced tea is an all natural product. That’s why we love it. It’s free of the artificial preservatives that make processed, commercial, and chemical products keep for a long time. Part of enjoying iced tea is respecting that it has a short shelf life. Fresh is best.

Iced Tea Preparation Counts

If cold brewing was the preparation method, the iced tea will already be in the refrigerator. If traditional hot water steeping methods were used, allow the finished hot tea to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator to chill. This prevents the brewed tea from clouding and serves up a clean glass of iced tea. It is not recommended to leave brewed tea at room temperature longer than eight hours.

Iced Tea Lasts Longer with the Right Container

No matter by which method the tea is brewed, make sure that a clean dispenser or pitcher is used. When storing iced tea, a glass vessel is preferable to preserve optimal taste. Many types of plastic can absorb and transfer flavors. Ideally, use a container with a tight fitting lid to reduce the amount of oxygen the tea is exposed to. Exposed teas can oxidize resulting in flavor changes and reduced freshness.

Before Iced Tea Turns, Re-purpose

If you’ve honestly made more tea than you can truly drink, don’t let it go to waste. Simply pour it into ice cube trays and place in the freezer. Once the cubes are frozen solid, they can be removed from the ice cube trays and placed in freezer bags. These frozen tea cubes are perfect for adding to a smoothie in place of plain ice.

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How to Make Iced Tea for Large Groups

It’s easy enough to make a single pitcher of iced tea for yourself and a couple friends. But what do you do if you need enough iced tea for a large gathering like a 4th of July BBQ?

Making enough iced tea for a large gathering is basically a “rinse and repeat” type of process. The benefit however, is that a high quality, loose leaf tea can be steeped more than one time to double or triple the amount of iced tea made.

The key is efficiency. The last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen making iced tea. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy that time with friends and family?

Simply use an electric kettle to heat the water in a quick fashion, a large pitcher with a strainer or large infuser basket to brew up large quantities of tea, large glass or plastic jugs to store the iced tea, and a timer so you get the steeping time just right. I use the timer app on my phone and it works great.

Ideally, if you have the opportunity, I suggest making the tea the night before, allowing it to cool to room temperature to prevent clouding, and put it in the fridge to chill overnight. If you’re in a hurry though, it’s not a problem. You can serve freshly brewed iced tea when it’s still hot over a full cup of ice and still get great results.

What You Need:

  • Your favorite loose leaf tea: Be sure you have enough. For a large group of 10 or more you’ll need about 5 tablespoons
  • Fresh water
  • Electric tea kettle for quickest results, or a traditional tea kettle on the stove – just takes more time for the water to boil
  • 2 or more large glass or plastic jugs for storing and/or transporting the iced tea
  • Cups, glasses
  • Ice

How to Make Iced Tea for 10 or more People

  1. Heat the water just to a boil and pour the hot water into your steeping pitcher.
  2. Measure out your loose leaf tea into the infusing basket and insert the basket into the hot water. You want to double the amount of tea you would use for hot tea when making iced tea.
  3. Alternatively, you can add the loose leaf tea directly to the hot water in the pitcher. You’ll need a strainer to remove the tea leaf after steeping.
  4. Set and start your timer for 3 minutes.
  5. Remove the infuser or strain your tea and pour the hot tea into one of your large jugs.
  6. Repeat this process until you have enough tea for your event. Refresh your tea leaf after 2-3 steepings.

Tips for Making Iced Tea for Large Groups:

  • Re-steeping tea: You can re-steep, up to 3 times, a high quality loose leaf tea and achieve great results. It’s far more effective than bagged tea and makes a better tasting iced tea.
  • Control Flavor: Adjust the amount of measured loose leaf tea to your desired strength of flavor. If you want a strong tea, use more tea, a weaker tea, measure out less tea. This method is more effective for controlling flavor than steeping the tea for longer periods of time and expecting a stronger brew. In fact, over steeped black tea will become bitter.
  • Prevent Cloudiness: If you have the time, allow the finished hot tea to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge to chill. This prevents the brewed tea from clouding and serves up a clean glass of iced tea.
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Three Tips to Prevent Cloudy Iced Tea

Tips Preventing Cloudy Iced Tea

Spring is here and we can start looking forward to sunshine, warmer weather, and drinking plenty of refreshing iced tea. There are many bottled or ready-to-drink iced teas on the store shelves, but they can be loaded with sugar and preservatives.

Brewing your own iced tea is fun and allows you to control the ingredients. You can personalize your iced tea by adding fresh or frozen fruits, different herbs and spices, and sweetener to your taste.

Sometimes iced tea can turn out cloudy or foggy in appearance, referred to as clouding. This happens randomly and is purely cosmetic – it doesn’t change the flavor or reflect the quality of the tea.

Solutions to Three Causes of Clouding

  1. Hard water contains high concentrations of minerals that can form visible solids which are not easily dissolved in cooler water temperatures.
    Solution: Use filtered water.
  2. “Shocking the iced tea” (a term coined by tea industry consultant Richard Guzauskas) is a phenomenon that occurs when black tea is cooled too quickly.
    Solution: Allow the brewed tea to come to room temperature naturally prior to refrigeration.
  3. Black teas are most prone to clouding due to the oxidation during production.
    Solution: Use green loose leaf teas, herbals, rooibos, or yerba maté, all of which make tasty iced teas.

TIP: If your tea does become cloudy you can save it by adding a small amount of hot water. This will reorganize the chemical structure of the tea and remove the cloudiness. Take care not to add too much hot water or the tea flavor will become diluted.
To avoid cloudiness all-together try the cold-brewing method.

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Strawberry Lemon Oolong Iced Tea

Summer is officially here and strawberries are in season. This refreshing iced tea is sure to be a thirst-quenching winner at your summer picnics and barbecues.

Strawberry Lemon Oolong Iced Tea Recipe

Makes about 1 ½ quarts (48 ounces)
Prep time: about 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Place strawberries in a bowl with sugar and set aside, stirring occasionally.
  2. Juice lemons for ¼ cup juice, set aside.
  3. Place loose leaf tea, stevia and lemon zest into your tea pitcher.
  4. Bring 3 cups water just to boiling, about 208° Fahrenheit.
  5. Pour hot water into your tea pitcher.
  6. Steep tea for 4 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then add 2 ¾ cups of cold water.
  8. Add lemon juice, stir and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or pour over ice.

To serve

  1. Put a generous spoonful of strawberries into a glass – be sure to add some of the yummy syrup.
  2. Add ice.
  3. Using a strainer, pour tea over ice and enjoy!
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3 Easy Steps to Flavorful Iced Tea

When the weather heats up it is important to stay hydrated. The healthiest and most delicious way I know to keep my family drinking fluids is with homemade iced tea.

I use my MIST Ice Tea Jug to brew up several jugs of refreshing iced tea throughout the day. The simple hot-steep method using the MIST Ice Tea Jug makes 1½ quarts of iced tea in about 10 minutes.
You can use any loose leaf tea, including green, black, white or oolong. Herbals like Rooibos and Yerba Maté make delicious iced teas as well. Iced tea made with loose leaf tea is more flavorful and healthier than powdered mixes, bottled iced tea, or grocery store bagged tea.

Easy 3 Step Iced Tea Recipe:

Ingredients

  • 3 C water, heated to the temperature recommended for the tea or herbal of your choice
  • 2 to 4 Tbs tea leaf or herbal, depending on personal preference
  • 1 Tbs stevia leaf
  • 2 C cold water
  • Ice

Directions

  1. Add tea leaf or herbal and 1 Tablespoon stevia leaf to MIST Ice Tea Jug.
  2. Pour 3 cups heated water into MIST Ice Tea Jug and steep for recommended time.
  3. Add 2 cups cold water and ice to fill MIST Ice Tea Jug. Stir to melt ice and chill for 30 minutes, or serve immediately over ice.
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Top 5 Tips – Brewing Delicious, Healthy Iced Tea

5 Tips Brewing Delicious Iced Tea

Drinking several cups of tea a day is a delicious way to improve your health. Drinking tea can help with the health of your teeth, gums, and bones. Tea will also help reduce your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Tea, whether green, black, white, or oolong is loaded with flavonoids, the antioxidants that help the body ward off unwanted disease.

As the summer heats up, it’s important to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of liquids. Homemade iced tea is a great way to keep your body hydrated as the summer heats up.

You will derive the most benefit from drinking freshly brewed tea, and now is the time to begin enjoying refreshing iced tea that you brew at home. Brewing your own tea ensures that you will get the most benefit from the tea. By not using powdered mixes or buying bottled iced tea, you will save money and eliminate the sweeteners and preservatives in prepared teas.

Top 5 Tips for Brewing Great Iced Tea

  1. Use fresh tea leaves. The oils in the leaves that give tea its flavor break down over time, diminishing the flavor of the tea. Opt for loose leaf teas rather than tea bags. Loose teas release more flavor as they expand and are fresher.
  2. Use fresh spring or filtered tap water. The quality of water will affect the flavor of your tea. Mineral water will give your tea an off-flavor and distilled water will make the tea taste ‘flat’.
  3. Use the correct water temperature. Black teas and herbals can be steeped in near boiling water, but boiling water will scorch white and green teas leaves, making the tea bitter. Oolongs can withstand hot to near-boiling water.
  4. Use the correct amount of tea. When brewing tea for iced tea, use twice the recommended amount of tea leaf as for hot brewing. Adding ice to hot tea will dilute the flavor of the tea.
  5. Use the correct steeping time. Tannins and other bitter tasting compounds may be released if tea is steeped for longer than the recommended time. Black teas, darker oolongs and herbals should be steeped for 3 to 5 minutes while white, green and lighter oolongs should steep for just 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. Bonus Tip: For white tea, you may want to try the cold-brew method for a simple, fail proof way to make iced white tea.