Category: Tea Life

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.

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.

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.