In hot weather, many tea drinkers chill or ice their tea to be able to enjoy a cooling treat. However, not all teas are at their best when served cold versus hot. It’s hard to predict ahead of time, too. Sometimes you just have to jump in and try them. I recently decided to do just that with two teas that were fine when served hot. How will they taste cold? Time to find out.

The teas chosen were Blackcurrant Black Tea and Revolution Tropical Green Tea. I have tried both teas hot, with satisfactory results, so, I was looking forward to this experiment.

Each tea was steeped normally, following the tea vendor’s instructions. (If you prefer to add ice to your tea, steep a stronger version than usual to counter the dilution when the ice melts.) They were then let sit on the counter until they had cooled to around room temperature. No sweetener was added (when chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened; if you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping). Finally, both teas were put it in the refrigerator overnight.

The Results:

The Blackcurrant Black Tea definitely needs sweetener, so if you are planning to try this, add some honey, raw sugar, or other sweetener of your choice while the tea is still hot. The chilled version is also quite cloudy. Despite what Krystal Lane says in her article, Help! My Iced Tea Is Cloudy! clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma. Once sweetened, this tea was quite refreshing and tasty, with a unique flavor from the blackcurrants and cornflowers in it.

The Revolution Tropical Green Tea was less cloudy with a minty fragrance that carried through to the taste along with a sweetness that my hubby says was sort of like bubble gum. You could add a bit of sweetener, but he chugged this glassful straight. You will definitely get a big dose of refreshment with every gulp!

I’ll be trying more teas as the Summer progresses, so keep checking back here!

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