Article & Recipes: Iced Tea

[Guest guest]

From The Early Show on CBS this morning...

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/31/earlyshow/living/recipes/main6

39615.shtml

 

Loving Iced Tea

NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2004

 

 

Iced teas have come a long way since they were introduced in 1904 at the

St. Louis World's Fair. Today, you can get bottled iced teas infused

with a variety of flavors. So the editors at Food & Wine magazine

recently conducted a taste test of more than 20 types of bottled iced

teas.

 

Grace Parisi, the senior test kitchen associate for the magazine, visits

The Early Show to share the findings and two simple recipes for you to

brew, perfect for a Labor Day cookout.

 

Like so many good things, iced tea was originally discovered by

accident. During one miserably hot day at the St. Louis World's Fair, an

enterprising Englishman named Richard Blechynden decided to liven up his

flagging sales of hot tea by pouring the brewed beverage over ice. Once

the refreshing beverage hit the parched palates of the local fairgoers,

the rest was history. Although there were iced teas recipes that started

appearing in the 1800s, it was Blechynden who really made the drink

popular.

 

The ready-to-drink market exploded in the early '70s when Lipton

introduced Tea-in-a-Can. Then, in the late '80s, Snapple started

bottling their drinks, and it really exploded with more brands following

its lead.

 

But the year 1993 was a pivotal year for the U.S. tea industry. In many

respects, it represented one of the most important years since the

invention of the tea bag and iced tea itself in 1904. In 1993, many new

ready-to-drink iced tea products were rolled out nationally and, even

more importantly, it became apparent that consumers were readily

accepting these products.

 

It was also the year in which a lot more money was devoted to the

marketing of the ready-to-drink products, and that included explaining

to the public the attributes of tea, compared to other beverage options.

Today, there are many kinds out there after Tazo raised the bar again by

introducing herbal teas and juice-infused teas, creating a demand for

superpremium teas.

 

In 1999, Americans drank 50 billion servings of tea, with about half the

population consuming a cup or glass every day. Away-from-home

consumption increased by more than 10 percent annually during the last

decade and is expected to continue to increase at this pace over the

next five years.

 

The United States Tea Association has conducted a survey and found that

85 percent of tea consumed in our country is iced - a uniquely American

habit compared with tea-drinking customs worldwide.

 

Taste Test:

With endless iced teas options flooding the market, Food & Wine's staff

tasted nearly 20 different types of traditional iced teas: sweetened,

unsweetened and lemon-flavored, from bags, bottles and mixes. They found

the picks at local grocery stores, including an organic one.

 

What F & W looked for in a good tea:

Not too sweet, tasted like real brewed tea - sounds so simple, but with

many teas using corn syrup and additives - it can be difficult to find

teas that really just taste like tea.

 

Here are the three that scored the highest:

 

 

1. Honest Tea Lori's Lemon Tea

Cost: $.99/each

What F & W liked: Slightly herbal, not too sweet and very refreshing

Interesting note: When Honest Tea started in 1998, the company brewed

tea in giant laundry-bag size sacks made from the mesh used for pool

skimmers.

 

 

 

2. Lipton Cold Brew

Cost: $3.85/44 bag box

What F & W liked: Clean tea flavor with a good hint of lemon. You will

need to add sugar, not too sweet.

Interesting note: A single bag of Lipton may contain up to 60 different

types of tea.

 

 

 

3. Tazo Organic Iced Tea

Cost: $1.09/bottle

What F & W liked: It tastes like well-brewed tea with a touch of lemon and

honey. Lightly sweetened.

 

 

If you want to save money and try your hand at brewing your own yummy

iced tea, Parisi has developed two easy, but flavorful recipes.

 

The key for brewing the perfect tea: To make 1 1/2 quart of tea: boil

water; then POUR over 5 tea bags. Steep for at least one hour!

 

Recipes

Juice Iced Tea

Pomegranate Iced Tea

Serving: Makes 3/4 gallon

 

Ingredients:

24 oz of pomegranate juice

2 quarts brewed tea

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

 

Method: Stir together all ingredients; chill until ready to serve.

Note: You can use this recipe to make any fruit flavored iced tea:

Peaches, guava nectar, or blueberry juice. It really just spruces up

basic iced tea.

 

Iced Green Tea with Ginger and Mint

Servings: Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:

3 oz. Ginger, unpeeled and sliced

1 cup mint leaves

6 green-tea bags

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons lemon juice

 

Method:

 

 

1. In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the ginger and 6

cups of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the mint and

tea bags. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.

 

 

 

2. Strain the liquid into a large pitcher or other container. Heat

resistant glass is perfect. Add the honey and lemon juice; stir. Chill

in the refrigerator. Serve over ice. Garnish with mint.