Best Teas for Iced Tea


Tea, of course, is always subjective. But I believe iced tea is slightly less subjective than normal hot tea. Iced tea requires a little more: more flavor and a tendency towards fruity and away from spicy. That’s in my subjective opinion, of course (feel free to disagree in the comments).

Having said that, there are some clearly great iced teas that are head and shoulders above other teas. So I thought it would be great to list out the five best iced teas – and I threw in a bonus blended tea that just might top the list.

Before I get to my list, generally speaking Rooibos and Herbal teas work best as iced. If a Rooibos or Herbal tea sounds delicious to you, it will probably work as iced. And of course black teas are the traditional iced teas, so most of them (outside the smoky ones) work great as an iced tea. You’ll have to try a lot of them before you can really name your five best. But here’s mine:

  1. Rooibos Tropica Iced Tea. This fruity sensation translates exceptionally well as an iced tea. So well, it seems better iced than hot. And you can kick it up a notch by adding some Rock Sugar.
  2. Moroccan Mint Green Tea. Another exceptionally good iced tea, particularly on a hot day. The mint is very refreshing and it tastes wonderful with the green tea.
  3. Sweet Cranberry Black Tea. Another all-star, the tart cranberries make this so much more than a normal iced black tea. If you like Southern iced tea and you haven’t tried this, go do it now!
  4. Sweet Fruit Garden Herbal Tea. The wide variety of fruits makes this a very, very good iced tea. And this one also gets a little better with our Rock Sugar.
  5. Chinese Honey Dew White Tea. This is the only white tea I like iced, but it makes up for the rest. It has a more muted taste than the ones above, but the complexity makes it delicious.

I did try and mix in a few different teas here, but these five would probably be high on almost anyone’s list. For a bonus, mix together Blueberry Bliss Rooibos tea and Rooibos Peach Bloom tea and pour over ice. You won’t be disappointed!

Do you have a favorite iced? If it’s not listed here, add it in the comments. I’m always trying to find the best iced tea available. After all, I did grow up in the South.

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August 8th, 2008
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Hawkeye
Posted on:
August 11, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Great suggestions. I love the blog. I enjoy Jasmine Pearls with some rock sugar as a refreshing iced tea on a hot summer day. I also love the Japanese Wild Cherry Green Tea iced. Finally, Gyokuro is amazing iced if you are a pure green fan. Please do a future blog on oolong tips / hints.

Thanks!

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Hunter
Posted on:
August 12, 2008 at 10:55 am

jasmine pearls, earl grey creme, and ditto to morroccan mint.

morroccan mint is my favorite.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Anonymous
Posted on:
August 14, 2008 at 12:52 pm

Does the health benefits of tea still remain once it’s been iced?

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
veritas
Posted on:
August 14, 2008 at 1:14 pm

YES! The health benefits are there in your tea no matter which way you consume it, as long as you drink up!

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Jim
Posted on:
August 18, 2008 at 10:01 pm

What is the TSP/OZ ratio for brewing Iced Tea as compared to hot tea (or is it different)?

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Bonnie
Posted on:
August 21, 2008 at 12:07 am

Snow Geisha is great iced with Stevia. It tastes like white gummy bears :D

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
jake
Posted on:
August 22, 2008 at 9:55 pm

Its usually (in my experiences) double the amount you would normally use per 8oz

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
Anonymous
Posted on:
August 28, 2008 at 8:47 am

I LOVE banana calypso iced.

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
Anonymous
Posted on:
August 31, 2008 at 8:16 am

If you don’t want to double the amount of tea used when wanting a cold drink, then used maybe just a 1/4 more, steep longer (if the tea type is not one that becomes bitter), and put into the refrigerator and allow it to get cold. Pour the cold tea over some ice and it should still be good, but you didn’t use as much tea to make it. This is especially nice when you want to drink some of the more expensive teas cold.

Comment Number:
10
Written by:
Sarah
Posted on:
August 31, 2008 at 10:18 pm

I LOVE the Sweet Lily White iced, especially when mixed with the Rooibos Tropica. Yeah it’s one of the samples in our store but it’s SO good. Delish!

Comment Number:
11
Written by:
TEAVANA EMPLOYEE
Posted on:
January 16, 2009 at 12:15 pm

If you’re looking for a great iced tea. plum harvest rocks. also try blending azteca fire with almond biscotti and little of the german rock cane sugar. also acai blueberry mixed with apple lemon pomegranate is super popular out here. but for a nice tropical island taste, mix two parts six summits oolong, to one part rooibos key lime, to one part pina colada, to one part papaya oolong. my personal favorite is the citrus-ey blend of passion fruit oolong and tarocco ruby orange

Comment Number:
12
Written by:
Tina
Posted on:
February 1, 2009 at 12:37 am

Straight peppermint!

Peppermint tea ia already amazing; by far, the most simple, my all-time favorite.

Even hot, it is somehow refreshing.

Now that it’s starting to get into semi-spring weather, I’ve started making peppermint iced tea to drink with my lunch and YUM!

I even let a coworker of mine sample it and she sipped…paused…and gave me her classic “Darn you” look she gets when she realizes I just gave her another reason to spend MORE money at Teavana…LOL!

Comment Number:
13
Written by:
Brett
Posted on:
July 18, 2009 at 3:08 am

My absolute favorite is Tarocco Ruby Orange with Peach Tranquility. But when I want something a little more full-boie, I blend Mate Lemon Blast with either Pina Colada or Frutto Bianco Pearls.

Comment Number:
14
Written by:
Jo
Posted on:
August 2, 2009 at 2:02 pm

The best Trick for iced tea I have found is to put 3 tbl or so of loose tea in a gallon of water (tap is fine) and let it steep overnight in the fridge. The next morning strain and enjoy. I’ve used it with a number of herbal blends and it always comes out with a mild and smooth flavor. It’s very refreshing on a hot day. I really like the Turkish Apple tea this way.

Comment Number:
15
Written by:
Sam Choo
Posted on:
August 4, 2009 at 1:57 pm

For great iced tea:
1/4 cup of each tea, (choose 2)
1/4 rock sugar
steep for 20 mins. w/ ice

yummm!!

Comment Number:
16
Written by:
Sam Choo
Posted on:
August 4, 2009 at 1:59 pm

TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS;

use dbl. the tea when making iced compared to hot.

most of all health benifits will steep out of iced tea the same as hot