
Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
. Though it is usually served in a glass with
ice
Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup, or remain unsweetened. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink, normally mixed with fruit-flavored syrup such as
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...
,
raspberry
The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...
,
lime,
passion fruit
''Passiflora edulis'', commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its ...
,
peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...
,
orange,
strawberry
The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
,
blueberry
Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...
,
mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
, and
cherry
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...
.
While most iced teas get their flavor from
tea leaves (''Camellia sinensis''),
herbal tea
Herbal teas, technically known as herbal infusions, and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Often herb tea, or the plai ...
s are sometimes served cold and referred to under the same categorical name. ''Sun tea'' is made by a particularly long
steeping
Steeping is the soaking of an organic solid, such as leaves, in a liquid (usually water) to extract flavours or to soften it. The specific process of teas being prepared for drinking by leaving the leaves in heated water to release the flavour ...
of tea leaves at a lower temperature (one hour in the sun, versus five minutes at .
Cultural variations
Canada
In Canada "iced tea" commonly refers to a presweetened tea drink similar to "
sweet tea
Sweet tea, also known as sweet iced tea, is a popular style of iced tea commonly consumed in the United States (especially the South) and Indonesia. Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea while the tea is ...
" in the southern United States. The variety most broadly available is sweetened with lemon juice. Because of a large Chinese and especially
Hong Kong diaspora, Hong Kong style "lemon tea"(香港凍檸茶) is commonly also available as well as
milk tea
Milk tea refers to several forms of beverage found in many cultures, consisting of some combination of tea and milk. The term milk tea is used for both hot and cold drinks that can be combined with various kinds of milks and a variety of spices. ...
and
Yuenyeung
''Yuenyeung'' (, often transliterated according to the Cantonese language pronunciation ''yuenyeung'', ''yinyeung'', or ''yinyong''; yuānyāng in Mandarin) is a drink created by mixing coffee with tea. It originated in Hong Kong at '' dai p ...
(鴛鴦).
China
Although it is not a traditional way to serve tea, iced tea gained widespread popularity during the late 1980s, even in rural areas. Many varieties of tea, including green tea, are available canned or bottled and are sold in stores. Many families make iced tea either by putting a large amount of ice in a small amount of strong hot tea or by putting hot tea in a fridge for some time. Common types of iced tea are black, green, and oolong (烏龍茶), as well as many herbal varieties. Iced herbal teas are especially popular in the hot summers, where "yin"(陰)or cooling herbs are used to make tea such as chrysanthemum and kuding tea (苦丁茶). Cooled (but still warm) tea was popular throughout ancient times. The introduction of
limited capitalism and free-market reforms starting in 1978 made refrigeration available to the general population for the first time. China's refrigerator-ownership increased from just 7% of urban families in 1977 to 95% in 2009.
South Africa
Iced tea has become increasingly popular in South Africa and is now widely available in cafes and retail outlets countrywide.
Nestea,
Lipton
Lipton is a brand named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, Tom Lipton, who started an eponymous grocery retail business in the United Kingdom in 1871. The brand was used for various consumer goods sold in Lipton stores, including tea from 1 ...
, Manhattan and
Fuze Tea are the most popular brands, in addition to the South African brand
BOS, which uses
rooibos
Rooibos ( ; , ), or , is a broom (shrub), broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africa's Fynbos biome. The leaves are used to make a caffeine-free herbal tea, herbal infusion that has been popular in Southern Afri ...
sourced locally from the
Western Cape
The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...
.
Switzerland
Ruedi Bärlocher and Martin Sprenger, two employees of the Swiss Bischofszell beverage company, had tried the famous American iced tea and first suggested to produce ready-made iced tea in bottles. In 1983 Bischofszell Food Ltd. became the first producer in the world of bottled ice tea on an industrial scale.
Turkey
In a traditionally tea-drinking country such as Turkey, with its own
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
and
tea culture
Tea culture refers to how tea is made and consumed, how people interact with tea, and the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking.
Tea plays an important role in some countries. It is commonly consumed at social events, and many cultures have cre ...
, iced tea became popular when Lipton introduced it in the 2000s. Iced teas are a popular alternative to soft drinks. Lipton and Nestea were the two major brands until 2012 when the contract between
Coca-Cola İçecek A.Ş. and
Nestea expired. Coca-Cola replaced Nestea with its
Fuze Beverage brand, but due to the word ''füze'' meaning "missile" in
Turkish, the name used for the Turkish market is Fuse Tea. The national tea company
Çaykur
Çaykur is a Turkish state-owned tea-producing company. Their portfolio includes ice tea, green tea, organic and black tea. Çaykur has 45 tea processing factories, and one packaging factory. The general manager of Çaykur is Yusuf Ziya Alim.
...
is in the market with its iced tea brand 'Didi'.
United Kingdom
Although iced tea is not as widely consumed in the United Kingdom as in other European countries, the drink became more popular in the 2000s. In the 1990s Lipton sold a carbonated iced tea, similar to the one sold in Belgium. In recent years, Lipton has returned to the general sale of non-carbonated tea, quickly followed by Nestea and
Twinings
Twinings () is a British marketeer of tea and other beverages, including coffee, hot chocolate, and malt drinks, based in Andover, Hampshire. The brand is owned by Associated British Foods. It holds the world's oldest continually used company ...
.
United States
In the United States, iced tea makes up about 85% of all tea consumed.
[Tea Fact Sheet](_blank)
Tea Association of the USA (2/1/2008). Iced
milk tea
Milk tea refers to several forms of beverage found in many cultures, consisting of some combination of tea and milk. The term milk tea is used for both hot and cold drinks that can be combined with various kinds of milks and a variety of spices. ...
is especially popular at
Thai restaurants in the country. A heavily sweetened variety known as
sweet tea
Sweet tea, also known as sweet iced tea, is a popular style of iced tea commonly consumed in the United States (especially the South) and Indonesia. Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea while the tea is ...
is popular in southern states. In New England states, it is usually more moderately sweetened, and often includes mint.
South America
Mate tea, which is traditionally consumed hot in Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil and Paraguay, is usually consumed iced in the center-west and southeast of Brazil. Iced mate is especially popular in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro and the northern part of Paraná.
History
As early as 1823, Marguerite Countess of Blessington wrote of sipping iced tea in
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
.
The oldest printed recipes for iced tea date back to the 1870s. In her 1871 cook book, Amelie Goldthorp and Megan Breiner wrote of iced tea: "it should be well iced". Two of the earliest cookbooks with iced tea recipes are the ''Buckeye Cookbook'' by Estelle Woods Wilcox, first published in 1876, and ''Housekeeping in Old Virginia'' by Marion Cabell Tyree, copyright 1878.
Iced tea started to appear in the United States during the 1860s. Seen as a novelty at first, during the 1870s it became quite widespread. Recipes appeared in print, iced tea was offered on hotel menus, and it was on sale at railroad stations. Its popularity rapidly increased after
Richard Blechynden introduced it at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Varieties
Sun and refrigerator tea
Iced tea can be brewed by placing tea (bags or loose-leaf) in a large glass container with water and leaving the container in the sun for hours. This often results in a smoother flavor. An advantage is that sun tea does not require using electricity or burning fuel, thus saving energy. Sun tea is sometimes served with syrup or lemon.
The temperature of the tea brewed in this manner is never heated high enough to kill any bacteria, leaving the water potentially unsafe to drink. The tea should be discarded if it appears thick, syrupy, or has rope-like strands in it, though it may be hazardous even without such indicators.
Because of this danger an alternative called "refrigerator tea" has been suggested where the tea is brewed in the refrigerator overnight. This has the dual advantage of preventing the growth of harmful bacteria and the tea already being cold without the addition of ice.
Fountain iced tea
In 1996, the City of Cincinnati's Health Department discovered high levels of
coliform bacteria (due to inadequate daily cleansing) in the spigots of dispensers filled by automatic fresh brewed iced tea machines in several area restaurants.
[Debugging the Dispenser](_blank)
Scroll down the page to find "Debugging the Dispenser", U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Approximately the same time, the
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
and
Pepsi Cola
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long-standing rivalry ...
companies began aggressive targeted marketing campaigns aimed at replacing fresh brewed iced tea in foodservice establishments with the cola companies' tea concentrate that is dispensed using the same method as
fountain drinks, pumped from a
bag-in-box. In many cases, the cola companies provided a fountain dispenser for the tea concentrate that looked similar to the containers that were previously used to dispense fresh-brewed tea.
Half-and-half
There has been a growing popularity in the United States of a mixed drink called "half-and-half" since the late 1960s when golf great
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in ...
ordered one in Palm Beach, Florida. Half-and-half is a mix of iced tea and lemonade, giving the drink a much sweeter taste. Often called an "
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in ...
" (although Palmer himself preferred a ratio of two parts iced tea to one part lemonade
), the drink was eventually marketed by Snapple,
Nantucket Nectars, and
AriZona Iced Tea
Arizona Beverages USA (stylized as AriZona) is a producer of many flavors of iced tea, juice, juice cocktails, and energy drinks based in Woodbury, Nassau County, New York, Woodbury, New York. Arizona's first product was made available in 1992, ...
; AriZona has licensed Arnold Palmer's name and image for its versions. In 2012, an
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
short documentary was produced on the drink, featuring Palmer, beverage experts, a group of PGA golfers and comedian
Will Arnett
William Emerson Arnett (; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his roles as Gob Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom '' Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and the titular ch ...
discussing the drink's history and popularity.
See also
*
Lipton Iced Tea
*
Long Island Iced Tea
*
Sweet tea
Sweet tea, also known as sweet iced tea, is a popular style of iced tea commonly consumed in the United States (especially the South) and Indonesia. Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea while the tea is ...
References
External links
{{Ice-based drinks and desserts
Cuisine of the Southern United States
Tea varieties