Iced Tea Day

Iced tea with lemon. Mizina / Getty Images Pro via Canva.

The 10th of June is Iced Tea Day.

The day arrives right on time for the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, because it is the perfect drink for hot weather.

How do you like your iced tea? Really sweet, or lightly sweetened, or not sweetened at all?

Have you got a porch, verandah, balcony or back deck to enjoy it on?

Iced tea doesn’t just have to be made from black tea in tea bags: it can also be made from tisanes (aka herbal teas), or green tea, or loose leaf tea.

If you trying to avoid caffeine, you can use decaffinated tea, or, try a Long Island iced tea which actually has no tea in it!

#IcedTeaDay #NationalIcedTeaDay

See also: Tea

Making iced tea through sun tea method

When you brew your tea, it is best to avoid the “sun tea” method.

“When exactly “sun tea” appeared is a bit of a mystery, but I certainly have fond memories of this practice on the porch of our family farmhouse. However, come to find out, this practice can come with some risks. Tea that is made with cold or room temperature water and left to brew out on the counter all day or kept in a jar under the sun, is at a higher risk for bacterial growth. The water simply doesn’t get hot enough to kill potential microorganisms that can be found in tea leaves, leaving a petri dish of tiny microbes just waiting to get you sick.” ^[1]Smith, Jenna. The Dangers of Sun Tea. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Extension Service. 5 July 2018. Accessed May 2021 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Illinois_system

Remember, tea leaves are organic things coming in from fields. They have never been cooked, so pathogens that found their way on them out in the fields (for instance, bird poop) can still be dormant on them. Plus, the workers picking tea leaves typically won’t have access to washrooms with running water to necessarily always wash their hands well, etc. Additional pathogens can get on the tea leaves through after-harvest handling and processing. They are raw things, and many types of bacteria can survive drying quite well.

When you let the leaves stew in lukewarm water in the sun, you are providing the bacteria with the right amount of warmth and moisture they need to spring back to life, and multiply.

““I make my tea with boiling water, and for the highest degree of safety, I suggest that others do the same,” adds Don Schaffner, microbiologist from Rutgers University.” ^[2]Walsh, Kara. What You Should Know Before Sipping Your Next Batch of Sun Tea, According to a Food Microbiologist. Des Moines, Iowa: Better Homes and Garden. 11 August 2020. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.bhg.com/recipes/drinks/tea/sun-tea-safety/

The same warnings apply to cold-brewed tea, as the water warms up to ambient room temperature which would also provide the right temperature for many bacteria.

Activities for today

• some places may offer a free iced tea, or discounts on one;
• check on deals offered on apps;
• share your favourite iced tea recipe on social media;
• post a photo of your glass of iced tea on social media;
• try some with a shot of alcohol in it;
• make an iced tea punch;
• make iced tea popsicles;
• have friends over for an iced tea party;
• some tea company websites in the past have offered printable coupons for a free glass of iced tea;
• check out blends of tea optimized for use in iced tea.

History

The earliest print mention of an Iced Tea Day in June that CooksInfo is aware of dates from 2011:

“June 10th: Iced Tea Day” — Kelley, Jill. We’ve compiled 365 reasons to enjoy 2011. Dayton, Ohio: Dayton Daily News. Saturday, 1 January 2011. Page 12, col. 1.

Further reading

Schreck, Suzanne. Iced Tea Safety. Food Safety News. June 2010.

Sources

Celebrate National Iced Tea Day on June 10 with Deals at Starbucks and Teavana. Business Wire. 9 June 2016. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160609005185/en/Celebrate-National-Iced-Tea-Day-June-10

Dobos, Elizabeth. 9 Ways to Celebrate National Iced Tea Day on June 10.
Framingham, MA: World Tea News Magazine. 30 May 2017. Accessed May 2021 at https://worldteanews.com/tea-industry-news-and-features/9-ways-celebrate-national-iced-tea-day-june-10

Karacostas, Chase. Bill Miller Bar-B-Q and others giving away iced tea for National Iced Tea Day. San Antonio, Texas: My San Antonio. 8 June 2018. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/How-to-get-free-tea-for-National-Iced-Tea-Day-12978614.php

Tyko, Kelly. $1 Long Island iced teas? Yes, and more Sunday deals for National Iced Tea Day. USA Today. 8 June 2018. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2018/06/08/national-iced-tea-day-2018-get-freebies-and-deals-june-10/682215002/