Cold (In)Fusion

Saucyman – Is Iced Tea any different than non-Iced Tea? Snappled

Like tea itself, Iced Tea is not one simple thing. Not counting herbal tea, which according to purists, is not tea at all - All tea comes from the hearty evergreen bush, Camellia sinensis. According to the authors of the beautiful and encyclopedic The Story of Tea, there are three principal tea varietals - China Bush, Assam Bush and Ceylon Bush. From there regional variations, micro-climates, altitude – most tea is grown at altitudes between 3000-7000 feet - all play a difference in how brewed tea will taste. Ultimately, how the leaf is picked and processed that will be the largest determining factor in flavor and style. Tea is a subject that spans millennia, religion, diverse cultures and involves the single most consumed beverage, after water, on the planet, so let’s stick to the more manageable Iced Tea.

Iced Tea seems to be determined by geography: Thai Iced, the carbonated varieties in northern Europe, the chilled green teas sold in Japanese vending machines and in the States – everything from the southern “Sweet Tea” to the Chai Frappuccino.

Again, narrowing the focus, let’s stick to the US. On a daily basis 127 million US residents drink tea - 85% of that is iced tea. Most of that tea is produced from tea bags, which by in large, means black tea. The tealeaf is called black due to a process called oxidation (think avocado). Black tea, used in blends as like Breakfast and Earl Grey, is the most popular tea in the world, so in that sense, Iced Tea and non-Iced Tea aren’t that different.

While tea is a requisite feature in Iced Tea, surprisingly ice isn’t. 25% of tea in the States is of the ‘Ready-to-drink’ variety, sipped largely from bottles and occasionally cans. Lipton has a huge world presence in this category but in the US not so much. A person is likelier to recognize brands such as Snapple, AriZona, Sobe and Tazo.

Where non-Iced Tea and Iced Tea part ways is on the issue of sweeteners. Sure, sugar is a part of the tea culture: Russian novels are full of descriptions of charming but caddish nobility holding a sugar cube in their teeth while sipping tea. English tea is served with sugar (and milk) on the side but the US takes it to a whole different level. In Smoke & Spice, Cheryl and Bill Jamison’s recipe for sweet tea contains the instruction, “…add sugar to taste, traditionally until your teeth ache”. My sister in common-law claims she once had to order hot tea in a suburban Atlanta restaurant by using the phrase, “non-sweet tea”. Not that I ever doubted her, but after finding more than one source using a ratio of cup of sugar per tea bag, I am now more frightened than amused. Other recipes aren’t too far behind that cavity-inducing ratio.

So overall - The difference between non-Iced Tea and Iced Tea is that the latter seems to exist to dissolve sugar.