Taking The Iced Tea Plunge

Are any of you old enough to remember the 80’s commercial featuring “The Nestea Plunge”? It was one we always reenacted anytime we were at a swimming pool. Over and over and over and …

I’m not sure a powdered drink can be all that refreshing, but they were pretty successful in getting their point across – iced tea is one of the most refreshing things you can drink, especially on a hot day! (This is not the actual commercial I watched, but you get the idea).

We try not to consume much sugar in our house. Not to mention, since when do sugary drinks really actually quench your thirst? With so many people around here who would like to have something to drink besides water, we drink alot of iced tea. It is the only other drink besides water I have found that actually quenches a thirsty mama’s dry mouth. My kids still sometimes sweeten it with sugar. But a half cup of sugar to a whole gallon of tea isn’t too bad. If I am making it, I sweeten it with pure maple syrup (no, it does not taste like maple), or with honey. You could also use agave nectar. I like about 2 Tablespoons per quart, but my kids like it about twice that sweet.

I have been experimenting with various teas and tea combinations just to give us some variety. I have discovered that I most enjoy black tea flavored with a fruit tea. I’ve mixed and combined and mixed some more. So imagine my delight when I discovered that one of my favorite tea companies has created a tea, meant to be iced, just for me. Okay, so maybe they didn’t create it just for me. But they must have had me in mind.

Recipe:

Put 1 bag Zhena’s Strawberry Osmanthus Iced Tea into 1 quart canning jar

Pour boiled water over tea bag to fill jar almost to very top

Let steep 5 minutes, remove bag

Add 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup (from a maple tree, with nothing added) and stir

Let cool and serve over ice.

I sometimes put my jar in the freezer and let it partially freeze. This morning I had a partial jar that had completely frozen so I poured some of my fresh batch over it and enjoyed it nice and cold right away. Later, I poured some over one of my favorite mugs which had been left in the freezer. Mmmm, frosty!

I’m keepin’ cool, cuz in my neck of the woods, it’s a hot one out there today!

Cheers!