Herbal Iced Teas

Enlarge Image Image Gallery The lively combination of fruit and mint makes Apple-Mint tea a refreshing drink after a hot day in the garden.

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Recipes

The recipes below call for both fresh and dried herbs and flowers, but you may use either, substituting two to three times as much fresh for dried. Dried herbs are convenient for making large quantities; store blends in airtight containers away from heat and light. To make these iced teas, refer to “The basics”, below.

• Apple-Mint Tea
• Lemon-Hibiscus Tea
• Fresh and Fruity Tea
• Spiced Tea
• Ginger Tea

A tall, cool glass of herbal iced tea is a fine way to celebrate spring and to quench your thirst during the warm days ahead. Pick a few leaves of mint, lemon balm, sage, or other favorite herb and let them steep in the sun while you work in the garden; when you’re ready for a break, add ice to your tea and drink it down. Whether you prefer tart and lively or subtle and mellow, whether you add herbs to your favorite black tea or brew them straight, herbal iced teas provide a perfect forum for experimenting with the offerings of your garden.

Tea in history

Tea is the second most widely consumed beverage around the world, surpassed only by water. According to Chinese legend, the emperor Shen Nong discovered tea in about 2700 b.c. when a gust of wind blew some tea leaves into a kettle of boiling water. A competing Indian legend credits Siddh¯artha Gautama, founder of Buddhism, with the divine creation of tea. Regardless of its origin, tea (Camellia sinensis) has been cultivated and harvested since at least the fourth century a.d. Tea remained almost exclusively an Asian pleasure until the end of the sixteenth century, when European traders began to travel to Asia and later to the Americas. It became a valued commodity worldwide, and its role in the American Revolution is recorded in history books.

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