There aren’t that many ingredients in the perfect summer day: a shady front porch, the smell of freshly cut grass, the distant hum of cicadas, and a tall glass of iced tea. But once that scene is set, one important question remains: what kind of iced tea belongs in the glass?
While certain brews have earned their place as iced tea classics, almost any tea that’s typically served hot can be transformed into a refreshing cold drink. If you’ve got a little time and the willingness to experiment, the possibilities are nearly endless, and I’m about to help you explore a few of them.
Some Like It Cold: How to Make Any Tea an Iced Tea
As you may recall from 2024’s All About Iced Tea blog, the traditional method of brewing a glass of iced tea is to brew a cup of hot tea first. Put a teaspoon of loose tea in an infuser, or use a single sachet or tea bag, but cut the amount of boiling water you would typically use in half to create a concentrate. Once your tea has steeped, pour it over a glass filled with ice, and top it off with cold water as needed.
And just like that, any type of tea can now be an iced tea! The only question is: which tea should you start with?
It just so happens I’ve got some opinions about that.
Let the Experimentation Begin
Japanese Teas
John Harney, my grandfather (and our company’s founder), liked to start his mornings with a cup of our Japanese Sencha green tea from the central Shizuoka province. When iced, the bolder notes of this traditional sencha are reduced, creating a savory iced tea option with pleasant accents of citrus.
While sencha is made from the best leaves of the tea plant, our Hojicha is made from the plants’ roasted twigs. Offering lower levels of caffeine than other green teas, this medium-bodied brew offers an aroma and flavor like that of roasted coffee. When served cold, the sensation is comparable to that of drinking an iced espresso.
In many East Asian countries, barley tea is a staple beverage that often takes the place of drinking water in homes and restaurants. Our Soba Roasted Buckwheat is a similar beverage. Naturally caffeine-free, its toasty flavor and nutty undertones are delightful whether enjoyed hot or cold.
Chinese Teas
When my grandfather John entered the tea trade, Chun Mee was one of only two Chinese green teas he offered (the other being Gunpowder). A traditional green summer tea, the leaves of this full-bodied brew are fired for an extended period in a hot rotating oven, contributing to its pleasantly roasted flavor.
Famous worldwide, Lung Chings are prized as some of China’s finest green teas. Our Lung Ching, with a flavor like that of steamed bok choy with toasted walnuts, will give you a savory, medium-bodied iced tea.
Our Golden Monkey tea features large black tea leaves, golden tips, and a flavor that our customers love. Hailing from China’s Fujian province, it offers complex notes of cooked stone fruit (think baked apricots), semisweet chocolate or cocoa, and roasted pecans. Served cold, it’s a smooth, non-brisk brew in which cocoa notes (in particular) help it stand apart from plain black iced teas.
Indian Teas
One of our stronger black teas, CTC Assam, is processed in a “cut, tear, curl” machine, which converts tea leaves into small, fast-oxidizing pellets. This creates an extremely full-bodied espresso-style tea that’s intensely brisk/astringent. If you’re looking for an iced tea with a bold bite (something like an iced coffee), you’ll find it here.
The flavors of dark red fruits and chestnuts define our Organic Darjeeling, a mildly brisk and silky-bodied tea that’s as refreshing cold as it is served hot.
Taiwanese Teas
Iced oolongs are enjoyed across many humid parts of Asia and our Formosa Oolong (a style known and loved by generations of Americans) lends itself especially well to icing. Oxidized to about 75%, it’s darker than most other oolongs, bearing subtle, sweet notes of peaches and toasted walnuts.
In the mountains of Taiwan, mists, cold temperatures, and occasional snow contribute to the singular character of Li Shan: regarded as one of the world’s finest oolong teas. Its sweet aroma is complemented by flavors like lemon and pear, with underlying vegetal notes. Icing mellows that flavor profile while increasing the tea’s creaminess (and multiple infusions can lower the cost-per-use of this admittedly high-end brew).
Flavored Black Teas
Thanks to my mother, Brigitte’s, love of the lychee fruit’s fragrance, Lychee has become one of our favorite flavored black teas. Steeped strong and poured over ice, it creates a beautifully refreshing brew, highlighting the unique grape-like flavors of lychee.
The Darjeeling base of our Viennese Earl Grey (inspired by our visit to Vienna’s Demmers Teehaus) gives this brew a lighter, more unique body than other Earl Greys. Expect subtle fruity notes, overlaid by a lemony bergamot flavor.
The irresistible combination of fresh peaches and the zesty zing of ginger has made Peaches & Ginger a very popular flavored tea. Its sweet, fruity flavors are delicious at any temperature (and if you’d rather skip the caffeine, our Decaf Peaches & Ginger is here for you).
Atop a base of Chinese black tea, our Boston blend pays tribute to Massachusetts (cranberry capital of the Northeast) by adding the alluring flavors of cranberry, almond, and vanilla. It’s tart and tempting, iced or hot.
Black Tea Blends
During the 23rd G8 Summit in June 1997, eight world leaders had dinner at The Fort restaurant in Morrison, Colorado, and enjoyed a special eight-tea blend we created for the occasion. Combining full-bodied Assams with lighter Darjeeling and Formosa Oolong, Eight at the Fort is a complex blend offering muted notes of honey, malt, citrus, stone fruit, and stewed apples. This layered and unique brew is decidedly not your average black tea.
Another black tea blend, HarSha, combines the body and depth of broken tippy Assam with the dark, fruity flavor of muscatel 2ndflush Darjeeling. Together, these bold Indian teas create a state of bliss (“HarSha,” in Hindi). Though Mike Harney created this tea as a breakfast blend, we think the iced version is appropriate anytime. 
Herbals
For those who love lavender, our French Super Blue Lavender (naturally caffeine-free) is the ideal herbal blend. Its deep blue hue, intense floral taste, and captivating aroma translate seamlessly into its iced version.
Chances are you’ve added mint to your iced tea before, but what if your summer beverage was nothing but mint? Our caffeine-free Spearmint tisane answers that question with a refreshing aroma and a bright, invigorating flavor.
Our Lemon Balm Chamomile is an organic blend of lemon balm and chamomile (as you might expect) plus nutmeg, spearmint, and lavender. Served warm, this caffeine-free, light-bodied brew is an excellent before-bed drink; iced, we think it’s delectable at any time of day.
One herbal that’s decidedly not caffeine-free? Our Allnighter Yerba Mate Licorice blend. Searching for a combination that would offer more caffeine than black tea, my dad, Mike, put Yerba Mate together with Guayusa and some licorice. The result is a brew that smells and tastes like roasted parsnips and steamed zucchini, while delivering an energy boost that can keep you going longer and stronger. 
Cool and Convenient: Our Fresh Brew Iced Teas
Icing hot teas is a grand experiment…but for those times when you’re not quite feeling the experimental urge, we’ve created Fresh Brew Iced Teas: a collection of our most popular iced teas in convenient, easy-to-brew pouches.
Each individual pouch is pre-measured to make a two-quart pitcher. Just put one pouch in your pitcher, pour two cups of boiling water over it, add six cups of cold water, then remove the pouch (squeezing it gently). You can chill it a little longer if you’d like or you can just pour it over ice. It’s a little bit of effort for a whole lot of flavor.
There are no wrong choices in our collection, but if you’re looking for a colorful entry point, try our Indigo Punch Fresh Brew Iced Tea. Presenting a vibrant dark navy hue (thanks to a combination of hibiscus and butterfly pea flower), this aromatic caffeine-free blend leads with the flavors of raspberry, citrus, and honey.
Another great option is our Passion Fruit Fresh Brew Iced Tea, a fruity, flavorful delight that combines full-leaf Chinese black tea with the sweetly exotic flavors of passion fruit.
Our Organic Green with Citrus & Ginkgo Fresh Brew Iced Tea starts with green tea, then blends in citrus peels, lemongrass, and a touch of ginkgo, noticeable in this certified organic tea’s aroma and flavor. You’ll also benefit from the healthful flavonoids in ginkgo and green tea, which help protect your body’s cells.
Now It’s Your Turn!
Transforming a cup of hot tea into iced tea is a rewarding experience, both in the making and in the drinking. Now that I’ve given you some starter ideas, I hope you’ll have fun conducting your own experiments this summer and if you discover a typically hot-brewed tea that you love cold, let me know, so I can try it too!
