You can count on three certainties each summer here in Fort Worth: The temperatures will soar, you’ll wonder by mid-July if summer will ever end and you’ll find iced tea available wherever you go. The absolute staple drink of the south and particularly Texas, sweet tea can be delicious . . . but because it's so ubiquitously served, it can become a bit boring to consume.
So this summer — and especially this June, which is National Iced Tea Month — check out these five refreshing ways to sip your tea that add a bit of a twist to the typical.
If It Ain’t Broke …Well, Maybe It Is
Maybe you aren’t bored with sweet tea at all and prefer to drink it just like you always have: fresh-brewed with actual tea bags in a boiling pot of water with sugar poured in liberally. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of sugar, and your health and diet may no longer be able to keep up. If you’d prefer to stick close to the original with the tea you sip this summer, consider changing out sugar for a healthier alternative.
While you may already be familiar with substitutes like Splenda, Sweet’n Low and Equal, you might not like the tastes of these sugar pretenders or their potential side effects. Instead, try using stevia. This is an all-natural alternative to sugar and can actually fool many people who are sensitive to how different some substitutes taste from the real thing.
Some other alternatives that do come with calories include agave and honey. These substances can sometimes offer better nutritional benefits than processed sugar, though.
Give It a Hint of Mint
Add some tingle to your taste buds when you mix a hint of mint into your iced tea this summer. Mint mixes pleasantly with both unsweetened and sweetened iced tea, adding just a bit of flavor without overwhelming the taste of the tea you already love. How you add your hint of mint determines how strong it is in your drink — for a true hint, use a mint leaf, crushed slightly, inside your glass. For a bit stronger addition, grab a little bottle of peppermint extract and add a drop or two.
Want to surprise your guests and visitors with that hint of mint? Freeze a tray of ice cubes with bits of mint leaf added to each cube. As the ice melts, the drinks will be a hit with that playful pop of mint.
Using mint in your tea can have health benefits as well, as the herb helps soothe indigestion and settle upset stomachs.
Use Different Tea Bags to Change Up Flavors
It’s almost stereotypically southern to use Lipton tea bags when making your momma’s sweet tea recipe. (Best recipe ever: tea bag, water, sugar. Can’t get easier than that!)
However, the easiest way you can find to change up your tea this summer is to simply change what bag you add to that boiling water. Do you enjoy drinking hot tea for breakfast or before bed? Literally any of those flavors can also be made into iced or sweet tea. Here are just a few ideas to try:
Experiment with all types of tea this summer, mixing a variety of flavors and sweet additives. Perhaps take a tea vacation and prepare a different type of iced sweet tea for yourself each day until you hit on the perfect combination that becomes a new favorite. And remember that we have regularly scheduled transportation here at Bethesda Gardens, so you can stock up on extra supplies for your tea-making adventures whenever you need to.
So this summer — and especially this June, which is National Iced Tea Month — check out these five refreshing ways to sip your tea that add a bit of a twist to the typical.
If It Ain’t Broke …Well, Maybe It Is
Maybe you aren’t bored with sweet tea at all and prefer to drink it just like you always have: fresh-brewed with actual tea bags in a boiling pot of water with sugar poured in liberally. Unfortunately, that’s a lot of sugar, and your health and diet may no longer be able to keep up. If you’d prefer to stick close to the original with the tea you sip this summer, consider changing out sugar for a healthier alternative.
While you may already be familiar with substitutes like Splenda, Sweet’n Low and Equal, you might not like the tastes of these sugar pretenders or their potential side effects. Instead, try using stevia. This is an all-natural alternative to sugar and can actually fool many people who are sensitive to how different some substitutes taste from the real thing.
Some other alternatives that do come with calories include agave and honey. These substances can sometimes offer better nutritional benefits than processed sugar, though.
Give It a Hint of Mint
Add some tingle to your taste buds when you mix a hint of mint into your iced tea this summer. Mint mixes pleasantly with both unsweetened and sweetened iced tea, adding just a bit of flavor without overwhelming the taste of the tea you already love. How you add your hint of mint determines how strong it is in your drink — for a true hint, use a mint leaf, crushed slightly, inside your glass. For a bit stronger addition, grab a little bottle of peppermint extract and add a drop or two.
Want to surprise your guests and visitors with that hint of mint? Freeze a tray of ice cubes with bits of mint leaf added to each cube. As the ice melts, the drinks will be a hit with that playful pop of mint.
Using mint in your tea can have health benefits as well, as the herb helps soothe indigestion and settle upset stomachs.
Use Different Tea Bags to Change Up Flavors
It’s almost stereotypically southern to use Lipton tea bags when making your momma’s sweet tea recipe. (Best recipe ever: tea bag, water, sugar. Can’t get easier than that!)
However, the easiest way you can find to change up your tea this summer is to simply change what bag you add to that boiling water. Do you enjoy drinking hot tea for breakfast or before bed? Literally any of those flavors can also be made into iced or sweet tea. Here are just a few ideas to try:
Experiment with all types of tea this summer, mixing a variety of flavors and sweet additives. Perhaps take a tea vacation and prepare a different type of iced sweet tea for yourself each day until you hit on the perfect combination that becomes a new favorite. And remember that we have regularly scheduled transportation here at Bethesda Gardens, so you can stock up on extra supplies for your tea-making adventures whenever you need to.
