Tea in Summer

I drink tea year round. In Poland, they say that drinking hot tea when the weather’s hot is beneficial because by raising your body temperature you actually start feeling the heat less. Of course, by this logic drinking it in winter would be BAD but no on seems to notice the contradiction. Or maybe the explanation is that tea is magic, which I think is a perfectly valid explanation.

Of course, I’ve lived most of my life in Texas where even when it’s over 100 degrees outside, it can still get cold inside because it is The Land Of AC.

I drink hot tea year round. I used to brew about a gallon of iced tea every day to day and a half in the summer. Last year was the first year that I brewed only about 2 or 3 gallons of iced tea each week, and drank more hot tea than iced.

I can’t say that this year will be more of the same, because there are quite a few teas that I actually look forward to trying as an iced tea, but, I suspect that it will be quite the same this year, because I have found that hot tea just tastes so much better than iced tea (for the most part). Chilling the tea so often mutes the flavor. Of course, there are exceptions to this “rule” – but more often than not, this is the case.

As far as “tasting” goes, I will always try a tea served hot first.

I doubt I will switch solely to iced, because I drink hot coffee year round (I actually can’t stand iced coffee) and tea is now becoming something of a substitute for coffee for me. I think it is more likely that I’ll be in the mood for less spicy, less heavy flavors with higher temps, though.

A hot cuppa in the morning, year-round, but I do start icing in mid-summer and wishing for cooler weather so I can get back to my normal routine.

Hot and cold tea are consumed year round in our house. Cold tea is the “I’m drinking something” beverage – while watching tv, playing on the computer, cooking dinner, or whatever. Hot tea is the “I’m drinking tea” beverage – when we want to be more mindful and slow down.

I definitely drink hot tea year-round, but I’m a climate-controlled computer programmer! I don’t spend much time outside during the day except on the weekends.

Iced tea is usually a seasonal thing for me, though. I’m not sure why, since the same argument ought to hold in reverse!

I drink both year round. My tongue has always been the main dictator of my consumption of all things. I’ve been known to eat ice cream when it’s 40 below wind chill and hot chai when it’s 100. There have been several times where I’ve eatten or drank something hot in summer or cold in winter and have suffered greatly after. Barring blistering heat, I tend to reserve iced teas for drinking w/ meals (although I sometimes make hot to go w/ meals as well), taking medication, and for when I’m extremely thirsty (hot beverages just don’t quench my thirst). My New Year’s Resolution was to only drink plain water if sweetened iced tea was my only option. While the outside temperature has something to do w/ it (although it hasn’t been hot enough outside yet), I spend most of my time in an air conditioned or heated building so the interior temp dictates what I’m more comfortable drinking. I actually think I tend to drink less tea in the winter at times since I’m too cold to move and make it lol. But no matter how hot it gets, you will not be able to pry my matcha or chai out of my hands… I just may drink my chai cold more (I don’t like cold matcha though).

I do drink iced tea more frequently in the summer, but I’ll still have hot tea regularly as well. I’m in the upper Midwest, so the evenings are usually cool enough that hot tea doesn’t seem out of place. Plus, there is often chilly A/C in buildings. But, in the morning or during the day, especially if I’ve been outside a lot, I do switch to iced tea.

My favorite iced tea is a blend of jasmine and mint green teas. So refreshing! I brew it by the glass and add ice, but I would be interested to try keeping a pitcher in the fridge so it would always be handy.

My husband, on the other hand, drinks iced tea year round. Yes, even when we have 20 inches of snow on the ground. He just doesn’t like hot tea, or hot beverages in general.

I do drink hot tea in the summer but usually stick to green and floral and/or fruit teas and usually only have it hot first thing in the morning, before the sun really gets going. If it’s a rainy day I might have a heavier black. The only time I don’t drink hot tea is if it was 90F+ with 100% humidity the day before and the night didn’t manage to cool things off. Luckily, living up in Maine, that is a pretty rare happening outside of a couple weeks in late July-early August.

The BEST iced tea I’ve ever had is the now sold out cucumber melon from 52teas. If you agree, send Frank a PM or email and hopefully he’ll bring it back and put it on the permanent collection. I’d like to get GM’s White Persian Melon and blend it w/ Adagio’s White Cucumber and do a comparison.