by Shaefeather Windsong
The warm sunshine, smell of sunblock, and the salty sea air… sounds like summer in Seattle! Whether you’re a fan of the heat or not, there’s one thing we can all agree on that will make it better: Ice Tea! And local organic ice tea to boot!
I was inspired to write this blog after restocking our favorite tea company Flying Bird Botanicals. They are a small business located up in Bellingham Washington. They only serve organic and sustainable products, from tea to local raw honey from Mt Baker. They have the best herbal tea blends for simple pleasures or medicinal purposes. They also have single note green and black tea, as well as blends.
My second favorite company to brag about is Juniper Ridge. They are located in California and produce wild harvested teas, incense, essential oils, body care and more. They only make two types of tea but they are both to die for!
I wanted to share with you some of the best teas we keep in stock that you can brew and make your own ice tea. But first… how do you make iced tea?
The art of making ice tea is to first steep your favorite tea bag in a small amount of hot water, about half the amount of water you would usually fill up your tea cup with. Once it’s steeped to the perfect strength and flavor (always steep greens/blacks about 5min or less and herbals much longer, 10 or more minutes) pour the hot tea over a glass full of ice. The idea is to make a strong and concentrated brew because flavor is lessened when it’s iced and the ice melts a little with the hot water. If you’re making a large pitcher, you’ll need to calculate how many ounces the pitcher is. Usually 1 tea bag is perfect for 8-12 oz mug or cup. If your pitcher holds 1 liter, that’s about 33 ounces, which is approximately 4-5 tea bags. Then again, you be the judge, do you like your tea light or strong? Once you do it a few times you’ll learn the best steep time, amount and strength you like most.
Below I’ve listed my suggested teas that will be delicious iced. But to be honest, all of Flying Bird’s teas are fantastic and would be great iced! Perhaps you’re already a fan of Flying Bird Botanicals or Juniper Ridge. Try out your favorite tea and let me know how it worked out for you.
Twilight Mint: Go classic and refresh your body and soul on a hot day with mint! But this tea contains multiple types of mint--making it more flavorful and delicious!
Lavender Orange Grey: My personal favorite! If you like earl grey or lady grey, this mix will blow your socks off! Bergamot, the flavor in earl grey tea, and lavender mixed together is the perfect flavor combination...like ever. (Ever had Molly Moons Earl Grey ice cream or their Honey Lavender ice cream? I always eat them side by side!) The citrus taste comes out with a bit of orange peel. Feel free to squeeze a slice of fresh lemon into the mix. This is one of the best teas they make.
White Lemon Ginger: White tea contains the lowest amount of caffeine, so this makes it the perfect refresher tea without making you bounce off the walls if you're sensitive to caffeine. The lemon and ginger balance really well and make for a good pairing with your evening dinners. Ginger is great for digestion!
Vanilla Rose Ceylon: Yes it is as delicious as it sounds! Black tea mixed with rose petals and vanilla. Perhaps mix in some honey to the hot tea mix before pouring over ice and then add a splash of cream to turn it into a cooling dessert drink for those hot summer nights!
There are so many more good teas to mention! Check out our Facebook or Instagram for a recently uploaded video of all our flavors in stock! Now, onto Juniper Ridge...
Douglas Fir Spring Tip: It. Is. Amazing. How else can I describe it? It smells like a fir tree. It tastes like a fir tree. It fascinates my taste buds and is incredibly refreshing.
White Sage & Wild Mint: Same as above. Ever tasted white sage before? We all use it to smudge our houses but drinking it as a tea I feel clean from the inside out. The added mint balances out the sharpness of the sage and make it a soothing drink.
Questions? Comments? Let me know below!
See you next time :)
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Joel Holliman
July 29, 2018
Thanks for sharing this Shae. This weekend has been a hot one, and some iced tea would really hot the spot right now!