National Iced Tea Day

Melissa Doroquez / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

June 10th is National Iced Tea Day in the United States.

Iced tea is basically tea that is cold. It is usually served with ice, hence the name, but can be used to refer to any type of tea that has been chilled or cooled. The drink may also be sweetened and served with such things as apple slices and lemon slices are a traditional garnish.

Though tea is an ancient drink, the earliest iced tea recipes only date back to the late 19th century, and it had started to appear in the U.S. a few years prior to that. Ice tea is served around the world, but the United States is probably where it is most popular. In the U.S., most tea that is drunk is iced tea, contrasted with other countries where the majority is served as hot tea. It is a popular alternative to soft drinks. Iced tea can, of course, be easily made at home, but it is also available in bottles and cans. In such cases, the tea is frequently carbonated.