The hot weather is here and I’d love to share my favourite iced tea recipes with you. My top reasons for making my own iced tea:

1. Control the amount of sweetener.

2. Control the type of sweetener used and choose a healthier option.

3. Ensure only natural ingredients are used.

TEA TYPES

Any kind of tea can be used to make iced tea - black, green, fruit, rooibos, oolong, etc. Of course, some will taste better than others and I encourage you to experiment. I prefer loose leaf teas as they allow me a lot more freedom, they provide a better brew which leads to a nicer flavour and many teabags have unwanted chemicals I don’t want to ingest. If you are using tea bags, make sure you purchase ones that are unbleached. Using quality tea will result in a healthier and tastier glass of iced tea.

My favourite teas for making iced tea are black, green and fruit. I will share a recipe for each one. Here are my personal favourite blends that I will be using for these recipes.

Green - Pear Cream Supreme

Black - Buckingham Palace

Fruit - Very Berry

These have been purchased from Distinctly Tea which is located in Uptown Waterloo, Ontario, Canada or online at distinctlytea.com.

STEEPING TIP: Be careful with over-steeping black and green teas as I find bitterness can be more prominent with an iced tea. I recommend following the suggested steeping time for these teas unless otherwise noted in the following recipes.

SWEETENERS

As I’m sure you’re already aware, white refined sugar is not a healthy option. Below is a list of my three favourite sweeteners.

Local Honey - is much sweeter than sugar so use 1/2 the amount you would with sugar

Maple Syrup - is also sweeter than sugar so I recommend using much smaller amounts.

Monk Fruit Extract - if you prefer using something granular, I suggest monk fruit extract. It is a zero-calorie sweetener that can be used as a 1:1 sugar replacement.

TIP: Add your preferred sweetener when the tea is HOT, otherwise, it won’t dissolve and it will settle at the bottom.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF ICED TEA

There are many benefits of tea (especially herbal teas). Here are some of the benefits of drinking ICED tea.

1. Electrolytes - Electrolytes are essential minerals (like sodium, calcium, and potassium) and balance essential body fluids. Electrolyte imbalances, from dehydration or excessive sweating, can have serious health risks. Green tea, hibiscus (in the Very Berry tea) and honey are great natural sources of electrolytes. Coconut water is another great source of electrolytes, but that’s a bit of an aside as we’re not using it in our tea, just an extra tip.

2. Antioxidants - Excessive sweating and exercise produce free radicals and antioxidants help fight free radicals. A balance between free radicals and antioxidants is necessary for proper body function. Green tea, rooibos and fruit tea are excellent sources of antioxidants.

RECIPES

NOTE: These recipes were inspired by a friend of mine, Wendy. Check out her website where she offers lots of great recipes at wendys-wellness.com.