Iced tea is a cool and refreshing beverage that has a long history of enjoyment from all walks of life. First let us clarify however, that it is not ice tea it is iced tea, in that it is not made from ice, but rather it is iced in that it is a beverage which has been made cold. Iced tea has a history that dates back to the nineteenth century, and today it is served all over the world. In this article, the story of tea and its presence in the world today will be discussed.
Making Iced Tea
Iced tea is made from any of the regular teas or tea-type leaves that are available at nearly every grocery store across America. Generally the tea is first brewed hot and then made cold, and ways to make the tea cold can either involve storage in a refrigerated area or being iced down with a collection of ice cubes, or even a combination of the two.
Iced tea can be made from black or red tea, white tea, green tea, oolong tea, or even any of the processed teas such as herbal or jasmine, which are in fact not really considered as being true teas at all. In most areas, however, it should be known that the preferred type of tea to use for the making of iced tea is black.
Another way to make iced tea is one way which is particularly popular in the southern areas of the United States, and this involves putting in the appropriate amount of water and a selection of tea, usually bagged, into a clear container to let it literally soak up the sun.
This type of iced tea is usually referred to as sun tea and some believe that by leaving it out to soak up the rays of the sun, it then ends up having a whole different taste altogether. This tea never gets hot at all, so to make it cold it usually is simply iced as many suggest this is the way true iced tea should be done.
Serving Iced Tea
People from all over the world over enjoy this beverage any time of the year but especially in those warm summer months. Some simply enjoy it in a tall glass over ice, while still others prefer to enjoy this beverage in a way that those American southerners also insist is best, which is by dissolving a nice big heaping of sugar into it. This so-called ‘sweet tea’ surely is sweet and in fact resulted in iced tea taking on a whole new meaning.
Filed under tea uses by on Feb 28th, 2008. Comment. 
Most people enjoy the scrumptious and creamy taste of regular, traditional ice cream, but new to the American scene is its Japanese cousin: green tea ice cream. This yummy concoction was first created in the Asian country and has long since been served on frequent occasions.
Green tea ice cream has since made its way across the seas for us to enjoy, as well. In this article, its Japanese beginnings and the details of its ingredients are thoroughly discussed and examined.
Green Tea Ice Cream’s Roots
This smooth treat was born in Japan and is in fact still wildly popular there. As a matter of fact, all major Japanese ice cream distributors now market their own version of green tea ice cream, and there they call it matcha, or maccha, based on the particular green tea type from which it is made.
This dessert is served there as we often serve our ice cream, in a bowl. However, the Japanese also serve it in a more unusual way. On occasion, green tea ice cream can be found served in between monaka, for instance; this Japanese treat is made of thin, sweet wafers which are filled with a sweet bean paste. Then, the monaka are filled generously with green tea ice cream to make a nice and tasty ice cream sandwich.
What Goes Into Green Tea Ice Cream?
Green tea ice cream is a delightfully green color due to the matcha or maccha tea powder which is used to make it. This green tea is a common component of traditional Japanese tea ceremonies and is a tea which is often kept in Japanese cupboards. Green tea ice cream is commonly made through a cooking process and then, of course, a freezing process.
The ingredients for this treat go beyond the inclusion of the matcha, or maccha, tea powder, and in addition to this main ingredient, both milk and cream is typically included in the recipe. Egg yolks, water and sugar are also necessary on this list in order to be able to make the perfect batch of green tea ice cream.
The easiest way to make this delectable dessert is to simply use vanilla ice cream and combine it with the green tea powder. However, some might question the validity of calling that a true green tea ice cream. Your own opinion is obviously what matters however, and so whichever way you prefer is then best.
Filed under tea drinking by on Feb 25th, 2008. Comment.
Whether savoring a serving of tea at high tea or afternoon tea, English tea can be an incredibly delightful addition to the party or on some occasions even the party itself. Some people may believe that these two occasions are one and the same, but in fact, high tea and afternoon tea ceremonies are most definitely not the same thing and stem from completely different origins.
In this article the differences between each type of traditional English tea ceremony are thoroughly outlined and discussed in regards to their origin, traditions, typical time of occasion and original purposes.
Afternoon Tea
The whole tradition of the English tea ceremony stems back to nineteenth century England and was started by the Duchess of Bedford. These occasions were the first types of traditional afternoon English tea ceremonies that actually began as an in-between occasion when lunch had passed but dinner still seemed a long way off, and there was a need for something in between.
The array of tea was usually served with a miniature meal of breads and butter, and if not for this afternoon meal, the Duchess and her high society lady friends would have had to wait until well after dark for their next meal and this little feast filled that hungry space in between.
Since then and now to this day, the afternoon English tea ceremony has truly progressed to include many more foods such as scones and other pastries, but the timing of the occasion has steadfastly remained much the same.
High Tea
The occasion of high tea is often referred to as the same event as the afternoon English tea ceremony, however they are quite different indeed. Perhaps high tea sounds more proper, but this traditional English tea ceremony is actually the one that was practiced and was originated by the common folk in nineteenth century England.
Afternoon tea was already in full swing, but the poorer people also needed a tradition to surround their tea time. Instead of an earlier scheduled tea time, however, their tea time was scheduled to occur closer to dinner or even in place of dinner. Such was the actual origin of the ceremony, in fact.
This English tea tradition was partially established in order to take the place of the boring and usual meal with an occasion of celebration and enjoyment of tea, and unlike the afternoon tea of the rich, this occasion took place around dusk and included much more filling foods like meat, eggs, cheese and the like. Also, both sexes were included in this meal, unlike the afternoon tea ceremony.
Filed under tea facts by on Feb 22nd, 2008. Comment.