National Iced Tea Day

Today, June 10th, is National Iced Tea Day!  Why not celebrate with a drink of your favorite type of tea!?!

Most people who like to drink iced tea have a favorite flavor.  My favorite iced tea is a blend.  I use a coffee maker to brew it, but you can make it with whatever method you like best.  At one point in time I had a regular iced tea maker, but it gave up the ghost and the store was all out when I went to buy a new one.  So I got a coffee maker instead, dedicated to making tea.  It works fine; the only drawback is it doesn’t automatically shut off when the ice tea is done brewing.

Anyway, here’s what I use for my favorite iced tea:

• 2 tablespoons, more or less, of loose leaf yerba mate
• 1 family sized bag of green tea
• 1 family sized bag of black tea
• 1 Mint Mate tea bag
• 1 Orange Blossom Mate tea bag

I tear open all the tea bags and pour the loose tea into the coffee filter, add filtered water, then let it brew.  And I prefer decaffeinated tea, but that’s a matter of personal perference.  Sometimes I change it up and use different flavored bags of tea for the last two. 

I buy my yerba mate tea from Guayaki, and buy a big 5-poung bag of San Mateo Air Dried Mate along with half pound bags of the Orange Blossom Mate and a bag of mint mate.

After I fill a small canister with the San Mateo Mate, I put the rest in the freezer.  A 5-pound bag lasts a LONG time, even though I brew a new batch almost every day!

I use liquid stevia to sweeten each glass full of tea before I drink it.  Since yerba mate, green and black teas have healthful properties, this is a great beverage both taste wise and health-wise.

So enjoy a glass or two of iced tea today!