  Americans prefer their tea iced: 80 percent of the tea sold in the U.S. is bottled. In this article, we introduce you to the best of them. Photo by Kelly Cline.
July 2006
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Irresistible Iced Teas
The Best Iced Tea In A Bottle: Adiago, Honest Tea, Inko's, Ito En And Republic Of Tea
CAPSULE REPORT: Iced tea is one of the hottest drinks in America. When we don’t have time to brew our own—or when we need something to grab and go—we’re grateful that some of America’s greatest artisan tea companies produce such exquisite iced teas. Freshly brewed with the finest tea leaves, these iced teas are so good, we order them by the case. There’s something for everyone: from plain black tea (much better than what we brew) to green and white teas to flavored teas and herbals. Each of the unsweetened teas is absolutely delicious in its unadulterated state, and the sweetened teas have just enough natural cane sugar to add a tad of sweetness without a lot of calories. Three brands, Honest Tea, Inko’s and Republic of Tea, are certified kosher. Honest Tea is also certified organic.
We openly profess our love for quality tea in all its versions—cold, hot, green, white, black, oolong, with milk, with a bit of sweetener or mixed with alcohol. But now that summer’s heat has hit the streets, we’re yearning for an ultra-cold tea without having to brew hot leaves and waiting for the beverage to cool. We went searching for thirst-quenching teas that were the real deal and we have for you a selection of our favorite bottled teas from:
All are all-natural, fresh-brewed from top-quality whole tea leaves and deliver a pure, clean taste. The flavored teas are very naturally flavored and clean tasting. Most are available at fine specialty stores and easily available online.
One thing we’ll say about all of the lines below: each of the teas within it is so delicious, we can’t pick a favorite. We’d drink every one, over and over. If you’ve only drunk iced tea with sugar, perhaps you’ve never had exceptional brewed iced tea before. We invite you to taste some of these—you may become a convert (and consume those sugar calories where they belong, like in ice cream and chocolate).
Learn more about tea by reading the background articles in THE NIBBLE’s tea section. If you have a favorite bottled iced tea to recommend, click on the link to tell us about it.
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Adagio:
Unsweetened, Unflavored Iced Teas
Adagio, a major online purveyor of fine loose teas, entered the iced tea world with a bang: Their original Dragonwell green tea, marketed under the name AnTEAdote, won the Best Unflavored Iced Tea Award in 2004 and 2005 at the World Tea Expo. Unfortunately, they are no longer making this tea, but have expanded the line to include four unflavored teas. Each tastes as fresh-brewed as home-made.
FLAVORS: Black, Green, Jasmine and White
- AnTEAdote
16.9-Ounce Plastic Bottle, Any Flavor
$2.00
Case of 15
$24.00
Adagio.com
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Adagio iced teas
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Honest Tea:
Sweetened & Flavored Organic Iced Teas
Honest Tea covers all colors and bases: if you like fruits, spices, black, oolong, green, white, sweetened or unsweetened tea. It’s also kosher and organic. There’s no reason to say “no!” Most of the teas are brewed in purified water or spring water and there are lovely touches—Decaf Ceylon, for example, is infused with lemongrass and Green Dragon has accents of passion fruit.
Most of the teas are lightly sweetened (from 10 to 75 calories a bottle) with organic cane sugar, raw cane sugar, or honey (and some with their fruits or a hint of organic maple or agave syrup). Honest Tea’s Just Black Tea and Just Green Tea are unsweetened and in a dual sense “just” tea: they’re also Fair Trade Certified. Tangerine Green has just 10 calories per bottle. Read our full review of Honest Tea.
FLAVORS: Assam Black, Black Forest Berry*, Community Green, Decaf Ceylon, First Nation Peppermint*, Gold Rush Cinnamon*, Green Dragon Tea, Heavenly Honey Green, Just Black Tea, Just Green Tea, Kashmiri Chai, Lori’s Lemon Tea†, Mango White Tea, Mint White Tea†, Moroccan Mint Green, Peach Oo-la-Long†, Pearfect White tea, Tangerine Green Tea
*Caffeine-free †Plastic Bottle Available
Certified Kosher by Orthodox Union
Certified Organic by Pennsylvania Certified
Organic
HonestTea.com |
Honest Tea in glass bottles.
Honest Tea in plastic bottles.
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Inko’s:
Flavored White Teas
Iced tea fans will love the elegant flavors of Inko’s teas. Nine flavors, infused with fruit or spice essences, offer lightly sweetened (with fructose) for 58 calories per 16-ounce bottle, and two unsweetened flavors.
Inko’s was the first to debut a white bottled tea. While white tea itself has very subtle flavor, it is higher in antioxidants than green tea. White, green, or rainbow-colored, Inko’s flavors are so special that you must taste them all before deciding on a favorite—if you can choose just one. Read our full review of Inko’s White Iced Teas.
FLAVORS: Apricot, Blueberry, Cherry Vanilla, Hint O’ Mint*, Honeydew, Honeysuckle*, Lychee, Original (Ginger), White Peach
**Unsweetened
Certified Kosher by Tablet K
- Inko's White Teas
16-Ounce Glass Bottles
Case of 12 — Any Flavor
$23.00
HealthyWhiteTea.com |
Inko’s flavored white iced teas.
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ITO EN’s Teas’ Tea
Traditional Japanese Teas
Japanese company ITO EN is the world’s leading supplier of green tea. An innovator in the production of bottled tea, its Teas’ Tea line was the first top-quality entrant of pure brewed teas, and the eight varieties are superb.
All are traditional teas, unsweetened and calorie-free. The line include teas more familiar to Americans, like Pure Green, Jasmine, Oolong and a Green White blend. Special treats include the only bottled Lemongrass Green we know of and Rose Green, infused with rose petals. Habitués of Japanese restaurants will recognize Genmai, blended with roasted brown rice and and pearl barley, and smoky Hoji.
These are serious teas, connoisseur teas; but they also leave one feeling very healthy—a reminder that inside the bottle are plenty of EGCGs, the antioxidant in green tea that research has shown to be a cancer preventative and has other numerous health benefits. (Click here for more information about antioxidant foods.)
FLAVORS: Golden Oolong, Green Genmai, Green Hoji, Green Jasmine, Lemongrass Green, Pure Green, Rose Green, Green White
- Teas’ Tea
Any Flavor
Case of 24
$36.00
- Teas’ Tea Sampler
Case of 24
$36.00
ItoEn.com |
Teas’ Teas: exceptional Japanese teas.
Ito-en also makes the high-powered Sencha Shot, a concentrated green tea we love cold for breakfast and throughout the day. Read our review
of Sencha Shot.
Sencha Shot, a powerful shot of delicious green tea.
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Republic of Tea:
Unsweetened, Fruit-Flavored Teas
Republic of Tea, one of our favorite tea companies, makes iced tea in 14+ flavors, including a few decafs and caffeine-free herbals. The teas are either naturally flavored or unsweetened and calorie-free. The teas are available in 12 ounce plastic bottles or 16 ounce glass bottles. The flavor selections run from Blackberry Sage Black Tea to Orange Blossom White Tea. If you love the fruity teas with bold flavor essences, Republic of Tea definitely will have one to please your tastes. Three flavors, Ginger Peach Decaf, Passionfruit and Raspberry Quince, are available in iced tea “squares”—handsome, portable cardboard box dispensers with spigots that hold 16 servings and can pour from the refrigerator or from a tabletop.
FLAVORS: Blackberry Sage Black Tea, Capetown Tropical Red Tea, Ginger Peach, Ginger Peach Decaf Black Tea, Honeydew Melon White Tea, Jade Mint Green Tea, Mango Ceylon Black Tea, Orange Blossom White Tea, Passionfruit Green Tea, Pink Lemonade Green Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea, Raspberry Quince Black Tea, Republic Ceylon Black Tea, Republic Darjeeling Black Tea
Certified Kosher by Orthodox Union
- Plastic Bottled Iced Teas
12-Ounce Bottle
$2.19
- Glass Bottled Iced Teas
16.9-Ounce Bottle
$4.50
- Iced Tea Squares
96-Ounce Box
$11.99
- Glass Bottled Iced Tea Sampler Case
12 Assorted Bottles
$51.00
RepublicOfTea.com
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Republic of Tea plastic-bottled teas.
Or, enjoy your tea in glass bottles.
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Brew Your Own Iced Tea
A tea selection from SerendipiTea, a seller of fine loose teas. Each four-ounce box makes about 50 cups.
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| Assam. This single estate black tea grown in Northern India is robust and malty. It tastes delicious at any time of day, with or without milk. $12.00. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
Darjeeling. Grown high in the foothills of the Himalayas, this single-estate Darjeeling tea has a nutty note, pronounced greenness and strong character. A perennial favorite. $16.00. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
Oolong. White-Tip Oolong, a fine Formosa oolong with distinctive nutty notes, intertwined with a subtle peachiness. A great value, oolong can be steeped three times! $14.00. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
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| Dragon Well. Grown in the famed Hangzhou District, a gorgeous, Chinese flat leaf, pan fired, smooth, aromatic and intriguing. Considered the standard-bearer for Chinese green tea and one of the few to pair with chocolate. $14.00. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
Sencha. A sweet, delicate varietal from the famous Fuji district. A lightly steamed sencha. Well worth each sip. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
Yunnan. A full-bodied tea from the Yunnan district of China, robust with a chocolatey finish. Considered one of the finest varietals on the globe. $12.00. Click here for more information or to purchase. |
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