June 10^th is National Iced Tea Day; this is one of the many refreshing beverages enjoyed during the summer months. Tea can be enjoyed in many ways sweet or unsweetened, hot, or iced, and are available in a variety of different flavors.

I remember as a kid going to cookouts and having to choose between lemonade or sweet tea to drink. My pick was always the lemonade, which was my favorite as a kid and even now as an adult. My husband’s favorite is sweet tea; I find myself making sweet tea weekly in our home even during the colder months.

The two most popular types of tea are black and green tea; these two types of tea make up about 99% of tea consumed. Both black and green tea have antioxidants which can help lower blood pressure and better heart health.

The health benefits of tea can be impacted by extra ingredients added to the tea like sugar. Drinking tea in its most natural form with no added sugar provides us with the most health benefits.

Here are a few helpful steps to follow to help you brew green tea at home.

1. Boil 8 fluid ounces of water (212℉).
2. Pour the water onto the teabag.
3. Infuse teabag for 4 minutes.
4. Remove the teabag and enjoy your deliciously refreshing Lipton Green Tea!

Top tip: allow to cool and add ice to enjoy Lipton Iced Green Tea on a hot day!

Want to give your freshly brewed cup of iced tea more flavor? Try adding mint or fruit to your cup before pouring in the water. Adding mint and fruit can help add extra flavor to your cup of green tea without adding sugar. Remember you can always experiment and try different ways to flavor your sweet tea.

Here’s a sweet tea recipe I’m going to try this summer at my next cookout.

Lipton Iced Tea Sangria Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups boiling water

3 Lipton® Iced Tea Brew Family Size Tea Bags or 5 Cup Size Tea Bags

2 cups no sugar added purple grape juice, chilled

1 medium orange, sliced

1 medium lemon, sliced

1 medium lime, sliced

1 1/2 cups chilled club soda or seltzer

Method:

1. Pour boiling water over Lipton® Iced Tea Brew Family Size Tea Bags in saucepan; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove Tea Bags and squeeze.
2. Combine tea with remaining ingredients except soda in large pitcher; chill at least 2 hours. Just before serving, add soda. Pour into ice-filled glasses.

Whether it’s your classic iced tea recipe or you are trying a new one, enjoy a nice refreshing glass of iced tea on National Iced Tea Day.

Kaitlynn Henninge is an OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or henninge.5@osu.edu
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu
This article was previously published in The Daily Record.