Iced tea drinkers invited to raise a glass on June 10

Drinkers of iced tea get their day in the sun on Monday, June 10, when America observes “National Iced Tea Day.” 

One of the cloudy mysteries associated with the beverage that deserves further exploration, however, is: Who invented iced tea? 

Englishman gets a lot of votes. He was a tea grower and merchant who was assigned by the British government to promote English teas at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Mo.

 

On a sweltering August day, not a soul was interested in stopping by his booth for a cup of hot tea. Belchynden reportedly dropped ice into his tea, and the drink became an instant success. Ta da. It’s a nice story, but Belchynden wasn’t the first. 

The earliest cookbook reference to iced tea is found in “The Kentucky Housewife,” compiled in 1839 by Lettice Pierce Bryan of Lincoln County, Ky. 

Her recipe for “Tea Punch” packed a punch. She wrote: “Make a pint and a half of very strong tea in the usual manner; strain it, and pour it boiling hot on one-and-a-quarter pound of loaf sugar. Add a half pint of rich sweet cream and stir in gradually a bottle of claret or champagne.” Serve entirely cold, in glass cups.

 

A nonalcoholic recipe for iced tea came from the 1876 edition of “Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping,” a collection of recipes from the women of the Marysville (Ohio) First Congregational Church. The editor was Estelle Woods Wilcox. 

She said: For a perfect tea without the least trace of bitterness, put tea in cold water about eight hours before it is to be used. “The delicate flavor of the tea and abundant strength will be extracted, and there will be not a trace of the tannic acid, which renders tea so often disagreeable and undrinkable.”

 

“Housekeeping in Old Virginia,” a cookbook compiled in 1877 by Marion Fontaine Cabell Tyree of Lynchburg, Va., is another early source. 

Tyree was a great granddaughter of Virginia’s Patrick Henry, who helped organize the “Boston Tea Party” rebellion in 1773. Her iced tea recipe specified: Pour one quart boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea into teapot. Let stand about four hours. Strain, without stirring, pour into pitcher. 

At teatime, Tyree said, “Fill goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each and pour tea over ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it corrects the astringent tendency.” 

The rise of sweet tea in the South was fueled by William B. Reilly of New Orleans, La., who launched the Luzianne brand of coffee in 1902. Thirty years later, Reilly Foods Company developed one of the first teas ever specially blended for pouring over ice. 

“Luzianne was proud to help popularize iced tea as a cool way to beat the Southern heat,” said a company spokesperson. “Our reputation for clear, smooth-tasting, refreshing iced tea was soon established across the South.”

 

Access the family-owned business recipe for sweet tea at luzianne.com. All you need are four family-sized tea bags, a gallon of spring water and a cup of sugar. The trick is knowing which ingredients to combine when. 

For a kick, add lemon or orange zest, lemon juice or lemonade while the tea is warm – or spike it with fruit juices or bourbon, tequila or vodka. Douse with a sprinkle of sparkling water to make a refreshing party punch. 

Yes. We think Lettice Pierce Bryan was on the same page with her Tea Punch in 1839. Bless her heart.